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As somebody who had not heard any of this before, it became a curious phenomenon to sit and watch a film and slowly have the realities begin to click into place.

The movie's not perfect, but it sticks the landing of its message. It was engaging - thrilling at times - and I personally thought it was a great time.

By all means, all of them are worth watching. They're not great films, or masterpieces, but they are good fun that give you the right amount of entertainment for just over an hour running time.'The Saint Strikes Back' was a decent debut film for George Sanders in the role, though there was a finding-its-feet feel to it with the supporting cast and some of the storytelling being patchy. 'The Saint in London' is an improvement, with things feeling more settled and with a much better supporting cast, though production values weren't as good and the story could have been tighter and had more mystery.Conversely, the third Saint film with Sanders 'The Saint Takes Over' is the best of the three and among the best of the series. There is not much actually to complain about, although the sets are still atmospheric the film does look at times like it was made quickly on a tight budget and the ending just felt too conveniently and easily wrapped up.On the whole though, while things felt more settled in the previous film it was with 'The Saint Takes Over' where the series hit its stride. The story is by far the best executed of the Sanders-Saint films so far, it's breezy and tight and light-hearted and always easy to follow without being simplistic. At the same time, there is much more mystery here, and it's a compelling one, and it is the film in the series up to this point to feel closest to the tougher edge in the Louis Hayward Saint film that preceded the series.Scripting is smart and with the right balance of fun and mystery, while the music is jaunty but also atmospheric. The direction is suitably brisk, and there are some good scenes such as the scaring to confessing scene.As said with the previous films, Sanders himself is super-suave, sophisticated and wonderfully caddish, while also giving a charming and humorous edge and delivering some cutting lines with aplomb. Jonathan Hale is fine support, while Wendy Barrie is leagues better than she was in 'The Saint Strikes Back' (there she was a draw-back, here she blends right in tone with the story and has a much warmer character). Paul Guilfoyle is very amusing too.On the whole, the best of the Saint series starring Sanders up to this point and among the best of the series too. 8/10 Bethany Cox

Saint Takes Over, The (1940) ** 1/2 (out of 4)Fifth film in RKO's series has George Sanders once again returning as The Saint. This time out his buddy is accused of a crime he didn't commit and disgraced so The Saint comes back to America to clear his name. While all of this is going on, we have a female going around seeking vengeance for the death of her brother but that's not all because mobsters are tied into a robbery. I must admit upfront that I haven't been overly impressed with any of the films from the series that Sanders has appeared in. I think the original film in the series was good but the three sequels were all fair at best. I'd call this one of the best of the Sanders films but it really starts off quite boring as the film spends way too much time trying to set up its story instead of delivering the goods. The second half of the film really picks up and leads to a nice ending and I really wish the first half had moved as well as the second. The highlight of the film is a scene where The Saint and a couple other men are trying to scare a confession out of a man but of course things don't go as planned. Sanders also delivers the best performance I've seen from him in the series and it's backed by a good music score.

This is a better-than-average entry in the Saint series - It holds your interest and, as mysteries should, keeps you guessing until the end and has several suspects to choose from.Many films from the Golden Age are not for all tastes, especially younger viewers. They date themselves by clothing, cars, settings, etc. Who nowadays asks for a highball? Or wears a suit and tie everywhere? And the legal process was so much simpler - must have been a dearth of lawyers back then. Frankly, much of value is missing from those days.In any case, go with it and enjoy. It's good - in an old-fashioned sense.

George Sanders playing the Saint for the penultimate time does a good job out of a good script - with the usual good RKO cast around. It's a non-Charteris story too, bristling with murders and good clean fun.Thread 1: In New York, Police Inspector Fernack, Templar's friend is framed in a corruption scandal and disgraced - ST comes over from London to try to put things right. Nice and simple so far - but is there really more than $90,000 in the world? Thread 2: Another tale of a woman taking revenge on the people who murdered her brother, Wendy Barrie does well in bumping off some nasty men and having the Saint fall in love with her to boot. Including a baddie who was under their direct protection and in Fernack's cellar - there's a creepy shot of him (dead and staring) and them in a car when they're taking him back to where they'd got him. Paul Guilfoyle as Pearly Gates must have supposed to have been homosexual in this - witness the dressing gown at the beginning, and the later beguiling comment by ST that he was thinking of keeping him as a pet - and did too for "Palm Springs"! Fernack was played by Jonathan Hale as usual but this time with such a beaten deflated attitude that what he really needed was a good slapping from Templar to liven him up.The Hays Office also made sure you got the picture right, all threads are tied up with no straggly bits. Well worth watching for all of us who like this kind of thing, but if Val Kilmer's version is your yardstick then don't bother.