Bulldog Drummond at Bay is a middling little entry in the series, and one of three Bulldog films released in the same year, each with a different leading man. Bay differs from most of the others in the series in its tone; while most of the entries, especially the subsequent ones starring John Howard, were fairly light, this one is much darker, occasionally even mean spirited. Perhaps this is a result of its being filmed in England somehow, which in 1937 was watching the storm clouds of Nazi Germany inching ever closer and therefore had a more personal relationship to the plot, which involves munitions smugglers. Bay's plot is a fairly by-the-numbers routine, similar to those of any number of other B-movies. There's the occasional snappy rejoinder or flippant remark that packs a little punch, but for the most part the dialogue is conventional. Norman Lee's direction is similar, doing what is expected of it efficiently but without any great flair. In the title role, John Lodge is fine but a bit too refined. Hugh Miller, Dorothy Mackaill and Claud Allister come off better, but the most engaging performance comes from the villainous Victor Jory, who drips evil in a most entertaining manner.