Tuesday 8 July 2008

The Thin Man

Movie Review: The Thin Man

Year of Release: 1934
Country of Origin: USA
Director: W.S. Van Dyke
Cast: William Powell, Myrna Loy, Maureen O'Sullivan

Plot outline: Comedy-mystery featuring Nick and Nora Charles: a former detective and his rich, playful wife. They solve a murder case mostly for the fun of it (IMDb).

Based on Dashiell Hammett's detective novel of the same title, this movie is still as exuberant as it was 74 years ago! What's the secret to its enduring success? First and foremost is the lead characters Nick and Nora Charles and their wire-haired fox terrier named Asta. As they endlessly drink and wittily banter back and forth, their equally hopeless dog completes the pair as the screen's best chemistry couple of all time. The supporting characters are equally as eccentric as the lead stars. The script is sharp and the dialogue is witty. All elements in this movie are so ahead of their time; which is probably the secret why after more than seven decades it is still thoroughly enjoyable and engaging and remains on many critics' lists.

My judgement: *** out of 4 stars

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