OK, it's probably not but this is one of those films which when you're actually watching it, you think it is. There's a Cagney film called HARD TO HANDLE which gives the same experience, you get that same 'high' from this. It's fast, it's witty, it's exciting, it's romantic, it's engaging, it's got gangsters, it's got the Depression, it's got murders, in fact it's got everything you could possibly expect from a Warner Brothers pre-code movie even down to Sheila Terry in a very saucy negligee!
What it's got most of all is William Powell and if you're a fan of his then this is an absolute must for you. Let me say first off that I really don't like THE THIN MAN - that's the second most over-rated film in the history of cinema (first is of course CITIZEN KANE), but other than that I am a massive fan of the coolest dude of the whole 1930s. Although this picture wasn't written specifically for him, you couldn't imagine William Powell being more William Powell than he is in this. It is a fabulous fun adventure directed at break-neck speed by Michael Curtiz who effortlessly switches mood from light to dark, from adventure to romance, from social commentary to comedy whilst at the same time ramping up the tension at the perfect pace to keep your attention.
And just when you think it can't get any better we're treated to three glorious seconds of the goddess that was Miss Toby Wing! And for those of you playing the 'Spot the Wing Sisters in a Movie' game, you get double points with one this because Toby's lovely sister Pat also gets two seconds of screen time about ten minutes later. Why Bill Powell would go for stuffy Margaret Lindsay with that weird Mid-Atlantic accent instead of "Hollywood's most beautiful Extra" as she was called is anyone's guess.
What it's got most of all is William Powell and if you're a fan of his then this is an absolute must for you. Let me say first off that I really don't like THE THIN MAN - that's the second most over-rated film in the history of cinema (first is of course CITIZEN KANE), but other than that I am a massive fan of the coolest dude of the whole 1930s. Although this picture wasn't written specifically for him, you couldn't imagine William Powell being more William Powell than he is in this. It is a fabulous fun adventure directed at break-neck speed by Michael Curtiz who effortlessly switches mood from light to dark, from adventure to romance, from social commentary to comedy whilst at the same time ramping up the tension at the perfect pace to keep your attention.
And just when you think it can't get any better we're treated to three glorious seconds of the goddess that was Miss Toby Wing! And for those of you playing the 'Spot the Wing Sisters in a Movie' game, you get double points with one this because Toby's lovely sister Pat also gets two seconds of screen time about ten minutes later. Why Bill Powell would go for stuffy Margaret Lindsay with that weird Mid-Atlantic accent instead of "Hollywood's most beautiful Extra" as she was called is anyone's guess.