This entry in the Rathbone/Holmes canon has all the typical elements present and correct, and carries on the wartime theme by being set at a home for war wounded officers. Fans of the actor - or, indeed the author - will find it passes the time amiably enough as I did, even if there's no way that you can say this is a classic of the series. There are no real stand-out performances from the supporting cast members, and even the villain of the film is a lacklustre one.
Once again it's down to Rathbone and Bruce to salvage the film as best they can, with able comic relief from Dennis Hoey as Inspector Lestrade who brightens up the film every time he's on screen. Rathbone gives a typically stirring speech in the closing stages of this film (a propaganda-tinged one, no less) although Bruce doesn't have any real moments to shine in this film - he's fine, but Hoey gets all the best jokes.
The setting, an isolated mansion, is a familiar one, and atmospheric too. There's even a lightning strike which causes a suit of armour to crash to the ground. The mystery, involving the 'Musgrave Ritual' is directly based on one of the Conan Doyle stories. The typical twists and clues are all there and rather easy to spot. The film includes every mystery aspect possible - the room locked from the inside, the whodunit, the string of grisly murders, etc. - and as such it's a solid addition to the 'old dark house' sub-genre of movie-making.
Once again it's down to Rathbone and Bruce to salvage the film as best they can, with able comic relief from Dennis Hoey as Inspector Lestrade who brightens up the film every time he's on screen. Rathbone gives a typically stirring speech in the closing stages of this film (a propaganda-tinged one, no less) although Bruce doesn't have any real moments to shine in this film - he's fine, but Hoey gets all the best jokes.
The setting, an isolated mansion, is a familiar one, and atmospheric too. There's even a lightning strike which causes a suit of armour to crash to the ground. The mystery, involving the 'Musgrave Ritual' is directly based on one of the Conan Doyle stories. The typical twists and clues are all there and rather easy to spot. The film includes every mystery aspect possible - the room locked from the inside, the whodunit, the string of grisly murders, etc. - and as such it's a solid addition to the 'old dark house' sub-genre of movie-making.