Product Details

• Actors: Cesar Romero, George Brent, Audrey Totter, Tom Drake, Raymond Burr
• Directors: Edoardo Anton, Peter Graham Scott, Ray Enright, Sam Newfield, Seymour Friedman
• Writers: Carl K. Hittleman
• Format: Box set, Black & White, Dolby, DVD, Full Screen, NTSC
• Language: English
• Region: All Regions
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 3
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: Vci Video
• DVD Release Date: April 24, 2007
• Run Time: 415 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B000NJLM1Y
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #84,378 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "Forgotten Noir Collector's Set 2 (Man From Cairo / Mask of the Dragon / FBI Girl / Tough Assignment / I'll Get You / Fingerprints Don't Lie)" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

FORGOTTEN NOIR COLLECTOR'S SET VOL 2 - DVD Movie

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Another Entertaining Box Set, July 3, 2007

By 

Kurt Harding "bon vivant" (Boerne TX) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Forgotten Noir Collector's Set 2 (Man From Cairo / Mask of the Dragon / FBI Girl / Tough Assignment / I'll Get You / Fingerprints Don't Lie) (DVD)

Though I am a devotee of the film noir style, I am not expert on films and film-making as one early reviewer seems to be. All of the movies in this set predate my birth and I hadn't even heard of any of them let alone seen them before this box set became available. But because I enjoyed the first Forgotten Noir set, it was easy to take a chance on this one.
Overall, this set is very good although its easy to see why at least a couple of them were "forgotten". Here are my favorites, from best to worst:
1)I'll Get You: A cold-war type thriller involving missing atomic scientists, a shadowy figure sought by both the FBI and the British Secret Service, loads of intrigue, and a beautiful woman. George Raft is excellent as is most of the supporting cast. A top-tier noir film.
2)The Man From Cairo:George Raft again as an American tourist who inadvertently gets involved in intrigues involving French gold hijacked during World War II and missing ever since. Mostly takes place in Algiers, a once French-controlled city which postwar was filled with adventurers of all stripes and from all over. It was also a city where a stranger could easily find trouble. Both the crooks and the police are interested in Raft's character and that makes for an exciting film.
3)FBI Girl: Corruption and murder drive this exciting film. An ambitious governor and his amoral cronies will stop at nothing to keep the governor's secret from being discovered. An excellent cast featuring Cesar Romero, Raymond Burr, and Audrey Totter will keep you in your seat as the governor is finally unmasked.
4)Tough Assignment: An intrepid reporter and his wife discover that their butcher is being forced by goons to buy and sell uninspected beef. They find their butcher beaten and inadvertently capture the goons who beat the butcher on film. This innocent photo sets in motion a chain of events which ultimately leads to the rustling gang and the ranch from where the uninspected meat comes. A good story, but sometimes spoiled by silliness. Not a true noir story. Though he proves indispensible to the storyline, Sid Melton's goofy character takes the noir right out of it although there is plenty of menace and murder to go around.
5)Fingerprints Don't Lie: Here again, Sid Melton plays a bumbling idiot (reminiscent of Peter Falk's Columbo, but not as smart) who detracts from a more serious plot. That doesn't matter much, because although the movie is entertaining, the plot is not at all credible. I can't imagine a real-life fingerprint expert spending so much time and energy trying to help someone else prove him wrong. There is some murder and treachery, but little suspense. Overall, this film did not work for me.
6)Mask of the Dragon: This whole thing is just stupid, from the plot and the horrible acting right down to the phony Orientals. This is a dog that deserves to be forgotten although there are a few scenes so contrived and ridiculous that you'll laugh anyhow.
Despite this set containing some noir of questionable quality, overall I found it a very entertaining box set and am looking forward to Forgotten Noir Series Three.

