The Thin Man

Director: W.S. Van Dyke
Year Released: 1934
Rating: 3.0

Disappointing in a way - I was snowed in by the plot and quickly introduced (and then set aside temporarily) supporting players, and puzzled by how a usually-inebriated William Powell can know and see everything and solve crimes no one else can with the most finite information - but no matter, the charisma of the two leads (Powell and Myrna Loy) is so strong it topples everything else. They look great together, they bounce their dialogue off each other with exact timing and are charming, to say the least; not even their pup companion can upstage them. The final dinner party is a little off - all the usual suspects, one at a time, vehemently lash out against Powell's accusations until one is left - and the logic is a bit questionable, but forget all that: it's a classy picture.