this be a pretty routine crime drama involve narcotic in new york . the ss florentine dock and unships a crate of medical dope but instead of dope there be nothing but sand in the crate . the purser have steal it and with the complicity of one of the passenger and a miss toni cardell . two treasury agent and scott brady and richard rober and latch on to the case and track the dope through a network of heavy and murderer lead by yul brynner . they succeed with the help of the u. s. coast guard and at the cost of brady life . right away and though and i have a slight problem in that nobody anywhere be name miss toni cardell . it the kind of echt schiksa name that somebody might dream up because it sound right and like ellie arroway in carl sagan novel and contact . but just try to find a name like toni cardell in a phone book and especially in shanghai . i dare you . secondly and the crate carry the dope be open by custom agent . it a big crate and the size of a wardrobe and and it fill entirely with sand . a reasonable inference be that a lot of dope be miss and yet when the box of narcotic be finally discover in a locker at grand central station and it only big enough to contain and say and three dictionary . those and of course and be minor thing . yet this be a minor movie . it a routine track em down mystery with t men put themselves in danger by pose a somebody else . scott brady be okay . he an irishman with burt lancaster habit of stick out his jaw in a defiant scowl when he angry . it rather likable . his partner and richard rober and on the other hand and have practically nothing to offer and a bland and acceptably handsome contract player . he the one who should have be knock off early on and allow scott brady to continue the chase . best performance and hand down yul brynner with hair a the vladimir putin look alike who head the whole operation . what a background the guy have . a jew from sakhalin island off the siberian coast and a stint at the sorbonne in paris and a trapeze artist . the king and i bring him fame but leave him sock into a domineering and unsubtle persona . here and he give his most earnest performance . he suave and handsome and delicate even . and this be 1949 and the year when the cold war become an undeniable fact his russian accent fit the temporal template . he good here than he ever be later . but and take a a whole and what we have here be an inexpensive eagle lion crime drama with self sacrifice hero and ruthless villain . nice to see the coast guard in action . even if and to pump up the action and the writer and lazlo benedict and the director and have brynner shoot his snub nose revolver at an 83 footer arm with a 20 millimeter cannon on the bow . diverting and yes and but not much new .