23 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "Forgotten Noir Collector's Set - Series Two ... From 1949 thru 1953 ... VCI Home Video", March 28, 2007

By 

J. Lovins "Mr. Jim" (Missouri-USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Forgotten Noir Collector's Set 2 (Man From Cairo / Mask of the Dragon / FBI Girl / Tough Assignment / I'll Get You / Fingerprints Don't Lie) (DVD)

VCI Entertainment and Kit Parker Films presents "FORGOTTEN NOIR COLLECTOR'S SET - SERIES TWO" --- (Dolby digitally remastered) --- Film noir has sources not only in cinema but other artistic mediums as well...the low-key lighting schemes commonly linked with the classic mode are in the tradition of chiaroscuro and tenebrism, techniques using high contrasts of light and dark developed by 15th- and 16th-century painters associated with Mannerism and the Baroque...film noir's aesthetics are deeply influenced by German Expressionism, a cinematic movement of the 1910s and 1920s closely related to contemporaneous developments in theater, photography, painting, scultpture, and architecture...opportunities offered by the booming Hollywood film industry and, later, the threat of growing Nazi power led to the emigration of many important film artists working in Germany who had either been directly involved in the Expressionist movement or studied with its practitioners...Directors such as Fritz Lang, Robert Siodmak, and Michael Curtiz brought dramatic lighting techniques and a psychologically expressive approach to mise-en-scène with them to Hollywood, where they would make some of the most famous of classic noirs. Lang's 1931 masterwork, the German M, is among the first major crime films of the sound era to join a characteristically noirish visual style with a noir-type plot, one in which the protagonist is a criminal (as are his most successful pursuers). M was also the occasion for the first star performance by Peter Lorre, who would go on to act in several formative American noirs of the classic era ... featuring top performances from the '40s and '50s with outstanding drama and screenplays, along with a wonderful cast and supporting actors to bring it all together ... another winner from the vaults of almost forgotten film noir gems

First up we have Michael David Productions and Lippert Pictures feature "MAN FROM CAIRO" (aka: Dramma nella Kasbah) (1953) (81 mins/B&W) --- Under Ray Enright (Director) --- Starring George Raft (Mike Canelli), Gianna Maria Canale (Lorraine Beloyan), Leon Lenoir (Police Captain Akhim Bey) - - - - released on November 27, 1953, Mike Canelli (George Raft), the man from Cairo, nosing around Algiers with mystery surrounding the people he meets and the things he does and has done to him, all deriving from the war-time theft of $100,000,000 in gold which lies somewhere in the adjacent desert. People representing many nationalities and reasons are also seeking the gold. It boils down to a battle between Canelli and the badie aboard a speeding train. Raft again to the fore creating excitement in every scene, shows why he was the number one boy on the Warner Bros. lot ... beautiful Greek actress Irene Papas in a tub with Raft standing in the doorway getting an eye full.

Second on the double bill is a Spartan Productions Inc and Robert L. Lippert Picture release "MASK OF THE DRAGON (1951) (55 min/B/W) --- Under Sam Newfield (Director) --- Starring Richard Travis (Phil Ramsey), Sheila Ryan (Ginny O'Donnell), Sid Melton (Manchu Murphy) - - - - released March 10, 1951, Lt. Dan Oliver (Richard Emory), an American soldier in Korea, agrees to deliver a jade dragon to a curio shop in Los Angeles. Soon after his return to the states, he is murdered. His buddy Phil Ramsey (Richard Travis) and Ginny O'Donnell (Sheila Ryan) trace the murder to the shop of Professor Kim Ho (Jack Reitzen). When a package mailed to Ramsey, by Oliver from Honolulu, proves to contain the jade dragon, Ramsey takes it to the curio shop to force a showdown with Kim Ho over what Ramsey suspects is a smuggling racket. Not to be confused with "The Maltese Falcon" but it moves right along, and even throws in Curt Masey and His Trailsmen in an unexpected sighting.

