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Powerful

One of my all time favorites.

The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

Philo Vance (Warren William) investigates a cursed swimming pool. It's called the dragon pool because there is supposedly a killer dragon in it! Extremely interesting idea elevates this murder mystery. Nice cast too. Warren William is good. It's amusing to me how there seems to be little consensus on Philo Vance's character in these films. He seems to change personality depending on who is playing him. This is probably why he's one of my least favorites of the classic mystery film detectives. But I do enjoy Warren William so I enjoyed this. Eugene Palette reprises his role as Sgt. Heath and he's always fun. Also returning is Etienne Girardot as the coroner Doremus. I love this actor. He's hilarious! The lovely Margaret Lindsay appears as one of the suspects, as does character actor George E. Stone. Lyle Talbot plays a half-Indian apparently. He doesn't look it but they keep referencing it so I thought I'd throw that in there. Short runtime helps keep the pace tight. Good old school detective flick. Fans of them will enjoy this one.

**SPOILERS** When young Monty Montague, George Meeker, disappeared in the Stamm Estate pond while taking a moonlight dip it was at first assumed that he drowned and was stuck, in the thick mud, underneath.It was when the pond was drained out that to the surprise of everyone present there was absolutely no Monty there! This is when ace sleuth Philo Vance, Warren William, who accompanied the police to the Stamm Estate went into action. With rumors of a dragon, or Locke Ness-like monster, living in the pond it at first is believed that Monty ended up being killed and eaten by it. As Philo started to uncover the evidence of Monty's strange disappearance, as well as Monty's badly torn up body,it became evident that he was the victim of foul play. Not by any sea monster or mythical dragon but someone who really had it in for poor old Monty. Someone who Monty was blackmailing and who just got sick and tired of being under his thumb!***SPOILERS***The key to Monty's demise had to do with his engagement to Bernice Stamm, Margarte Lindsey. It was handsome and debonair, as well as expert swimmer, Dale Leland, Lyle Talbot, who was in loved with Bernice and the fact that she had dropped him for Monty made him a prime suspect in Monty's murder. It took a while for Philo to get a hang on things but it was a secret key, to the Stamm Family Mausoleum, that open the door to who really killed Monty. The key not only revealed Monty's murdered but also the reason he was murdered. It also reviled the way he was murdered and who, beside the actual murderer, secretly set him up to be murdered!A bit dry, despite all the water in it, Philo Vance mystery with Warren William as Philo sleepwalking through his role as the famous fictional detective. The nonchalant and effortless way that Warren solved this very difficult murder of Monty Montague took all the tension and suspense out of the film. What really did save the movie and made it interesting was the "Old Lady" of the house or estate the daffy and fuddled brain Mrs. Stamm, Helen Lowell. It was Mrs. Stamm who unknowingly solved this very baffling murder case by her getting Philo on the right track without her not even knowing, in her thinking it was the underwater dragon, who the killer really was!

S. S. Van Dine's sophisticated, witty, "gentleman" detective Philo Vance is back once again in this murder mystery about a group of rich people who have hidden/outward dislikes for each other attending a party and then deciding to take a dip in a naturally-made pool called the dragon pool. One man goes in and never comes out, and soon, with a host of suspects, Philo Vance, the district attorney, and the ever affable, blunderbuss of a policeman - Sergant Ernest Heath(Eugene Palette) arrive to take aim at cracking the mysterious disappearance and later death that is discovered. As mysteries go, this one really is not that bad, it has some real red herrings laced throughout and never gives too many obvious indications of just who the guilty party is. Warren William plays Vance and I thought he was adequate, though not in the league of previous Vance William Powell(who is?) or Basil Rathbone even before him. As with most Vance film, the best lines go to Eugene Palette who never seems to tire of making wonderful wisecracks and not thoroughly thought-out observations. The things that caught my attention more than anything else was the fish room in the palatial house with all of its aquariums. It really showed how the fish-keeping hobby had been started(through wealthy men tracking down different species abroad and bringing them back here). The collection was most impressive. A good period mystery all in all.

In the 1930s and 40s, there were a long series of detective films such as THE SAINT, CHARLIE CHAN, BOSTON BLACKIE and many others. One of the lesser series that never really seemed to hit its stride was the Philo Vance series. Much of the reason the series never really caught on was perhaps because several different actors played Vance (such as William Powell, Paul Lukas, Basil Rathbone and several no-name actors). In this early Philo Vance film, Warren William plays the sleuth. As a result, it seems very much like one of the Lone Wolf films--another detective series that starred William just a few years later. As a B-movie, its budget was relatively small and the film has very modest pretensions. Unlike some of these style films, Vance had no sidekick but there was, of course, a stupid detective--this time in the form of the wonderful character actor Eugene Palette--who was wonderful as the befuddled and slightly daffy cop. In addition, Robert Warwick played a cute small part as a coroner with some of the best lines in the movie!As for the mystery, it's not one of the better ones in the genre because I figured out who the murderer was before it even occurred. This is NOT a good sign for a detective film! By the way, I didn't figure it out because I am some genius (my kids remind me all the time that I am not), but because it just was too easy to figure out at the onset.Still, despite there not being a lot of mystery, the film moves at a brisk pace and is a decent and watchable film of the genre. If you're a fan of this style of film, then this is a must-see--otherwise, there is better entertainment out there if you look!