Rent Sherlock Holmes: Terror by Night (1946)

Jewel Heist. - Sherlock Holmes: Terror by Night review by Steve

The penultimate Sherlock Holmes adventure starring Basil Rathbone- and Nigel Bruce as Dr. Watson- is a decent train thriller with our heroes charged with guarding a huge diamond from Colonel Sebastian Moran. But who of the mysterious passengers and railway staff actually is the infamous jewel thief/big game hunter?

Well, no surprises really, but there's plenty of fun to be had before our initial suspicions are confirmed... We don't get much of the celebrated Holmesian logic, as the later entries gave up on that. But the whole thing moves forward at pace and there's something about the train set whodunit which usually satisfies...

Alan Mowbray has the key role as another of Watson's old pals who might not be exactly who he claims. Dennis Hoey is in good form for his last go around as Inspector Lestrade. But the standout is the astonishingly photogenic Renee Godfrey, transporting an unusually large coffin to Edinburgh.

She's so irresistibly beautiful that director Roy William Neill can't keep the camera away, cutting her into everyone else's scenes. Though the actor was from New York and her Cockney accent worse than Dick Van Dyke's in Mary Poppins. It's a treat for fans of classic cinema, the Baker Street detectives, and train thrillers too.