Greenstreet and Lorre were terrific in the films they made together, this being the best of the ones I've seen so far.
The year is 1890. Greenstreet plays the superintendent of police of Scotland Yard, George Edward Grodman, who has just been to the execution of a man he arrested for the crime of murdering an elderly woman. He arrives back at his office to discover that the man is in fact innocent, as the clergyman that the man claimed as an alibi has finally surfaced. Disgraced, he is forced to resign in favor of his subordinate, John Buckley (George Coulouris).
Grodman is a man of means, so the loss of a paycheck doesn't seem to be a problem, but his nightmares about sending an innocent man to the gallows are. He seems to be recovering, and even making plans for writing a book about his past cases, when a neighbor from across the street is murdered. The crime seems to be a perfect one - the murderer apparently killed the man from inside his own locked room and escaped without detection or leaving any clues behind. However, the brash and boorish new superintendent Buckley will not accept that, and continues seeking a suspect, although in the manner of a bull in a china shoppe. In the meantime, there are a multitude of suspects that intersect with a multitude of witnesses, and Grodman along with the help of his friend, illustrator Victor Emmric (Peter Lorre) decide to do some investigating themselves on their own time.
Greenstreet and Lorre are terrific together as always, with a timing and chemistry that makes them great at these kinds of films. You never know if the likable exteriors displayed by each is the truth or a lie in either or both cases, usually up to the end. This one will keep you guessing right up to the final scene, and I highly recommend it.
The year is 1890. Greenstreet plays the superintendent of police of Scotland Yard, George Edward Grodman, who has just been to the execution of a man he arrested for the crime of murdering an elderly woman. He arrives back at his office to discover that the man is in fact innocent, as the clergyman that the man claimed as an alibi has finally surfaced. Disgraced, he is forced to resign in favor of his subordinate, John Buckley (George Coulouris).
Grodman is a man of means, so the loss of a paycheck doesn't seem to be a problem, but his nightmares about sending an innocent man to the gallows are. He seems to be recovering, and even making plans for writing a book about his past cases, when a neighbor from across the street is murdered. The crime seems to be a perfect one - the murderer apparently killed the man from inside his own locked room and escaped without detection or leaving any clues behind. However, the brash and boorish new superintendent Buckley will not accept that, and continues seeking a suspect, although in the manner of a bull in a china shoppe. In the meantime, there are a multitude of suspects that intersect with a multitude of witnesses, and Grodman along with the help of his friend, illustrator Victor Emmric (Peter Lorre) decide to do some investigating themselves on their own time.
Greenstreet and Lorre are terrific together as always, with a timing and chemistry that makes them great at these kinds of films. You never know if the likable exteriors displayed by each is the truth or a lie in either or both cases, usually up to the end. This one will keep you guessing right up to the final scene, and I highly recommend it.