"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.
*****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.