The Grim Game may or may not be Houdini's finest movie - some say it's Terror Island - but you really can't beat that authentic aeroplane crash. And what a treat to see Houdini in action - his remarkable body language, his panther-like agility. He really is in a class by himself as an action star.
The only comparable on-screen acrobats are Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan and their kung fu brothers. But even they fall down on the job when shackled with heavy irons, rolled up in a strait jacket or confronted with a double-barreled shotgun. They should have long ago started practicing with Harry's spring-loaded .41-caliber rimfire Remington Derringer.
The Grim Game has some unique quirks, mostly relating to the writing of Arthur B. Reeve, a highly successful author of screenplays and detective stories back in the Jazz Age. No clue in his script is felt needed to explain newspaper reporter Harvey Hanford's amazing athleticism and his phenomenal escape artistry. And the essential plotline - Hanford/Houdini's naively misplaced efforts to save the newspaper by an elaborate hoax to prove its editorial stance on "circumstantial evidence" - is so wacky that we're going to let it alone. Just put the guy in some handcuffs already and get the girl set for a kiss!
As for the controversial music: in our opinion the original score was soporific. The second, newly-composed score was better. But the whole film really works best when it's totally silent! It's like reading a graphic novel with moving pictures.
So three more cheers for Ted Turner's folly, TCM, and its ongoing heroic efforts to preserve our film heritage. And of course a tip of the loaded top hat to Larry Weeks, Dorothy Dietrich, Dick Brookz and Rick Schmidlin, key players in getting this long-lost classic back on the screen. Hope TCM shows it again.
Amen! I hope TCM puts it out on DVD.
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