or eleven years, he has eluded me.” Professor Moriarty (George Zucco), whom Sherlock Holmes (Basil Rathbone) has deemed the most evil and dangerous man in England, has just been acquitted in a court of law – even though Holmes himself bursts in at the last second with new information that threatens to destroy an alibi. But it’s too late. Discharged of a murder rap, Moriarty revels once again in his victory against not just the authorities, but also the famous British sleuth – his perfect nemesis. It’s of little consequence, however; Moriarty promises next to plot the most incredible crime of the century, one so devious that it will crack the detective, ruining his reputation and his life. Then and only then will Moriarty retire.

In the meantime, Holmes concerns himself with providing advice about the personal affairs of wealthy socialite Ann Brandon (Ida Lupino), who fears for her life and that of her brother’s should they attend an upcoming lavish party, as well as the arrival of a valuable jewel that just might need extra protection from the likelihood of thievery. Both of these tasks could be related to one another, as well as to Moriarty’s scheming – or they could be mere coincidences undeserving of scrutiny. “Elementary, my dear Watson. Purely elementary.”

It’s difficult to imagine a more fitting duo to portray Sherlock and Watson (here played by Nigel Bruce), with Rathbone exhibiting steely shrewdness and poise, and Bruce providing the lighthearted comic-relief component. This is only the second of fourteen films to feature this partnership, but they’re already a fantastically complementary pair, shaping the standard visuals and mannerisms that continue to define the way Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s mastermind is characterized. He works in the background to aid Scotland Yard’s efforts while providing the police with suggestions and insight, re-traverses crime scenes to discover clues previously overlooked, helps a beautiful damsel in distress without pursuing her as a love interest, dons clever disguises, and uses various human pawns to test his theories about evildoers’ motives and intentions. Despite it appearing as if he has too many subjects to watch, outmaneuvered by superior forces, and needing to be in multiple places at once, it’s safe to assume that he actually has everything under control.

“Surely you’re not afraid of me?” Credited as being based on the William Gillette play (though reported as having minimal similarities), some of the basic plot points are strangely blunt and unconvincing, including lawyer Jerrold Hunter (Alan Marshal), a ludicrously suspicious man unwilling to answer so many questions about his incredibly incriminating actions, such as why he was found hovering over a dead body while holding a revolver – something that not even the lead inspector bothers to demand an explanation for; Ann behaving like an absolute childish lunatic, ignoring warnings from Holmes and threats to her life, refusing to stay in well-lit areas with other people as a precaution; Moriarty using a disguise that is laughably inferior to that of his counterpart; and thick fog serving as a remarkably convenient obfuscation for everyone to sneak in and out of locales. The mysteries aren’t as competent as they are simply not elucidated at the start.

Nevertheless, there’s something oddly satisfying about the final showdown between the two central geniuses, which doesn’t involve anticipated braininess, but instead relies on physical formidability. No one is actually outsmarting one another. Unfortunately, in the end, plenty of questions remain unclear, such as how exactly a killer is related to Ann’s family (and what possible resources he had to pursue such an international, decades-spanning vendetta, prior to arriving in London), why Hunter was so tight-lipped and incautious when details could have helped his fiancee, and how farfetched it is for Moriarty to have unearthed the necessary information to insert himself into such a plot. This isn’t the intricately brilliant premise one might hope for from a Holmes tale, even if this depiction of Holmes is thoroughly entertaining and iconic.

– Mike Massie