Tedfoldol
everything you have heard about this movie is true.
Livestonth
I am only giving this movie a 1 for the great cast, though I can't imagine what any of them were thinking. This movie was horrible
Philippa
All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.
SimonJack
This movie has an interesting opening that will lead one to wonder how the leading star's character will wind up. William Powell is Donald Free, an American undercover agent in the diplomatic corps. He is on a secret mission in Paris but when he is caught with some stolen secret papers, the American embassy denies any knowledge of him. He claims to represent a newspaper syndicate but won't name it. So, the French revoke his Visa on April 17, 1932, and deport him as an undesirable alien. He is sent back to the U.S. aboard a French cattle boat. That in itself is a little strange. The U.S. was the leading export nation of beef even in the 1930s, but this may have been some breeding stock or cheap beef. Free is the sole passenger and appears to be under some sort of house arrest - maybe even working as part of the ship's crew. When the ship reaches New York harbor, the captain gets a radio message from Paris that Free is wanted for further investigations. So, the captain is to turn him over to the captain of another French ship heading back to France. Well, Free will have none of that. He socks the crew member guarding him in the captain's cabin and then jumps ship and swims ashore. After trying to find work in the field of police, security and investigation, and being turned down, he finds an opportunity with a private eye whom he had tricked right after he jumped ship and came ashore. The rest of this story is an interesting drama and romance with some intrigue. Free exposes crooks, including his detective partner, and saves his sweetheart from a murder conviction. He eventually gets reinstated in the secret service of the diplomatic corps. All the cast give fine performances. Arthur Hohl is particularly good as Dan Hogan, original owner of the Peerless Detective Agency, whom Free attaches himself to. Powell shows the class, wit and charm that made him a leading man for many years in Hollywood. He created the model for comedy mysteries that few have been able to match. My favorite line in the film is from Ruth Donnelly as Amy Moran. She says, "It takes a whole crew to wreck a house, but boy, how one many can wreck a home." For more funny dialog, see the Quotes section under this IMDb Web page of the movie.
JohnHowardReid
Director: MICHAEL CURTIZ. Screenplay: Rian James. Story: Raoul Whitfield. Photography: Tony Gaudio. Film editors: George Amy, Harold McLernon. Art director: Jack Okey. Costumes: Orry-Kelly. Music composed by Bernhard Kaun, directed by Leo F. Forbstein. Associate producers: Tenny Wright, Hal B. Wallis. (Although he is credited in some movie books, and possibly even on IMDb, Wallis did not regard this film as one of HIS movies).Copyright 20 July 1933 by Warner Bros. Pictures, Inc. Presented by Warner Bros. Pictures, Inc. and the Vitaphone Corp. New York release at the Radio City Music Hall, 6 July 1933. 8 reels, 67 minutes.Television title: MAN KILLER.SYNOPSIS: A seedy private eye becomes involved with a lady gambler.COMMENT: A somewhat episodic plot is very stylishly tied together and tautly directed by Michael Curtiz. The movie has plenty of early film noir ambiance and a number of striking scenes in which Curtiz makes full use of some marvelously atmospheric sets. Gaudio's artful cinematography is also a major factor, as is Amy's judicious film editing and Kaun's menacing score.The acting is well-nigh perfect. Powell was born to play this type of role and he receives forceful assistance here from a classic roster of character artists, led by Ruth Donnelly. Arthur Hohl as usual is an absolute stand-out. As the mystery heroine, Margaret Lindsay provides a most attractive foil.One can only wonder why such a great piece of vintage entertainment is not better-known and why it doesn't command the sort of cult following that Powell's more or less contemporary "The Kennel Murder Case" (1933) and "Manhattan Melodrama" (1934) still enjoy today.
dougdoepke
Despite the title, this is not a genre movie. There are elements of a whodunit, straight melodrama, and businessman shenanigans, but the results don't easily fall into any category. What appeal the movie does have comes, in my view, from Powell and some good plot twists.So how is Don Free (Powell) going to make a living now that he's been cashiered from the diplomatic service. After all, it is 1933 and jobs of any kind are hard to come by. Some of the movie's best parts manage to convey this sense of an economically depressed time. Anyhow, for Don, there's always a need for private detectives since there's always a need to get the goods on somebody or something. So he fast- talks his way into an agency partnership with an unscrupulous associate, and that's when the trouble begins.Powell's his usual slick self, but without an opportunity for his amusing Thin Man tongue-in- cheek. Shot in just 21 days, the erratic script sometimes shows (follow Janet's path, if you can). Nonetheless, ace studio director Mike Curtiz blends tricky plot elements in smooth fashion so that it's hard to notice. Note, however, the fleeting reference to "snow" (heroin) and "hophead". This is a pre-Code production, while such references to hard drugs would disappear from mainstream movies for several decades. Speaking of hopheads, I'm still wondering if James Bell's Whitey is supposed to be a dash of comic relief or suffering ill effects of his addiction. Either way, it's the movie's only actor's blemish, at least in my opinion. No, the movie's nothing special, except for the compelling Powell who would soon get to show his full range of talents in the delicious Thin Man series.
Michael_Elliott
Private Detective 62 (1933) ** (out of 4) Rather strange who-done-it has William Powell deported from France but he ends up in American unable to get work due to his reputation and the Depression. He finally catches on at a low rent firm where he gets involved with a woman (Margaret Lindsay), which leads to a murder that he must solve. Coming from director Curtiz I was left really disappointed by this film, which lacks any real mystery or comedy. Powell does as much as he can with his role and brings the only charm that the film has going for it. Powell is nice but the screenplay doesn't give him too much to do and what he does get into isn't that interesting. Lindsay is rather bland in her role and Ruth Donnelly doesn't get any laughs. The entire mystery towards the end is very slow going and boring.
