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Fantastic!

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

This is a remake of the "Kennel Murder Case" with Philo Vance (James Stephenson) going after some U.S. airplane plans sold to a foreign nation; the designer of the plans and his brother both wind up murdered, and there are plenty of suspects.William Powell was probably the best Philo Vance - he had the requisite charm. Stephenson, who started in films late in life after stage work, was on his way to a big career when he made "Calling Philo Vance" - unfortunately, he died the next year, at the age of 53. As with "The Dragon Murder Case" with Warren William as Vance, the supporting players have the good lines and the energetic roles. Stephenson doesn't have a lot to work with, but he's okay.Parts of this film are interesting, it's a little better than "The Dragon Murder Case," which isn't really saying much.

Archer Coe makes airplane designs all by him self and keeps them at home in an easily accessible form. All his friends and neighbors want them even if they do not know what an airplane is. One morning Archer is found dead in a locked room. Yep it was suicide, or was it.Everyone could have do it if they could get inside the room many we find out are foreign agents or just unscrupulous. There is even a buyer from England.Be sure to watch the original film first.This film is not an update of "The Kennel Club Case" (1933). It is a cheep wartime substitute. It is worth obtaining as a contrast and compare movie in your collection. However it strains itself to cram "plain plan" in every time it should say money.James Stephenson makes a snotty Philo Vance with no passing or charm. He makes you wish he was the victim.

Spoilers herein.There are two kinds of films: those that simply talk to you, and those that have an engaging conversation of some type. There are an amazing number and variety of the second type, with the prototype being the detective story. In its pure form it is an intimate wrestling match for control over what happens next in your imagination. This is interesting because it is something in between. The detective story is very clever in the situation it presents. But it is not given as a game, instead all we can do and watch as the story surprises us with its various confabulations. Its titillating being on the edge.Ted's Evaluation -- 3 of 3: Worth watching.

This remake of Kennel Murder Case, The (1933) has some good points, but James Stephenson is not one of them. He plays it too impersonal for my taste and pales by comparison with William Powell, who played Vance in the original. But the screenplay, which was updated for the war that loomed on the horizon, was nicely developed, concerning plans for a warplane. The setting was switched to the State Department, with Vance an employed investigator instead of a private eye. I really enjoyed how he used diagrams to explain the movement of the people involved in the murder of the warplane designer, so that in the end, the actions of all were clear. The film also had the advantage of having Edward Brophy in the Sergeant Heath role (here he's called Ryan), bringing comedy without the stupidity of the Heath character. It was rather fun to watch.