El crimen nocturno

This is a far cry from "The 39 Steps," which preceded it, or "Twentieth Century." That one also came first but of course is a hilarious comedy with a great, brilliant performance by John Barrymore; it's not a mystery.

Marjorie Reynolds is appealing as the heroine. John King makes a good investigator. Then he opens his mouth and sings. "The Singing Detective" this also is not.

The dialog is strangely wordy and improbable in many cases. People have been given real mouthfuls to speak. But the plot is a decent one. It moves along nicely. And I had no idea who the villains were going to turn out to be. Usually I can either tell or I've got lost in too many characters.

Here, though, the characters are nicely delineated. And the ending comes as a surprise. At least it did for me.

John King one of Monogram's cowboy heroes got into modern dress as a railroad detective on the hunt for some robbers working the Midnight Limited from New York to Montreal.

It turns into a murder case when one King's men is killed. Marjorie Reynolds gets robbed as an afterthought. After that she joins forces with King.

Seems like this was a good plan that was only good for one or two scores. The crooks should have quit while they were ahead. Obviously there was an inside man.

John King even got to sing a song that wasn't a cowboy ballad.

Sets were cheap and shabby, some bad editing as well. Not the best mystery going.

This movie was interesting but a little corny at times( when Val sings) They had to cram a lot in 61 minutes. the movie's movement had a little Dragnet to it.."just the facts'. The police characters seemed a little stiff and the mechanics of the railroad police etc was not very believable.( Adding Majorie to the force just because she said she would help) The addition of Willie the conductor was a nice a piece but the dialog with him was too simple and not as comic relief as it could have been... Majorie Reynolds was good and you can see her potential...remembering her as the wife to Chester a Riley is quite easy..The plot was good and could have been developed better but...All in all a good investment of your time far better that reruns on TV.....

While on a train trip to Montreal a woman is robbed of some valuable papers and man is robbed of some jewels by a man who comes in the night and shines a light in their faces. The robber then disappears off the train and into the night. The woman, needing the papers to collect an inheritance goes to the police. who then direct him to Val Lennon, who is investigating a rash of robberies on the train. The woman hooks up with Lennon and they begin to look into the robberies, which soon turn deadly.

Almost coldly clinical, even if the film has some romance and a musical number, this film didn't really work for me. The film is much too talky for an hour long mystery (The interrogation scene early on seems to go one for an hour instead of 5 or 6 minutes) and there are times when very little actually happens despite "movement" (how many trips are actually made?). It also doesn't help that the script seems to clue us in as to whats going on much too early simply as a means of keeping us interested. The cast, of B movie and supporting stalwarts is quite good, though they seem to be simply running back and forth needlessly instead of actually solving a mystery.

You can try it if you catch it on TV but otherwise I'd skip it.

Midnight Limited is a compact and atmospheric thriller that makes the most of its brief runtime. Set almost entirely aboard a train, the film captures the claustrophobic tension and suspense that classic whodunits thrive on.

The story wastes no time plunging the audience into mystery. With a string of unexplained robberies haunting a night train, suspicion spreads among the passengers - each with just enough character to feel suspicious without tipping the plot too early. The lead detective is cool and composed, but it's the sharp pacing and tight dialogue that really keep things moving.

This isn't a grand production, but that's part of its charm. The train setting is used cleverly, creating a sense of urgency and movement that mirrors the unraveling mystery. While it might not have the visual flourishes of later noirs, it delivers a solid, engaging ride for fans of classic crime cinema.

If you're looking for a forgotten gem from the 1940s that knows exactly what it is, Midnight Limited is worth hopping aboard.