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Simon Templar (Louis Hayward) a.k.a. the Saint is summoned back to
London by a close friend - but upon arrival he learns she has died in a
car accident. Now that's too much of a coincidence to not suspect foul
play, so Templar investigates her current lifestyle and learns she has
been gambling and losing a ton of money. Now gambling's illegal in the UK,
so Templar hits the bars and sees where he can get a connection to a
gambling ring, and ultimately comes across lovely Carol (Naomi Chance) who
hooks him up with a gambling club aboard a barge - where he plays and
loses a lot of money (than will turn out to be forged) before he's
recognized by showrunner Lennar (Sydney Tafler) and escorted off the
barge. But he has seen enough, and eventually manages to break into
Lennar's home to bump into a beautiful blonde (Diana Dors) but also find
the lay-out of Lord Merton's (Ian Fleming) mansion - and since he has seen
Merton's son (Russell Enoch) at the gambling club, he figures the young
man must have lost a fortune gambling and handed over the lay-out to
Lennar to pay his debt. So he invites himself to Lord Merton's home and
foils a break-in by Lennar's men. Eventually Lennar and company take
Carol, whom Templar has since grown fond of, captive, but by that time
Templar has long found their hide-out, unmasks his own informer (Fred
Johnson) as the mastermind of the gang, and ultimately everything comes to
a happy ending ... The first The
Saint movie in 12 years, and the first and only produced by
future horror powerhouse Hammer,
The Saint's Return certainly profits from bringing Louis Hayward
back to the lead role 15 years after The
Saint in New York, and he still proves to be agile and charming
enough to make a good impression in what's ultimately a rather
one-dimensional role. And as a whole The Saint's Return, isn't
anything to get too excited about, it's routine crime entertainment of the
B variety, entertaining while it lasts, but forgotten before too long.
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