Grade: D
Synopsis: The Saint (George Sanders) attempts to thwart a look-alike diamond smuggler (George Sanders) and his Egyptian partner (Bela Lugosi).
The Saint’s Double Trouble should have been better. George Sanders playing opposite Bela Lugosi should be a no-brainer, but that’s not what The Saint’s Double Trouble gives us. Instead, it’s George Sanders playing opposite George Sanders, with Lugosi reduced to little more than a cameo.
The gimmick of Sanders in dual roles never pays off. While his Saint character should come across as a lovable rogue, Sanders pours all the darkness into his second role as the evil diamond smuggler and, as a result, leaves his Saint character feeling one-dimensional. Sanders tries to compensate for this with his considerable charisma, but it’s just not enough. Further, once the gimmick is established, there’s still over 40 minutes of movie left to play out, with little to no story to help it along.
Fortunately, at 67 minutes this entry is mercifully short.
Bottom Line: Potentially great casting wasted on a gimmick script that doesn’t pay off.
