Leofwine_draca MEET MR. CALLAGHAN is a detective story devoid of detection and interest. It just sort of plods along from beginning to end without ever engaging the senses or providing even fitful entertainment. There's a mildly exciting opening murder sequence and it all goes downhill from there as the viewer is introduced to one of the dullest lead characters ever in a film from the era.Derrick De Marney plays the hero, who is a kind of 'gentleman sleuth', a variety beloved back in the day. He underplays it to the point of catalepsy; never has a film cried out for a more lively and invigorated hero than this one. The mystery itself is a plodding affair with the villains given little screen time and a general lack of clue-solving and detection which makes it a very boring experience. More time is spent with the insufferable policeman (Trevor Reid) harassing the protagonist than on the actual plot. Adrienne Corri makes a mark in an early role.

clinteastwooda1 Derrick De Marney is the worst actor i have ever seen in my entire life, he reads his lines like he is talking about the most boring things in the world, this guy (not actor) could cure insomnia, i would loved to watch the film it sounded interesting but 5 minutes of his pathetic acting is all i could stand. He is like one of these 60's gay actor is given the job just because he is gay rather than having any acting skills, i find it hard to believe he has been to any acting school at all, other than his school play & probably put all the parents into a coma. Just what the director was thinking about casting him is beyond belief just looking at the daily shoots should have told him he is totally miscast, private detective? he looks more like a party nerd or insufferable bore.

Rob Cochran Derek de Marney is Peter Cheyney's tough British private eye Slim Callaghan who in this "pilot" for a proposed Callaghan movie series, requires him to solve the mystery behind the death of a much-hated rich man. Callagham, a fictional British private detective in the American "hard boiled" mode, was the central character in several popular Peter Cheyney novels, in a stage play by Gerald Verner, and in the 1948 movie programmer UNEASY TERMS (also available below), which starred Michael Rennie. Directed by Charles Saunders (JUNGLE STREET, THE GENTLE TRAP, KILL HER GENTLY, BEHIND THE HEADLINES, NAKED FURY, THE NARROWING CIRCLE, A TIME TO KILL, THE END OF THE LINE, DANGER BY MY SIDE).

ronevickers This is a neat, entertaining and witty British movie from the 1950's which is very much enhanced by an excellent lead performance by Derrick De Marney as Slim Callaghan. Based on a Peter Cheyney novel, and featuring his main character of Callaghan, the film moves along at a brisk pace, and the plot, which is quite involved, never sags and retains the viewers interest all the way. This is helped in no small way by a sharp and vibrant script. Although other actors have portrayed Slim Callaghan, there is little doubt that De Marney is by far the best. His laconic and downbeat style fits the character perfectly, and it is a pity that it was never put to further good purpose. In many ways, he provides a perfect comparison to similar American-style gumshoes in movies from the 40's and 50's, in particular. The scene in the nightclub, when he is tempted by singer Adrienne Corri, is a joy of deadpan expression and he certainly carries this film along in a thoroughly expert way. You are left with the distinct impression that this is how the author imagined his main character to be. All in all, a film well worth catching and one that should gain a wider audience.