To the Ends of the Earth [1948] [DVD]

The title refers to the many continents crossed by government agent Dick Powell in his quest for a gang of opium smugglers with fanatical ambitions for world domination. The plot, though complicated, is comprehensible and it's well handled by director Sidney Buchman and well cast, ensuring maximum tension and entertainment value.

Swedish import Signe Hasso contributes the girl glamour; as almost always, crooner-turned-tough-guy Powell convinces as the sober-minded action hero. Fantastical in parts in a pre-James Bond kind of way, this also has elements that are uncomfortably close to the bone in a post-11 September world.