Phantom Raiders on AllMovie

The second entry in MGM's three-film "Nick Carter" series, Phantom Raiders is undeniably the best, and not just by default. In this one, super-sleuth Nick Carter (Walter Pidgeon) arrives in Panama to investigate the destruction of several Allied supply vessels. It's going to be an uphill battle for our hero, who must not only defeat erudite saboteur Al Taurez (Joseph Schildkraut) but also the villain's dumb but deadly henchman Gunboat Jackson (Nat Pendleton). The film builds up skillfully to an exciting conclusion, in which Carter corners the bad guys on a ship doomed for extinction. Donald Meek provides a few laughs as Nick's overenthusiastic assistant Bartholomew the Bee Keeper, who in the film's best scene convinces the heavies that he's a homicidal maniac!