Pier 5, Havana was one of an astonishing 40+ movies released by director Edward L. Cahn in a five-year span from 1957 through 1961 -- there are television directors who couldn't sustain an output like that hour-long episodes, much less the 68-to-75 minute features that Cahn was shooting. And this topical thriller set (and produced) in the early days of the Castro regime was surrounded by such equally-of-the-moment vehicles as Inside The Mafia, as well as more enduring titles such as Invisible Invaders (today recognized as a source of inspiration for Night of the Living Dead) and The Four Skulls of Jonathan Drake. With that kind of output, it's not surprising that Cahn doesn't manage many stylistic flourishes in Pier 5, Havana -- some of the expository dialogue scenes are flat, and one can't imagine that cinematographer Maury Gertsman had any chance to do much more than set up and get the most basic lighting for any scene. Still, the action scenes do what they have to, and the key plot elements unfold with sufficient suspense, and the plot itself is so unusual that one can forgive the inevitable shortcomings of threadbare sets and limited rehearsal time that come through in the finished film. And one should never pass up the chance to see Fritz Lang/Max Ophuls alumnus Otto Waldis in a suitable sinister role. (This movie also reunites Attack of the 50-Foot Woman alumni Waldis, Ken Terrell, and Allison Hayes).