La morte viene da Scotland Yard

Sydney Greenstreet (Grodman) is relieved of his position at the police force after an innocent man is hanged under his watch. Devious George Coulouris, who has contributed to Greenstreet's downfall by not helping in the investigation, replaces him. When Morton Lowry (Kendall) is found murdered, Greenstreet can sit back and watch Coulouris make a hash of the investigation, a role that he relishes.

The cast are all good with Greenstreet and funny, morbid artist Peter Lorre (Victor) leading the way. The story is set in Victorian times in England and has plenty of foggy atmosphere. It's a murder mystery type of film that keeps you guessing as to who the murderer could be. You're bound to change your mind a few times but will you get it right? The film moves along at a good pace and is an enjoyable experience as you watch it thanks to the cast. Peter Lorre and Sydney Greenstreet deliver their lines perfectly and they can be very funny as well as very misleading. They have great chemistry together as always.

This is one of the finest detective mysteries ever filmed. It is astonishing that the young director Don Siegel showed so much talent so early. Once again we have that wonderful pair, Sydney Greenstreet and Peter Lorre making a masterpiece together. Greenstreet is spellbinding in every scene. Lorre creates a well-rounded three-dimensional character from a two-dimensional part, and makes him eccentric and intriguing. The story is set in 1890 in London, and is based on a novel entitled 'The Big Bow Mystery' by best-selling author Israel Zangwill, which was in turn apparently based on a real case. The plot of the film is one of the most complex and intellectually challenging ever made. It 'out-Sherlocks Sherlock'. The essence of the dilemma is how can a man have his throat cut in a room in which the door and windows are locked and bolted from the inside, and there is no other way in or out. The film is helped a lot by a brilliant performance by Rosalind Ivan as a hysterical landlady who may or may not have murdered her lodger (but how??). The atmosphere is powerful, the filming expressionistic, the style impeccable, and the result magnificent. Greenstreet and Lorre are at the top of their form. This is a film no lover of the genre should miss.

I don't know what to say about the other reviews here(better to say nothing as their insights offer that suitable response). This is a great film with a great pairing of that wonderful coupling of gargantuan Sydney Greenstreet and devilish, diminuative Peter Lorre. Grenstreet never was better as a Scotland Yard superintendant who mistakenly sends an innocent man to his death. He is forced out of his job by another aspiring detective played with relish by George Coulouris. Greenstreet remarks, "He underestimated the size of my britches." And so he did! Greenstreet was that special kind of actor that draws you to his every word, action, and deed. His refinement of speech and larger-than-life presence greatly enhance the film. Lorre is Lorre, a funny character actor getting a break from villains for a chance. Lorre and Greenstreet aid each other very nicely and their scenes together are perhaps the most fun ones in the film. Behind all the actions of the two men is a fine Victorian mystery that has a good, hard-to-figure out ending. Director Don Siegel shows his deftness in capturing a dark Victorian setting. His scene exhuming a casket is particularly well-done. A fine film and an unfortunately all to rare chance to see Lorre and Greenstreet together.

Fans of SYDNEY GREENSTREET and PETER LORRE should get extra pleasure out of watching these two emote in THE VERDICT, a gaslight era who-dun-it about the perfect locked door crime with a few deft touches that place it above the average mystery thriller.

Greenstreet is impressive as the Scotland Yard detective who loses his job when an innocent man is wrongly hanged. He gets his revenge in an unusual way. Morton Lowry is excellent as the victim and others in the cast all give quality performances--Paul Cavanagh, Peter Lorre, Rosalind Ivan and especially George Coulouris as the man Sydney describes as not big enough to "fill his britches". Only weak casting is Joan Lorring in the role of a lowly music hall singer--her cabaret routine is not the least bit convincing although it doesn't matter much because the film belongs to Greenstreet and Lorre.

As an overly imaginative landlady, Rosalind Ivan is a scream (literally!) Will keep you hooked until the finish.

The Verdict is an absolutely absorbing and ingenious locked-room murder mystery, complete with sheer performances and irresistible gothic atmosphere. Set in London, near the end of the 19th century this intelligent movie handles about a seemly insolvable murder. Superintendent Grodman hunts down the murderer of the man who lives across him…unofficially, because Scotland Yard dismissed him after making a mistake in his previous case, which resulted in the execution of an innocent man. Grodman playfully amuses himself by fooling and not helping Supt. Buckley…the ambitious vulture successor who gladly witnessed Grodman's resignation. The characters and their backgrounds in this film are so fascinating…the speculative possibilities and ‘maybe'-motivations are so left open that the Verdict really became the most unpredictable ‘whodunit' thriller I ever saw. And I'm utterly impressed by that. Director Don Siegel based his film on the novel by Israel Zangwill and I can clearly see why this author often gets referred to as ‘the father detective thrillers'. Both basic plot and screenplay are flawless and compelling, complete with fiendish dialogues. Plus…the atmosphere and structure are genius film-noir and gothic-like which is completely Don Siegel's achievement. Siegel, who shot his first long-feature film with The Verdict delivers one of the most powerful debuts in film history ever. Almost as remarkable as John Huston's debut with The Maltese Falcon, I dare to say… There are constant undertones of diabolicalness present, resulting in a high rate finale that leaves you completely speechless. Terrifically done! At one point, we even receive a pretext of what `12 Angry Men' will look like, 11 (!) years before this one gets released!! Don Siegel's later masterpieces perhaps overshadow this little highlight but, to me, this still is his finest film. And that certainly must mean something, seeing his entire repertoire contains milestone-titles like `Invasion of the Body Snatchers', `The Shootist', `Dirty Harry' and `Escape from Alcatraz'.

Of course, The Verdict wouldn't have been half as memorable as it is now if it weren't for the brilliant acting performances. Peter Lorre on top, and not exclusively since he's one of my top 5 favorite actors ever. Lorre is genius as ever as the amiable cartoon-artist obsessed by the sinister details such as corpse digging and strangling. Like in multiple of his other films, he also has a slight drinking problem which gives the film a tiny comical side-aspect. Sydney Greenstreet (best know as Bogart's concurrent in Casablanca) makes a great Supt. Grodman as he manages to remain distinguished and irritated at the same time. Without the slightest doubt, The Verdict receives a rating 10 out of 10 from me…and naturally, it comes with the highest possible recommendation. I'll even buy you a beer if you can name the murderer's identity before the film is over.