THE FALCON IN MEXICO

US, 1944, 70 minutes, Black-and-white.
Tom Conway, Mona Maris, Martha Vickers, Bryant Washburn, Nestor Paiva, Emory Parnell.
Directed by William Berke.

This is the ninth film in the Falcon series. Tom Conway, the brother of George Sanders, has now taken over from his brother in the role.

The film opens in New York City with issues about a painter, his death, the surfacing of all his paintings, the Falcon teaming with the artist daughter, travelling to Mexico, meeting a range of characters who had connections with the painter – with the question of whether he is still alive. One of the characters met is an owner of many of the paintings.

As expected, there are various complications, threats to the daughter, the painter turning up, masked, stating that he had staged his suicide to make his paintings more valuable. There are various deaths,, threats to the daughter’s stepmother, a mysterious taxi driver and his son. The taxi driver is revealed to be a Mexican undercover policeman.

The film reaches a climax with the Falcon disguising himself as the painter, drawing out the wealthy owner who turns out to be the murderer.