The House Of The Seven Hawks (1959)

The captain (Robert Taylor) of a charter boat is carrying a solitary passenger (Gerard Heinz) from England to Holland when the passenger suddenly dies. Upon his arrival in Holland, he is greeted by the police who don't buy the captain's explanation of the events especially since the passenger was murdered. But the captain isn't telling the police anything about what he found on the man's body ... and where he hid it! Based on the novel by Victor Canning, whose THE RAINBIRD PATTERN was adapted by Alfred Hitchcock into FAMILY PLOT, the film shows early signs of being an enjoyable piece of pulp. Like THE MALTESE FALCON, everyone is after what Taylor's captain has. Not only the police (represented by Donald Wolfit's police inspector), but the violence hating villain (Eric Pohlmann), the femme fatale (Linda Christian), the double crossing police informant (Philo Hauser) too. But after the initial flurry of excitement, the movie quickly fades into a muddled international thriller with lots of unlikable characters including the hero. In fact, the only likable character is the murdered man's daughter played by the lovely Nicole Maurey. In his late 40s, Taylor looks haggard and out of shape and not connected to the material. Directed by that most generic of directors, Richard Thorpe.