Sherlock Holmes in Washington (1943)

"It's clear as mud to me.", 4 May 2007

A British secret agent is assigned the task of taking some secret documents to Washington, D.C. It's wartime in Europe and enemy agents would be only too happy to get their hands on these papers. When the British agent does make it off the train from New York, things look bleak. Enter Sherlock Holmes and his trusty, ever faithful sidekick, Dr. Watson. The British government entrusts locating the missing agent, the secret papers he carried, and, ultimately, the success of the Allied war effort to Holmes.

I've never been much of a fan of the modern day, WWII set Sherlock Holmes films. I wholeheartedly prefer the Victorian Holmes thrillers like The Scarlet Claw and The Hound of the Baskervilles to something like The Voice of Terror. Too much flag waving, blindly chasing Nazis, and gun-play for my liking. I prefer the more sedate, cerebral Holmes who analyzes clues and outsmarts the baddies. And that's probably why I found Sherlock Holmes in Washington so appealing. The movie allows Holmes to use his intellect to solve the case. Holmes analyzes a sliver of wood having to do with the case and quickly comes up with the most amazing pronouncement regarding its origin. Pure Holmes! In addition, Sherlock Holmes in Washington benefits from having some above average supporting players (George Zucco and Henry Daniell) and from having Roy William Neill in the director's chair. Altogether, it's a good show and a nice installment in the series.

7/10