I love this movie so much

The Worst Film Ever

Excellent but underrated film

The film may be flawed, but its message is not.

The reason this is the greatest mystery series of the 1940s is that all the twelve Universal films are a pleasure to watch. No other 1940s series has such a rich amount of clever and humorous characterization as we get with the Sherlock Holmes of Basil Rathbone and the Dr. Watson of Nigel Bruce. In this film, we get the special fun of a mystery aboard an ocean liner. Pay attention to the dialogue--it is particularly smart and witty, with many good lines. I would rank "Scarlet Claw" as the best Universal Holmes film, and "Pearl of Death" a strong second. I would put "Algiers" among the next four. Lots of fun.

This thoroughly enjoyable caper is one of the few Rathbone/Holmes films not to be based on a short story. Instead, it transplants the central pair of characters into an action-filled thriller, as they battle over the life of an heir to the throne against some ruthless killers. The setting is an ocean liner, a great location for a thriller such as this, and there's a cracking pace along with it too. Okay, so it may not be the most complex or original of thrillers, but it does a good job of creating an atmosphere of unease when we don't know which characters to trust or when the next threat will arise.The acting is typically flawless, with Rathbone being particularly cool yet authoritative as Holmes here. Nigel Bruce is given quite a substantial role and excels in it, and the various guest stars are also excellent, fleshing out their somewhat clichéd roles with relish. Despite being devoid of any mystery and, therefore, clues, there are plenty of puzzles and devious plot twists which keep things moving nicely along. The baddies here are particularly sinister in a comic book way, with a nasty Frenchman complete with beret and glasses rounding them off. There's also a knife-thrower and a hulking mute thrown in for good measure, giving Rathbone and co. some serious opposition. There are many good ideas in this film. A bomb in a cracker, a poisoned cup of coffee, the death attempts just keep on coming and getting better and better. My favourite scene? The one where the knife-thrower attempts to get Holmes through a porthole but instead gets his wrist snapped, just like that!

The consensus of other reviewers here is that this is not one of the better Sherlock Holmes stories coming out of Universal during this period. I'd have to agree on that, though at times the picture does have it's moments. Catching Nigel Bruce sing 'Loch Lomond' was definitely out of the ordinary, I'd be curious whether that was actually him or not. As for the 'Giant Rat of Sumatra' story, well I wish the film makers had let us all in on it.The thing that bothered me about the story came after villain Mirko's (Martin Kosleck) assassination attempt on Holmes (Basil Rathbone), resulting in his own broken wrist at the hands of the detective. The rest of the cruise continued for the travelers as normal as if nothing happened! That didn't hold any credibility for me at all. You would think Holmes and Watson (Nigel Bruce) would be just the slightest bit peeved about the whole incident.And say, what about that plane crash - how did that conveniently fit into the story to make it look like Holmes might have died in it? That was a bit too coincidental to try to throw the assassination conspirators off track, OR, did Holmes have something to do with the plane going down? Hmmm, obviously can't go there, but if I thought of it, maybe someone else did too.Say, keep an eye on that scene when the huge thug Gubek (Wee Willie Davis) manhandled Holmes. After Gubec knocks him out and throws him on the cot in the stateroom, actor Rathbone re-positions himself using his legs! Well there's no mystery here to speak of since Holmes and Watson were performing a bodyguard mission, but I must say the revelation of Sanford (Morton Lowry) as the undercover King Nikolas of Rovenia came as a bit of a surprise. When all was said and done it didn't make any difference that the phony Watson nephew (Leslie Vincent) had the same name, but you'd think the ever clever Holmes would have used a different handle on the younger Watson if he wanted to work the identity ruse for maximum effect.Say, wait just a minute... who's going to solve the case of the stolen Duchess of Brookdale emeralds?

Nowhere near one of my favorites but i do enjoy it. My biggest complaint is the incredibly obvious use of voice dubbing when Dr. Watson and Sheila sing. I do however like the way they "hid" the real Prince. In first viewing it came as a complete surprise. I was led to believe that he was just a mischievous steward. I also liked the continuous word games between Mr. Holmes and the antagonists. One other redeeming factor is it is pretty fast paced so we don't have to watch it drag along to much. I am glad to say i own the entire series on DVD. not a month goes by where i don't take the time to take one of the DVD's out and enjoy it.