Time to Kill (1942)
Director: Herbert I Leeds
Starring: Lloyd Nolan, Heather Angel, Doris Merrick
Synopsis:
Private detective Mike Shayne is hired by a wealthy widow to track down a missing rare coin.
Impressions:
This is an example of a Philip Marlowe story where another detective takes his place, in this case, Mike Shayne in The High Window. I wasn't a fan of the later adaptation The Brasher Dubloon with an in-name-only Marlowe, and Mike Shayne is more Marlowe than that one, though generally a more confident and less shabby sort who's better at holding his own in a fight. The dialog isn't quite as sharp as the original novel or, for its cinematic sibling, The Big Sleep, but it's still pretty good and the portrayal of the characters by most of the cast is quite solid as well. In particular, Heather Angel did a good job of portraying poor neurotic Myrle, as did Ethel Griffies as that old battle-axe Mrs. Murdock. Book readers will be surprised to find Linda featured both more prominently and more favorably. With only about an hour's runtime, the ending's a bit rushed, but this is a far better adaptation than The Brasher Dubloon on all fronts, so it's definitely worth a watch.
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