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Fantastic!

Very interesting film. Was caught on the premise when seeing the trailer but unsure as to what the outcome would be for the showing. As it turns out, it was a very good film.

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

The movie really just wants to entertain people.

I know of only one other movie that was made about the U.S. Merchant Marine in World War II. That was "Action in the North Atlantic" by Warner Brothers in 1943. It stars Humphrey Bogart, Raymond Massey and Alan Hale. That film was set in the North Atlantic and had considerable action. "Tampico" isn't on the same level, but it gives a peek at what the Merchant Marine was like around the world during WWII. And, it includes a look at fifth column activities during the war. Nazi operators existed in the U.S. and many other nations. Their primary purpose in the U.S. was to keep it out of the war – on the side of the Allies. It's secondary operations were disruption of industrial production, sabotage and espionage to aid in the sinking of Allied ships. The plot is fairly simple and somewhat contrived for this film. Edward G. Robinson is very good as Capt. Bart Manson. Victor McLaglen is very good as his first mate. Lynn Bari is good as Kathy Hall. Her part in the film does seem quite contrived. Some reviewers couldn't place her being attracted to Robinson. And a couple questioned Robinson's age as a ship's captain. The script gives a good accounting of Kathy's situation. She had left the U.S. five years earlier and traveled and worked as a dancer in Europe. And, with the rise of the Nazis and invasion of France, she had been trying to return to the U.S. through Lisbon, Portugal. That was a familiar struggle for many civilians, including Americans, trying to get away from the Nazis. As to Robinson's age, the Merchant Marine had many ship captains in their 40s and 50s. And, during WWII, the service was very happy to have all the experienced captains stay at their helms. Before the start of the war, the Merchant Marine had 55,000 experienced mariners. That number grew to 215,000 during the war – all trained by the Maritime Service.During the war, about 4,300 Allied ships were sunk. More than 9,300 U.S. mariners lost their lives. In the peak year 1942, the Allies lost 33 ships per week. The U.S. Merchant Marine operated in most of the oceans and seas of the world, and lost ships in all those areas. The Atlantic Ocean had the most ships lost – more than 700. But more than 230 ships were sunk by German U-boats in the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico. So, "Tampico" gives a look at Merchant Marine operations in the Gulf of Mexico. Early in the film, Captain Manson lectures his men before they go on shore leave about maintaining security so that the enemy can't find out about their shipping plans and cargoes. Very few war films show these warnings to the troops, but it is something that regularly took place among all the services. One of the most familiar posters seen during WWII warned, "Loose lips sink ships." "Tampico" fits that warning to a tee. This movie doesn't have the action of many other films at sea. And, it spends more time in port. But it gives us a rare look at the silent service during WWII that was so crucial to supplying the Allied forces and to their winning the war.

This one started out generally interesting, and with a little bit of misdirection by characters Valdez (Marc Lawrence) and Dolores Garcia (Mona Maris), it looked like there was some kind of skulduggery underfoot that placed them in the employ of Nazi agents. With the kind of writing employed today, the story could have taken some twists and turns to make it a riveting espionage thriller, but the attempt got wasted here by the time Captain Bart Manson (Edward G. Robinson) learned that his long time buddy and first mate Fred Adamson (Victor McLaglen) actually sold out to the Germans and was working for the Nazi mob. Adamson's rationale for making the switch was almost laughable (he needed the money), and was about as believable as seeing him decked by Manson for criticizing his girl (Lynn Bari).As for Manson romancing Katherine Hall, I don't even think I have to go there; almost every other reviewer here has mentioned it. Almost twice her age and not what I'd exactly call handsome, Robinson's character is pretty much maneuvered into a whirlwind courtship that winds up in marriage between the principals. The only rationale that makes sense within the context of the story was that compassionate speech he makes to Mrs. Kelly, the survivor of a torpedo attack, when she insists on seeing her husband who died. Miss Hall was there to hear the captain, and one would have to admit, that dialog was the stuff that true character is made of.That whole business with Nazi Kruger (Tonio Selwart) offering a deal to Captain Manson also needed a bit more fleshing out as well if it was going to make one believe that Manson was going to betray his country. The cigarette lighter with the initial 'K' was apparently the ruse required to insure Manson believe his wife was a spy, but when 'Karla' showed up instead, I got the impression that the story was too far out on a limb to tie all the loose ends together.I guess you have to brush aside all the less than believable elements here and just go with the flow of the story without being too critical. Maybe take the Mexican waiter's advice and see this with a shot of tequila - it's good for the heart and it'll clarify your mind. Careful though, more than one will make you woozy.

This is one of those little gems that makes discovering on a rainy Saturday afternoon a pleasant surprise. It is not a great movie in any sense of the word, but a very enjoyable one. Yeah, like some of the other reviewers, I wondered what in God's Green Earth it was that Kathy saw in Captain Manson (Edward G. Robinson), but short pudgy guys need love too and outside of Hollywood, romances like this very often happen. Also, Victor McLaglen played his role as the ship's First Mate so straight, not in his usual drunk loudmouth Irishman character, that I almost did not recognize him.The plot was interesting (more fun than riveting), as the story goes from a sea adventure to a spy tale, with a little bit of romance thrown in. The perceived mismatch between the young attractive Kathy and the older Capt Manson only add to the mystery regarding her real motives.Just a fun little movie to hunker down on the couch under a blanket, pass the time and eat some popcorn.

Maybe it's just me, but I had a hard time believing Edward G. Robinson and Victor McLaglen as officers in the Merchant Marines. But, this could have worked--as these men were not regular military men and were sometimes older and less physically fit men. However, Robinson really was not up to this part for another reason. When their oil tanker comes upon the wreckage of a ship sunk by the Nazis, they rescue a group of survivors--including Lynn Bari who is inexplicably attracted to Robinson. Why a seemingly 'hot' woman would come on THIS strong to a short, paunchy, middle-aged man didn't make sense. Perhaps Robinson's character was a nice fella, but she didn't even have a chance to find out before she started pouring on the charm and sex appeal. In real life, such a woman NEVER would have made such a play or the guy would have wondered what were her ulterior motives--as it just made no sense. With a different cast, perhaps this could work. Now it is NOT that I dislike Robinson--he was a fine actor and I ALWAYS try to see any film of his I haven't seen before (like this one). He just was cast badly...or, perhaps, it might have worked if the relationship between him and Bari had occurred slowly and realistically.Once the group was rescued, for some odd reason none of the other survivors seems to have remembered seeing Bari among the passengers. And so, the viewer is expected to somehow suspect her motives--like she's some sort of a Nazi plant. However, if you think about it, it just didn't make any sense. Why would the Nazis sink a ship and then toss a female spy among the debris and then have her marry the captain of a very insignificant merchant vessel?!?! Yet, for much of the film, you are expected to believe that she is a Nazi agent who has been sending reports to Nazi subs about the location of various ships--including, possibly, one she was on herself. Does this make any sense except on Bizarro World?! All this occurs in the first half of the film--how it's all resolved is something you'll need to see for yourself.Despite the bad casting and stupid plot, the film has some things going for it. Even miscast, I love Robinson and would watch him in anything (except porn....ewwww!!!). Second, if you turn off your brain and refuse to question anything, the film is entertaining. As far as wartime propaganda films go, however, it's at best average...at best.