Dressed to Kill

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Dressed to Kill-360P

Dressed to Kill-720P

"Dressed to Kill" is a very strong entry in the Sherlock Holmes movies that starred Basil Rathford and Nigel Bruce, and it also unfortunately happens to be the last as the series ended after this film. *****MILD SPOILERS AHEAD***** "Stinky" (Edmond Breon), an old school chum of Dr. Watson's (Nigel Bruce) ends up with a knife in his back and Sherlock Holmes (Basil Rathbone) is out to solve this 'musical' mystery. Plain wooden music boxes from an auction house are turning out to be a hot commodity worth killing for in this thriller. Hilda (Patricia Morison) is colluding with the colonel (Frederick Worlock) to obtain music boxes which contain a code disclosing the whereabouts of some plates for minting five pound notes stolen from the Bank of England. The race is on to get the music boxes and decipher their hidden code as Sherlock Holmes matches wits with Hilda who turns out to be one of his most formidable opponents. If the Sherlock Holmes movies with Basil Rathford and Nigel Bruce had to end in 1946, it's at least nice to know they went out on a high note. This well directed mystery is captivating from beginning to end. Rathbone and Bruce have obvious movie chemistry in this caper. Patricia Morison is delightful to watch in a brilliant performance as Holmes' foe. Edmond Breon as 'Stinky' steals every scene he's in. This movie is so well done that it's more fun to watch it the second and third times than to watch most movies the first time. It's a near classic that should entertain movie lovers of just about any type. I rate it 84/100.

this wasn't the greatest of the 14 main sherlock holmes videos, but it has a very interesting plot behind it. this movie has it all, secret codes, espionage, disguises, a beautiful woman, and a huge reward. this is the last of the 14 and it was my second least favorite. still, you might as well see it since its sherlock holmes with rathbone.

this wasn't the greatest of the 14 main sherlock holmes videos, but it has a very interesting plot behind it. this movie has it all, secret codes, espionage, disguises, a beautiful woman, and a huge reward. this is the last of the 14 and it was my second least favorite. still, you might as well see it since its sherlock holmes with rathbone.

After two very successful Sherlock Holmes movies (THE ADVENTURES OF SHERLOCK HOLMES and THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES), Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce moved on to a different studio. In these newer Holmes movies, attempts to place the duo in the correct era were completely abandoned and the dramas were contemporary. Many of them had to do with the war effort (since they were made during WWII) and they seemed to stray further and further from the Conan Doyle series. They are rather formulaic and interesting to B-movie buffs, but are at times an insult to the fans of the original stories. Fortunately, this movie was made after the war and in so many ways it was an improvement in the series. While the stories are still set in the present time (1946), the spirit of the original stories in much more obvious--with no reliance on ridiculous Nazi plots and so many themes that seem right out of the Conan Doyle stories. For instance, the basic plot of the three music boxes is pretty reminiscent of the Conan Doyle stories of "The Six Napoleons" and "The Blue Carbunkle". Also, there are repeated references to famous Conan Doyle/Sherlock Holmes stories (such as "The Scandal in Bohemia") and Holmes, like in the books, chides Watson for making his accounts of their adventures in THE STRAND magazine too sensationalistic (this was the actual magazine in which the Holmes stories actually appeared). Plus, happily, Holmes looked and acted a lot more like the original character. So, this movie, unlike some of it predecessors, had great respect for the audience and especially the devoted Holmes fans. It's just a shame, though, that once the series once again hit its stride that it ended! As for the film itself, it is not without some problems. Several times Holmes makes some pretty dumb mistakes--something the original could never have done. Would you like some examples? First, when one of the three music boxes is recovered by Holmes and it is part of the puzzle leading to stolen British 5 pound note plates, why didn't he simply destroy the box so it would ensure that the bad guys wouldn't figure out the puzzle? Second, if the box is so darn important, why would he leave the box guarded so poorly? The Nigel Bruce version of Watson was a lot dumber and useless than the Watson in the stories or the great PBS series, so why would a brilliant man like Holmes rely on this mumbling idiot? But, the film also is a plus for a pretty good plot, decent supporting acting, excellent pacing and a reverence for the material. A good film, though I would argue that even the best of these Holmes movies were not as good as the 1980s PBS/British Holmes TV shows (but that's a topic too great to really discuss here).

I must say, this film had a clever plot and the solution to the mystery was dealt with following a logical succession of clues and deductions. This is only the third Sherlock Holmes film I've seen, but story wise it stands far superior to the Charlie Chan films of the same era that end with Chan's explanation of how he deduced the murderer, but the viewer otherwise has no clue of how he got there. "Dressed to Kill" tells the story of three music boxes, whose history begins at England's Darthmor Prison where they were all made by the same inmate. Together, their similar musical tunes hint at the location of stolen five pound note printing plates that the Bank of England fears may erode the British economy if they are used to flood the country with illegal tender. Holmes' chief protagonist in this case goes by the name of Hilda Courtney (Patricia Morrison), who cleverly baits him into a trap as she bears down on the remaining music box in Holmes' possession. The only problem I have with the film is the rather easy way in which the kidnapped Holmes manages to secure the key to the handcuffs he has been bound with. I'll assume that the title "Dressed to Kill" refers to the rather elegant attire of Ms. Courtney, even though one of her disguises placed her as a charwoman. A more fitting name would be the British working title - "Sherlock Holmes and the Secret Code". All in all, I found the story to be a clever mystery, logically presented and brought to a satisfying conclusion.

In their last on-screen outing as Holmes and Watson (they still did radio plays with each other after this movie) Rathbone and Bruce find themselves involved in a music box mystery. It seems that anyone who bought one of three matching boxes from a recent auction ends up either dead or with a nasty bump on the head. Assuming that there must be a weird connection Holmes takes the case. The story rivals even The Voice of Terror in terms of sheer implausibility. When the purpose of the music box is reveal you have to wonder why anyone would go to all that effort. But it's still entertaining and Patricia Morrison makes for a brilliant villainess. Producer and Director Roy William Neill died not long after this film was released, which is probably why it ended up being the last. They could have went on a lot longer, especially if they started using some of Conan Doyle's original works (something that they very rarely did, opting for original screenplays instead), although this one does reference two of stories as past cases. A fine, if unspectacular end of a definitive era.

This movie is rather an anomaly. Made after WWII in 1946, but when was the action set? The transport is of the 1930's, especially the "General" London omnibus. As I said in the Goofs section, one of the scenes depicts a "General" omnibus carrying passengers on a normal route, but the "London General Omnibus Company" went out of service in 1933. Yet the ladies fashions depicted in the movie are of the 1940's. As another viewer remarked (also in the "Goofs" section)... "Watson refers to the events in his story 'A Scandal in Bohemia' taking place two years earlier. In the story Bohemia was a independent kingdom, but in 1943 it was obviously part of Hitler's Third Reich." ...but of course the original story by Conan Doyle was written and set before WWI. So exactly in which period was this movie intended to be set? Although there is no mention of either WWI or WWII, I suspect it's supposed to be set in the 1930's, and before Holmes' wartime (WWII) exploits. But who knows? The movie is nowhere near as good as others in this Rathbone/Bruce series of movies. However it has its amusing moments, but the only one to come out of it with any real credit is Patricia Morison, and there's very little else to shout about.