Watson reminds Holmes not to put on that deerstalker, signaling the franchise’s move into the modern era. The updating may seem silly, or exploitative, or even tacky. On the other hand, why not? There’s some nice, sharp photography here. H.’s first deduction, relating to how the officials don’t want him, is lots of fun. In fact, it’s kind of electrifying!
That tart has a heart of gold! More interestingly, the central respectable chap is also the bad guy. Pretty implausibly, but a bad guy nevertheless. There’s a hint of the dread and paranoia that, literarily speaking at least, is starting to infiltrate the genre. The superb Thomas Gomez really registers, but not as much as he will do in just a few years, in Abraham Polonsky’s Force of Evil (1948). You should check that one out! As for this one, creditable B-ness. Worth my while, anyway…