The Scavengers (1959)

An American smuggler (Vince Edwards) operating out of Hong Kong spots his missing wife (Carol Ohmart), who ran out on him five years earlier, on a boat leaving for Macao. Tracking her down and confronting her, he discovers she is involved in drugs and stolen government bonds. Directed by the Hollywood veteran John Cromwell (OF HUMAN BONDAGE) and filmed in Hong Kong and the Philippines. This is a poverty row attempt at film noir but the muddled script by Eddie Romero resists any coherence or originality and instead gives us tired cliches. I don't know who's to blame for the lackluster performances. Both Edwards and Ohmart have shown talent in past films but here they comes across as the rankest of amateurs. Felipe Sacdalan's cinematography doesn't take advantage of the exotic Hong Kong locale that it may as well have been shot in on a Hollywood sound stage! With Richard Loo, Vic Diaz and the dancer Tamar Benamy, who's lovely but has all the expressiveness of a mask.