The Thin Man

The Thin Man (1934)

Runtime: 91 minutes

Directed by: W.S. Van Dyke

Starring: William Powell, Myrna Loy, Maureen O'Sullivan, Nat Pendleton, Minna Gombell

From: MGM

To be short and sweet, after the last movie I saw and reviewed, I figured I should start watching more older films, and for years I've known about the Thin Man films (based on the books by legendary writer Dashiell Hammett) but I've never actually seen them. I was able to find a spot where most of the films in the series are located (nevermind where that site is), so if I wanted to watch some of the sequels I could.

To copy the plot description from the IMDb: “After a four year absence, one time detective Nick Charles returns to New York with his new wife Nora and their dog, Asta. Nick re-connects with many of his old cronies, several of whom are eccentric characters, to say the least. He's also approached by Dorothy Wynant whose inventor father Clyde Wynant is suspected of murdering her step-mother. Her father had left on a planned trip some months before and she has had no contact with him. Nick isn't all that keen on resuming his former profession but egged-on by wife Nora, who thinks this all very exciting, he agrees to help out.”

Nick and Nora (who don't have an infinite playlist) make for quite the team. This is actually a comedy along with a detective mystery. They have great chemistry with each other and they also enjoy the chemistry that happens when alcohol enters your body; they both love to drink, in other words. Why not? I mean, Prohibition was just ended soon before the movie came out...

Personally, I can see why the movie still has its fans today. The style of humor is still funny today, and the plot moves very quickly so things never get boring; also, the tale takes many twists and turns as you try to figure out what's going on and who the killer or killers are. There are many colorful memorable characters, too. But above even the murder mystery... the two leads are great. Powell and Loy are tremendous as Nick & Nora and the main attraction of the movie is seeing them talk... or rather, trade barbs with each other. There's plenty of rapid-fire dialogue between them and it's all done perfectly. The chemistry was so right, no wonder they made 5 more movies in the series and all of them had Powell and Loy. Heck, even the Wire Fox Terrier Asta gets in on the action.

I now see why this movie is so highly regarded. Once again I am embarrassed I did not see a classic film much sooner than this week. At least those movies are ones that I rate highly instead of disappointments, which has happened before way back in the past, years before I even started doing this blog.

I'll return Saturday night.