Sky Bandits (1940): cast, story & where to watch

Released in 1940, Sky Bandits is an action, comedy, adventure and western film directed by Ralph Staub, running about 62 minutes. “Renfrew Of The Royal Mounted Hunts The Mad Inventor Of A Mystery-Murder Machine!” — that tagline sets the tone.

What it’s about. Sgt. Renfrew and Constable Kelly go aloft to search for a plane missing with a shipment of gold from the Yukon Mine Company. Inventor Speavy has devised a power ray which disrupts electrical impulses, and Morgan and his gang of crooks has brought in Prof. Lewis to increase the ray's range, telling him he's helping the government develop this new weapon. Speavy spills the beans to Prof. Lewis and his daughter Madeleine,and Morgan threatens to implicate them in his crimes unless they cooperate. Morgan kills Speavy when he tries to warn Renfrew, but when Madeleine stows away on board the doomed plane Renfrew is piloting, will the crooks be able to make Prof. Lewis use the power ray to bring the plane down?

Who’s in it. Sky Bandits stars James Newill as Sergeant Renfrew, Louise Stanley as Madeleine Lewis, Dewey Robinson as Uncle Dinwiddie and William Pawley as Morgan, among others.

How it landed. With an audience score of 5.0/10, Sky Bandits has proved divisive with audiences.

Where to watch. Streaming options change often. See the full, country-by-country breakdown on our where to watch Sky Bandits page.

If you liked it. Fans of Sky Bandits tend to enjoy The Dark Knight, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, Inception and The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.