The Rathbone Holmes series was on the slide by this stage – they had started rehashing plots, with the Macguffin again a Koh-i-Noor style diamond, in this case called The Star of Rhodesia. Pursuit to Algiers was set mostly on a boat; this one takes place mostly on a train. The shadow of The Lady Vanishes is apparent, right down to a cabinet with a secret compartment. This is especially interesting in light of the fact that Roy William Neill, who directed both this and the bulk of the series, was originally meant to direct the 1938 Hitchcock film.
Dennis Hoey as Inspector Lestrade makes his first appearance in a while. The actor who plays the son of the owner of the diamond is hilariously wet but it’s okay, he gets killed very soon and Holmes has to find the killer (and the diamond, which has gone missing).
There is a sexy femme fetale on the train but the most obvious suspect is Watson’s old army friend – who turns out to be Col Moran. This is the best thing about the film, the appearance of a decent villain – they really should have revealed him earlier to get more out of him instead of waiting 45 minutes. But Moran’s sidekick isn’t bad, like most films set on trains it is fast paced, and there is a fun scene where Watson tries to interrogate someone on the train.
Plot wise the film probably over-uses the “switch” factor – the diamond’s missing… but it’s not the real diamond, police appear… but they’re not real police, etc. Still, enjoyable.
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