Third film we have Lippert Pictures feature "FBI GIRL" (1951) (74 mins/B&W) --- Under William A. Berke (Director) --- Starring Cesar Romero (FBI Agent Glen Stedman), George Brent (FBI Agent Jeff Donley), Audrey Totter (Shirley Wayne), Tom Drake (Carl Chercourt), Raymond Burr (Blake), Raymond Greenleaf (John Williams, alias Gov. Owen Grisby), Margia Dean (Natalie Craig, the FBI girl), Don Garner (Paul Craig), Alexander Pope (George 'Georgia' Denning), Richard Monahan (Donald, the clerk), Tommy Noonan (Tommy, TV comic as Tom Noonan), Peter Marshall (Pete, TV comic as Pete Marshall) - - - - - released on November 4, 1951, our story line has the governor hiring Raymond Burr to steal a file from the FBI that has fingerprint evidence proving he previously was a wanted criminal ... Agent Cesar Romero and George Brent are hot on the trail, with Audrey Totter in the thick of things ... Raymond Burr as usual is the scene stealer as the snake in the grass wonderful part and a great actor.

Fourth choice is a Robert L. Lippert Picture release "TOUGH ASSIGNMENT" (1949) (64 min/B/W) --- Under William Beaudine (Director) - - - Starring Don 'Red' Barry (Don Reilly), Marjorie Steele (Margie Reilly), Steve Brodie (Boss Morgan), Marc Lawrence (Vince (a tough), Ben Welden (Sniffy (a tough), Sid Melton (Herman (crooked rancher) - - - - our story and film released November 15, 1949, involves a newspaper reporter (Don Barry) pursues a modern-day rustling gang whose truck driving "cowboys" are far more dangerous than their horse riding counterparts ... veteran actor Steve Brodie heads the cast as the bossman heavy

Fifth title up we have Eros Films and Lippert Pictures feature "I'LL GET YOU" (aka: Escape Route) (1950) (79 mins/B&W) --- Under Seymour Friedman (Director) - - - Starring George Raft (Steve Rossi), Sally Gray (Joan Miller), Frederick Piper (Inspector Reid), Reginald Tate (Colonel Wilkes) - - - - released March 3, 1951 as our F.B.I. agent (George Raft) illegally enters England following the disappearance of several noted atomic scientists ... as Raft and Sally Gray close in, the terrorists aren't about to give up without a final encounter ... what's behind this cloak and dagger game, will our popular hero of Warner Bros. fame come out of this suspenseful plot with all the answers and a new love life.

Sixth and final film is a Spartan Productions Inc and Robert L. Lippert Picture release "FINGERPRINTS DON'T LIE" (1951) (57 min/B/W) --- Under Sam Newfield (Director) - - - Starring Richard Travis (James Stover), Sheila Ryan (Carolyn Palmer), Sid Melton (Hypo Dorton), Tom Neal (The Prosecuting Attorney), Margia Dean (Nadine Connell), Lyle Talbot (Lt. Grayson) - - - - released February 23, 1951, our story line rests on the identity of the murderer of a town's mayor by his fingerprints on the weapon ... could there be any doubt could the case be finally closed, could the experts be wrong ... music for opening and closing is a studio organ playing in the background, good old time radio effect ... is there guilt for the murder of the town's mayor is placed on Richard Emory by fingerprint expert Richard Travis during the murder trial because Emory's fingerprints were found on the murder weapon ... local reporter plants doubt in Travis mind about the guilt of Emory ... he decides to investigate further with the help of Sheila Ryan, the dead mayor's daughter and Emory's fiancee ... Travis discovers that the fingerprints are forged and the chase begins

Great job by the people at VCI Entertainment, hats off and thanks to Les Adams (collector/guideslines for character identification), Chuck Anderson (Webmaster: The Old Corral/B-Westerns.Com), Boyd Magers (Western Clippings), Bobby J. Copeland (author of "Trail Talk"), Rhonda Lemons (Empire Publishing Inc), Bob Nareau (author of "The Real Bob Steele") and Trevor Scott (Down Under Com) as they have rekindled my interest once again for Film Noir, B-Westerns and Serials --- looking forward to more high quality releases from the vintage serial era of the '20s, '30s & '40s and B-Westerns ... order your copy now from Amazon where there are plenty of copies available on DVD, stay tuned once again for top notch action mixed with deadly adventure --- if you enjoyed this title, why not check out VCI Entertainment where they are experts in releasing B-Westerns and Serials --- all my heroes have been Cowboys!

