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Private Detective 62

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5.9/10 • 19

1933-06-101h 6m

CrimeDrama

It's a pleasure to have your home wrecked by a man like him.

A former government agent in France, who has failed at an assignment and been disavowed, is deported back to the USA, where he can only find work at a low-rent detective agency. He soon gets involved with a woman with ties to a crooked gambling club owner, who is a client of his agency.

Directors
Michael Curtiz
Editors
Harold McLernon

Top Billed Cast

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  1. William Powell

    William Powell

    Donald Free

  2. Margaret Lindsay

    Margaret Lindsay

    Janet Reynolds

  3. Arthur Hohl

    Arthur Hohl

    Dan Hogan

  4. Ruth Donnelly

    Ruth Donnelly

    Amy Moran

  5. Gordon Westcott

    Gordon Westcott

    Tony Bandor

  6. Natalie Moorhead

    Natalie Moorhead

    Helen Burns

  7. James Bell

    James Bell

    Whitey

  8. Hobart Cavanaugh

    Hobart Cavanaugh

    Harcourt S. Burns

  9. Irving Bacon

    Irving Bacon

    Cab Driver

Reviews1

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CinemaSerf Avatar

CinemaSerf

Dec 3, 2022

6/10

They used to say that in the end, Samuel Goldwyn couldn't get arrested in Hollywood. Well the same is true here for "Donald Free" (William Powell). His government career went down in flames and now he can't get a job for love nor money. Until, that is, he alights on the dodgy "Peerless" detective agency where he is charged with a frame-up of "Janet" (Margaret Lindsay) who has fallen foul of a gambler who is the man behind the cheques at his new employer. What nobody (except the audience, that is) predicts though, is that the two will begin to fall for each other and his task becomes not only more difficult, but downright perilous. It's quite a fun, and quirkily plotted, thriller this with a degree of chemistry on screen and just enough wriggle-room with the story to keep it interesting for an hour. By now the studio was quite adept at eking out the budget and the aesthetic of the film works quite well too, before a lively ending that offers no surprises but entertains well enough for a standard, afternoon B-feature.

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Status
Released
Original Language
English
Budget
--
Revenue
--
Keywords
drug addictionmurderprivate detectivegamblerpre-codedetective agencybusiness partnerracketclub owner