Review of The Kennel Murder Case (1933) by Tom M — 30 Dec 2007

Art collector and all-around scumbag Archer Coe is found dead in a room where the door and the window are both locked from the inside. He's got a gun in his hand and a bullet in his head. There's only one problem -- the bullet didn't kill him and it wasn't suicide.

The police are baffled until ace-detective Philo Vance (impeccably played by William Powell) untangles the clues and tracks down the killer, with the aid of a helpful doberman. This is Michael Curtiz at the top of his game: the movie whizzes by at barely over an hour, and tells its convoluted plot with a speed, style and clarity that most filmmakers today couldn't manage in twice the running time and a hundred times the budget.

Film historian William K. Everson proclaimed it a "masterpiece" and I agree with him. Although it's not nearly as well known as Powell's later "Thin Man" films, it's much better, and worth seeking out on DVD.