Not exactly a departure for Tod Slaughter, who carved an entire career out of playing the same kind of Victorian villain, but if you're a fan of his hammy, over-the-top acting, this one will definitely keep you happy, the star leering menacingly and cackling with glee as if his life depended on it.

This time around, Slaughter plays a ruthless criminal called The Tiger, who garottes anyone who gets in his way. As is fairly standard for a Slaughter character, The Tiger takes a shine to a pretty young woman, singer May (Marjorie Taylor), and concocts a devious plan to get her in his arms, in this case starting with framing her fiancé Robert Brierly (John Warwick) for forgery. When he is eventually released from jail on a 'ticket of leave', Robert pretends to be May's brother and finds employment at a bank, but finds his life further complicated by The Tiger, who is planning to rob the bank, and who has been trying to worm his way into May's affections.

I've not seen all of Slaughter's films (I'm working on it), but The Tiger has got to be one of the actor's most malicious and cunning creations, cleverly avoiding capture at every turn, at least until the end, where a silly mistake leads him into a trap. In typical Slaughter fashion, the villain winds up holding everyone at gunpoint, but slips and falls into an empty grave, breaking his neck. It's predictable nonsense, for sure, but the star's maniacal performance once again ensures that it's a lot of fun.

6.5/10, rounded up to 7 for the hilarious stereotypical Jewish forger Melter Moss (Frank Cochran) - Oy, oy, what a shemozzle!

A criminal called The Tiger indulges in murder and mayhem while framing a young man Robert Brierly for forgery as he covets Robert's fiancee May Edwards. When Robert comes out of prison on parole The Tiger in the disguise of a philanthropist tries to use him to rob a safe. It's another entertaining Tod Slaughter film with some lively dialogue and a faux Dickensian atmosphere. The pleasure garden scenes are particularly good.

Tod is The Tiger of course and gives another full blooded performance, laughing evilly and brimming with lechery towards the young singer May, never missing an opportunity to kiss her lips even when she is unconscious. The rest of the cast are adequate. Apart from Tod the best acting comes from Arthur West Payne as the boy called Sam who is hilarious in all of his scenes. He was a very natural child actor who only made five films which is a pity.

It's a Tod Slaughter movie and if you are a fan of him and his style of performance you won't be disappointed.

Hollywood may have had Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi as masters of the Golden Age of Horror but Britain could point with pride to Tod Slaughter who single handedly kept the British horror industry afloat during the 1930s. Slaughter didn't indulge in subtleties - not when a leer or a wink would do. His popularity in Britain remained an enigma to American audiences of the 1930s who didn't understand the barnstorming melodramas of the gas light era where Slaughter had cut his teeth. He was a villain of the boo!! hiss!! variety and was over 50 when he made his debut in "Maria Marten". When he wasn't playing evil squires, gleefully clubbing children or tripping up the elderly, he was "The Spinebreaker" or in this movie "The Tiger".

Directed as usual by George King, it has all London being in the grip of fear from "The Tiger" - a dangerous jewel thief who cheerily kills anyone who stands in his way. No one seems to know what he looks like but that doesn't stop the chief constable vowing to bring him in one of these days.

After that rousing beginning the film falls flat. To take the heat off himself, Slaughter then disguises himself as the respectable Theopolous Wake, founder of "The Good Samaritan Help Society". A bit too respectable for fans of Slaughter. The charity depends on the benevolence of wealthy elderly people who are looking for a society to leave their fortunes to. Wake then sends his henchmen out to speedily help them to their deaths but the viewers don't witness these scenes, only Wake giving his orders - and not in the cheerful way Slaughter usually does. As usual there is a girl who doesn't return Wake's affections and he sees to it that her fiancée - the "ticket of leave man" (a parolee in Victorian terms) of the title faces all the stumbling blocks that Wake can put in his way on his release from prison.

Another problem is that the romance seems to take centre stage, that when Slaughter appears, it is as the benevolent Wake and he is not leering and ogling at the camera, indicating to the audience that this is only a disguise and he will soon be up to his dastardly tricks in no time. By the finish, when he is caught falling into a newly dug grave (which he had prepared for the affable Bob - just in case he decides not to rob his employer after all), Wake has notched up a few crimes - garroting his right hand man, leaving a henchman to be burned alive, to say nothing of indicating that the pure Miss Edwards is no better than she should be!!! This is just not one of Tod's best - not in the same league as "The Face at the Window".