AllMovie

Based on a novel by Kathleen Shepard, Human Cargo is a lively, tongue-in-cheek melodrama purporting to expose the alien smuggling racket. Claire Trevor and Brian Donlevy star respectively as dizzy society reporter Bonnie Brewster and dedicated crime journalist Packy Campbell, who join forces long enough foil the villains. Their efforts take them from Los Angeles to Vancouver to L.A. again, with a few thrill-packed stopovers along the way and a particularly exciting climax on board the criminal mastermind's yacht. Highlights include Bonnie's efforts to pass herself off as a Frenchwoman (she manages to convince the bad guys, if not the audience) and some startlingly frank dialogue regarding drug addiction. Rita Cansino, still not yet billed as Rita Hayworth, is quite alluring as a Latina dancer who is killed off early in the proceedings by triggerman Tony Sculla (Ralf Harolde).