A Dying Tiger
It seems that Simon Templar doesn't even need to go looking for trouble as it lands up on his doorstep in the shape of a dead body. The dead man had been a crook but had started to feel guilty so was about to come clean to Templar before his criminal buddies murdered him on Simon's doorstep. It leads Simon on another case and to a remote English village where it seems everyone is covering up for a group of Gold smugglers.
Maybe back in 1943 when "The Saint Meets the Tiger" came out the popularity of The Saint was enough to keep audiences coming in to watch his latest exploits. But when watched now you can really see how weak the series had become with "The Saint Meets the Tiger". Part of the trouble is that whilst we have a storyline which sees Templar head to a small village with his valet and a case of smugglers the whole thing is not that interesting, in fact for a lot of the time it is simply pedestrian.
The other problem with these later "The Saint" movies is simply Hugh Sinclair as he is lacking in charisma. If Sinclair had been the first actor to play Templar it may have been different but he comes across as weak and stiff compared to George Sanders. It means that the frequent moments of humour which are tossed in to the storyline end up feeling forced as Sinclair stands there awkwardly. The rest of the cast are just the same with only Jean Gillie standing out because of her looks.
What this all boils down to is that "The Saint Meets the Tiger" may have been passable back in 1943 but now it feels weak and very much like a franchise which is trying to keep on going but having nothing to keep it going with.
