The setup is intriguing (a man dives into a pool and never comes up again; when they drain the pool he's nowhere to be found! I've seen a lot of mysteries and I don't remember ever seeing anything like this before), the mystery is challenging (of course you know that the killer is not really a dragon, but that does not help you much), the spacious sets are great, and the underwater camera shots are impressive for a 1934 film. However, Warren William is a little too dry in the role of Philo Vance (he is more relaxed in his second Vance appearance, in the semi-spoof "The Gracie Allen Murder Case"), and the film is not quite as much fun as it could have been. I would still recommend it to fans of early whodunits. **1/2 out of 4.

S. S. Van Dine's sophisticated, witty, "gentleman" detective Philo Vance is back once again in this murder mystery about a group of rich people who have hidden/outward dislikes for each other attending a party and then deciding to take a dip in a naturally-made pool called the dragon pool. One man goes in and never comes out, and soon, with a host of suspects, Philo Vance, the district attorney, and the ever affable, blunderbuss of a policeman - Sergant Ernest Heath(Eugene Palette) arrive to take aim at cracking the mysterious disappearance and later death that is discovered. As mysteries go, this one really is not that bad, it has some real red herrings laced throughout and never gives too many obvious indications of just who the guilty party is. Warren William plays Vance and I thought he was adequate, though not in the league of previous Vance William Powell(who is?) or Basil Rathbone even before him. As with most Vance film, the best lines go to Eugene Palette who never seems to tire of making wonderful wisecracks and not thoroughly thought-out observations. The things that caught my attention more than anything else was the fish room in the palatial house with all of its aquariums. It really showed how the fish-keeping hobby had been started(through wealthy men tracking down different species abroad and bringing them back here). The collection was most impressive. A good period mystery all in all.

In the 1930s and 40s, there were a long series of detective films such as THE SAINT, CHARLIE CHAN, BOSTON BLACKIE and many others. One of the lesser series that never really seemed to hit its stride was the Philo Vance series. Much of the reason the series never really caught on was perhaps because several different actors played Vance (such as William Powell, Paul Lukas, Basil Rathbone and several no-name actors). In this early Philo Vance film, Warren William plays the sleuth. As a result, it seems very much like one of the Lone Wolf films--another detective series that starred William just a few years later. As a B-movie, its budget was relatively small and the film has very modest pretensions. Unlike some of these style films, Vance had no sidekick but there was, of course, a stupid detective--this time in the form of the wonderful character actor Eugene Palette--who was wonderful as the befuddled and slightly daffy cop. In addition, Robert Warwick played a cute small part as a coroner with some of the best lines in the movie!As for the mystery, it's not one of the better ones in the genre because I figured out who the murderer was before it even occurred. This is NOT a good sign for a detective film! By the way, I didn't figure it out because I am some genius (my kids remind me all the time that I am not), but because it just was too easy to figure out at the onset.Still, despite there not being a lot of mystery, the film moves at a brisk pace and is a decent and watchable film of the genre. If you're a fan of this style of film, then this is a must-see--otherwise, there is better entertainment out there if you look!

"The Dragon Murder Case" (1934) is not nearly as weak as some of these comments would lead you to believe. It should be cut some slack based on when it was made (it has Code Certificate #109) and viewed from the perspective of its intended audience. At the time its claim to fame was as a murder mystery packaged inside a lot of clever misdirection. For today's viewers, these sorts of twists will seem rather routine. Not so forgivable are several huge plot holes but as long as you are suspending disbelief anyway….There is even a (Stanley) Kubrick-style subtext about Native Americans although they don't take it as far as he did in "The Shining".This is a Philo Vance story (basically an early version of William Powell's Nick Charles character) with Warren Williams replacing Powell. Williams is nothing exceptional but the supporting cast and the production design are quite good. Eugene Palette (Friar Tuck) steals all his scenes with the funniest lines and the best delivery; his stuff alone makes the film worth viewing. The quotes section has his line about women generally speaking. Helen Lowell has a lot of fun playing the loony grandmother; she was born in 1866-wonder how many pre-1870 actors can claim lines in a talking picture. Margaret Lindsay is extremely beautiful as she was in "Jezabel" (1938); beautiful enough to stand out from all but a handful of her contemporaries. Then again, what do I know? I'm only a child.