A charming, handsome handyman (Robert Montgomery) wheedles his way into the home of a wealthy old woman (Dame May Witty). Her niece (Rosalind Russell) is suspicious of him and eventually pieces together that he is a murderer the police are looking for. Montgomery being the killer is spoiled in most descriptions of this movie. Even TCM spoils it in their one sentence description on their programming guide. I guess we can't exactly cry foul over spoilers for a movie over 75 years old, but still it makes me wonder if there would have been some added punch for audiences in 1937 who might not have connected the dots right away. Entertaining thriller with a standout performance from Robert Montgomery, who clearly has fun with his part. Witty is excellent as always. Russell is good in one of her first big roles. Her character does a few things that are hard to explain, such as covering for Montgomery even though she knows he's got a severed head in a hatbox! I've read a decent theory that Russell wanted him to kill the old lady and that's why she prevented his arrest earlier. But I'm not convinced that's supported by what we're shown as much as it's people trying to explain away some out of character moments by Russell. Still, it's all good fun and an enjoyable film.
Review of Night Must Fall
