As somebody who had not heard any of this before, it became a curious phenomenon to sit and watch a film and slowly have the realities begin to click into place.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

This movie feels like it was made purely to piss off people who want good shows

Routine whodunit of the time. Despite presence of Powell, he's given no chance to demonstrate his special personality skills-- that would come later with Nick and Nora Charles. Too bad, because the narrative could use more character color, aside from a droll Palette as police inspector. As a murder mystery, the film's nothing special. There's the old brain-teaser of murder in a locked room, but that's cleared up too soon. Too bad the collection of suspects are all men with only two women in the cast. Then too, headliner Mary Astor gets little screen time and is largely wasted. From that gender standpoint, the movie remains something of an oddity. Nonetheless, the storyline is smoothly directed by the canny Mike Curtiz. At the same time, I like the use of flashbacks to clear up the convoluted murders, which otherwise are pretty much beyond viewer solution. Anyway, it's good to know that Powell would soon take Asta and go on to the Thin Man series, which is more entertaining than this mediocre effort.

"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.

The Kennel Murder Case is one of those rare films that show everyone involved at the best of their craft, and working well together to give a good show. It is well worth watching for story, characters, and an odd nostalgia that comes from reflecting on the police procedural drama, from then and today. From the threat of physical violence from the lead police officer, to a district attorney being directly involved in a criminal investigation, you can add to the fun of a good movie by asking yourself "What could they do now, and what did they do wrong in the picture?" Again I love this film and have watched in many times, but some of the little anachronisms are like wonderful Easter Eggs.Little things spring up SPOILER ALERT throughout the film. Despite a mob of police, nobody searches the house which is the scene of the crime. Suspects are allowed to live in the house which is the scene of two murders, a possible burglary, and an ongoing investigation. Vance is allowed to take over a police investigation without any more authority than being a friend of the District attorney. There are architectural models made in what seems like hours that have an extraordinary level of detail; in fact they are probably the models used for some of the incredible camera shots throughout the film.Speaking of the camera work, it is inspired. With all the murder mysteries filmed at this time based on stage plays, with a resulting flat camera work, this movie makes the camera almost a character in itself. I wish someone would spend the money and restore this film. I can think of at least three films of Powel's that should be cleaned up for this generation.However you chose to watch this film, as a story, acting, cinema photography, or just as a good whodunit, you won't go wrong by watching this pleasing picture.

Enjoyed viewing this film on TCM and watching a very young William Powell, (Philo Vance) playing detective just like he did with Myrna Loy in the "Thin Man Series". Back in the 1930's William Powell played in the Philo Vance Series and in this picture, the famous veteran actress Mary Astor, (Hilda Lake) becomes one of the suspects in a murder/suicide case where a man named, Archer Coe, (Robert Barrot) is found dead and Archer was in a room that was bolted from the inside. Ralph Morgan, (Raymond Wrede/Archer's Secretary) gave a great supporting role and was the brother to Frank Morgan who appeared "In the Wizard of Oz" 1939. Eugene Palette, (Detective Sgt. Heath) appeared in quite a few of these Philo Vance films and also gave a great performance in "Robin Hood" with Errol Flynn. Always remember, the least likely actor could very well be the killer. Enjoy a great Classic from the past.