Total Time: 415 mins on DVD ~ VCI Home Video KPF-558 ~ (4/24/2007)

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Forgotten but fun, October 6, 2007

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mrliteral - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Forgotten Noir Collector's Set 2 (Man From Cairo / Mask of the Dragon / FBI Girl / Tough Assignment / I'll Get You / Fingerprints Don't Lie) (DVD)

When most people think of movie studios (which they probably don't very often), they usually think of big names like Warner Brothers, Columbia, Paramount, MGM, 20th Century Fox and Universal. But even when these old-timers were in their prime, their were other production companies as well such as Lippert Pictures. Lippert was one of the "Poverty Row" studios that produced cheapie movies that were occasionally memorable but more often forgotten. Hence, the collection of old Lippert pictures in the Forgotten Noir sets. Series Two presents six short movies - with the longest being 82 minutes and two under an hour - that are definitely second or third tier material, but still are not without merit.

The discs are labeled Four through Six (the first three in Series One). I happened to watch the discs in reverse order, which is also how I'll review them. Disc Six has I'll Get You and Fingerprints Don't Lie. I'll Get You owes a bit to The Third Man, with George Raft as an American sneaking into England following up on a job offer from a man he met in the States. By the time he was doing these Lippert Pictures (which would also include Loan Shark in Series One and The Man From Cairo, reviewed below), Raft was a bit long in the tooth for these tough guy roles. The story is passable but unexceptional.

More interesting - and more flawed - is Fingerprints Don't Lie, an early bare-bones version of a CSI episode. Richard Travis plays a crime lab technician who feels he is about to send an innocent man to prison despite fingerprint evidence incriminating him. For better or for worse, this movie is one of three in this set to have Sid Melton providing comic relief. Melton has a minor resemblance to Lou Costello in his shtick and occasionally is amusing but more often just provides distracting filler. Even with Melton's stretching things out, this one just makes it to 56 minutes.

On Disc Five is FBI Girl and Tough Assignment. FBI Girl is the closest to an all-star movie in the set with Cesar Romero, George Brent, Audrey Totter and Raymond Burr. The story has Burr as a political operative trying to get a hold of certain FBI records that could incriminate his employer. Yes, the plot has holes and depends a bit on coincidences, but it is still probably the best in the set. It even has a very early role for Peter Marshall, later of Hollywood Squares fame. Tough Assignment is an utterly routine crime movie which is actually more of an updated western, with Don Barry as a reporter infiltrating a gang of modern-day cattle rustlers. This is one of the three with Melton, and was directed by William Beaudine, one of the most prolific directors ever, though few of his movies are noteworthy: Beaudine would eventually finish his career with the twin camp horror classics, Jesse James Meets Frankenstein's Daughter and Billy the Kid vs. Dracula.

The Man from Cairo and Mask of the Dragon are on Disc Four. The Man from Cairo has George Raft in Algiers, accidentally involved in a hunt for $100,000,000 in missing French gold. With romance, intrigue and an exotic setting, this should be a better movie than it really is. Mask of the Dragon is a companion piece to Fingerprints Don't Lie with almost the exact same cast and crew. With shades of The Maltese Falcon, this 55 minute film deals with a jade dragon that is worth killing over.

None of these movies are really good, but none are awful, either, especially when you consider the miniscule budgets that were used to make them. Besides the movies, there are some nice extras including photo galleries, trailers, biographies and some commentaries. The commentaries are interesting, but the three done by Joel Blumberg (on Tough Assignment, Mask of the Dragon and Fingerprints Don't Lie) are often redundant, though informative. If you only occasionally watch movies, this is not the set for you; if you are a die-hard movie aficionado, however, this set gives you a chance to see some really obscure movies. If you like them, you can get the other Forgotten Noir set or the related Hammer Film Noir sets.