Recoil (1962)

After a young punk (Paul Carr) is arrested for assault and battery and suspicion of being involved in the numbers racket, a police detective (Robert Taylor) takes a personal interest in the case when he meets the punk's married sister (Vera Miles). But the case soon becomes a murder case when the boy disappears and his brother in law (Harold J. Stone) is suspected of his murder. Directed by Paul Wendkos (GIDGET GOES HAWAIIAN), this was originally a two part episode of the TV series THE DETECTIVES which was combined into a feature film for release in Europe. It wasn't an uncommon occurrence in the 1960s. Many of the two part episodes of THE MAN FROM UNCLE were released as feature films here in the U.S. as well as Europe. This effort is actually quite entertaining and well acted although it never rises above a good episode of a TV cop show. However, some of it doesn't play well today. The abuse of power by police and harassing of witnesses may have been overlooked in 1962 (as in "they're crooks, who cares?") but it leaves a bad taste in the mouth in 2020. With Adam West, Mark Goddard, Marc Lawrence and Philip Bourneuf.