"The Kennel Murder Case" is often regarded as the best of all the Philo Vance films, but having seem many of them in the last few months I don't think the quality gap between "Kennel" and most of the others is that big; in fact, I think "The Casino Murder Case" is just as good as this film, if not better. That does not mean, however, that "Kennel" is not a clever and engrossing whodunit - it is. (Heavy spoilers follow - do not read if you have not seen the film) The idea of two killers separately plotting the murder of the same man and having their plans interrupted by each other is a unique one, especially for the time, and the mystery is a real head-scratcher. The ending, however, is not as strong as the rest of the movie: after describing in perfect detail the "how" and "when" of the crimes, Vance admits that he has no idea as to the "who" - and yet, a few seconds later, he pulls the killer's identity out of his hat and devises a not-so-foolproof plan to expose him. A better idea might have been to have all the suspects assembled and have the dog, with whom the killer had a previous encounter, sniff him out. The entire (large) cast is solid, and Michael Curtiz's direction features some advanced camera work. *** out of 4.

William Powell is likable as Philo Vance, detective. There were a cascade of these detective movies in the 30s and Powell seemed to be in half of them under one name or another. The movement culminated in what was probably the best of them, John Huston's "The Maltese Falcon." The direction is as snappy as usual from Michael Curtiz and Mary Astor is pretty. Maybe I'm missing something, but otherwise it seems a bit routine to me. Yes, Powell is elegant, but he's a little dumb too. A prize-winning dog is murdered. (Is that the word?) Shortly afterward a dead man is found in a locked room, a pistol in his hand, a hole in his head. It looks like suicide, but the perceptive Powell concludes, even before visiting the scene, that suicide is a psychological impossibility. One glance at the corpse and Powell remarks that there's something queer about this, call the coroner. The coroner finds that the victim was bludgeoned, his skull fractured, before he was shot. AND he was stabbed to death in the back before he was bludgeoned. Powell has seen none of this -- and it's not treated as a joke.The operative consideration is that a mystery must have either an interesting detective or a fascinating villain. Lieutenant Columbo is an interesting detective, as is Sam Spade. Philo Vance isn't. Powell gives him a cocked eyebrow and clipped speech, but he has no quirks that individualize him. He doesn't get looped as he does in The Thin Man series.The perp isn't interesting either, because we're not supposed to know who he or she is. The perp turns out to be merely unpleasant, but then many of the suspects are equally unpleasant.Nice photography, though, and Powell IS engaging in almost all his roles.

The first thing I liked about this mystery movie is that the early minutes of it are packed tightly with lots of storyline. And this is a somewhat complex story, particularly for a time (1933) when such movies tended to be rather light. Pay attention here or be lost! It's also nice to have a different setting...a kennel club (at least early on in the film)! Novel! Philo Vance (played wonderfully by William Powell) isn't as smooth and sophisticated as Nick Charles, and there's not the witty banter between man and wife you find in the Thin Man series, but this is a good character. And, you'll see lots of character actors you'll recognize (although probably not by name). Of particular note is the gravel-voiced Eugene Palette (and if you want to read an interesting bio, Google him). Also look for Ralph Morgan, lesser-known brother of actor Frank Morgan; you'll see the resemblance.I won't recount the plot. It's almost too complex to do so, but I'll just repeat that this is a sophisticated mystery for 1933! Recommended!

But tells it well. It's almost as if this Philo Vance mystery takes its cues from Agatha Christie, with the story being so intricately plotted that the least suspected person ends up as the murderer. However, I have to admit, in this case I did suspect the culprit.WILLIAM POWELL assumes a more serious demeanor as the detective, unlike his characterization of Nick Charles in the Thin Man mysteries. The humor comes from some in the supporting cast, most of whom are suspects in the case.MARY ASTOR is pretty and lively as ROBERT BARRATT's daughter. He's the man who is at first suspected of committing suicide in a locked study. ETIENNE GIARADOT is the doctor who is always being called away to check out a dead body just as he gets to enjoy a quick meal. ("I know a dead man when I see one!" he cries impatiently). RALPH MORGAN is the murdered man's private secretary. EUGENE Palette is a befuddled detective who can't decide who's guilty without the aid of Vance and gets a few chuckles along the way.Directed in lively fashion by Michael Curtiz, it's a good little mystery that borrows from a whole bunch of clichés but manages to be tight and entertaining throughout. Well worth watching. The locked room explanation is a little hard to swallow but is acted out efficiently during solution of the crime.