Um Susto por Minuto

'Fast Company' (already reviewed a few months back), 'Fast and Loose' and 'Fast and Furious' have been inevitably been compared to the generally superior Thin Man film series, also featuring husband and wife sleuths and mixing comedy and mystery with some of the biggest stars at that point in film history. Of the three 'Fast...' films, my personal favourite is 'Fast Company', which fared the best at balancing comedy and mystery and has the most eventful and most cohesive story although the two leads' chemistry is better here in 'Fast and Loose'.

The second film 1939's 'Fast and Loose' is a fun and inoffensive enough entry in the series but despite preferring the chemistry here and the female lead is superior here, as said already comedy and mystery were balanced better in comedy and mystery and did prefer the story in 'Fast Company'. Not that those elements were done badly here in 'Fast and Loose', just that they were done better before. This is a very watchable film if not a must watch.

Will begin with what is good. Fred MacMurray is charming and commands the screen very well, with strong comic timing. Rosalind Russell is even better when it comes to the comic delivery, never looks ill at ease, looks great and very easy to like, to me she has more presence here than Florence Rice did in 'Fast Company'. They have a very endearing and witty chemistry together that really helps lift the film, of all the 'Fast...' films this is the film for me that had the most spark between its two leads. It is slickly directed and the supporting cast do well, the standout being Etienne Giradot.

Generally the script is snappy and sophisticated enough and the story does intrigues. The production values are slick and have some elegance and William Axt's score has some moodiness and light-hearted edge.

At times though, the film could have gone at a tighter pace and could have been shorter as there isn't enough plot structurally to sustain the film. There are also a few too many twists and characters which made it not always easy to follow, parts are downright confusing. The ending seemed rushed and could have been a little more suspenseful.

Not all the characters seemed necessary to the story and seemed there to pad things out.

Decent film overall but not great. It does well in the comedy and falls a little short when it came to the mystery. 6/10

Neither ROBERT MONTGOMERY nor ROSALIND RUSSELL can do much to raise this above an average Nick and Nora type of mystery as they try to solve a crime involving a stolen Shakespearean manuscript worth a fortune. Montgomery and Russell are both adept at this sort of comedy and make an excellent pair in the leads, so different than the roles they played in NIGHT MUST FALL.

The wealthy household where the first murder takes place is full of suspects, including RALPH MORGAN, JOHN HOWARD, REGINALD OWEN, ALAN DINEHART and TOM COLLINS. SIDNEY BLACKMER does a nice job as a crooked gambling house owner.

With Montgomery and Russell as the husband and wife team, the accent is more on comedy than mystery when Ralph Morgan is found murdered near the open vault in his library. As Montgomery investigates, there are plenty of red herrings that seem to plant suspicion on every member of the household.

Despite all the A production trappings, there's no way this can be considered anything more than a mildly entertaining programmer.

Serviceable part-time-detective story set in the world of rare-book collecting and presented in the Thin Man style. (The writer, Harry Kurnitz, later contributed to the 4th and 5th Thin Man movies.)

Points for premise and some good one-liners ("I request the pleasure of your absence"); unfortunately, the leads wear their roles with all the comfort of sackcloth. Robert Montgomery's transitions between lighthearted husband and tough-guy sleuth are awkward -- like he was just rehearsing to be Lord Peter Wimsey in "Haunted Honeymoon" a year later -- and the usually superior Rosalind Russell as a "wifey" isn't sharp enough for the Nora Charles league.

Otherwise, it's an OK way to kill some time on a rainy afternoon ... but I wouldn't waste 1.5 hours of videotape to watch it later.

This is the second installment of a series created by Harry Kurnitz from his book "Fast Company," featuring a husband and wife team, Joel and Garda Sloane, rare book dealers who were amateur detectives. The first outing was "Fast Company" starring Melvyn Douglas and Florence Rice. "Fast and Loose" came next. Then the Sloane's misadventures came to a screeching halt with "Fast and Furious" featuring Franchot Tone and Ann Sothern." One reason for the demise was the rapid turnover in the lead roles with different actors playing Joel and Garda in each film. A common thread for all three was the writing of Harry Kurnitz which accounts for the similarities in dialog and story structures.

True, the series may remind viewers of Nick and Nora Charles but in reality there are many husband and wife flicks from the period that were somewhat patterned after the successful and popular "The Thin Man." These three films can stand on their own without such comparisons being necessary. Of the three, the first "Fast Company" is possibly the best with Douglas and Rice making a fine pair of sleuths. But the other two have merits of their own.

Robert Montgomery and the indomitable Rosalind Russell interact well with each other. The story about a forged Shakespeare which leads to murder with a whole gallery of suspects isn't always easy to follow but it's worth the time and effort. Montgomery and Russell share many a witty line and comeback, not quite as fast, nor as cutting, as the repartee between Russell and Cary Grant in "His Girl Friday" which was released the following year but still enough gibes to keep all fast and loose. There is also a running joke that carries on to the end involving a donut cushion from a previous case when Joel Slaone was shot in the tush.

The title is apt for the script and direction which are fast and loose. Not on a par with "The Thin Man," but still an entertaining piece of fluff.

Here's the story of the entertainment industry; if something works then copy it. What was working back in the 30's was The Thin Man, the very popular series with William Powell and Myrna Loy. So, every other studio including the poverty row ones cranked out clones featuring husband and wife teams solving mysteries. The best of these, in my opinion were the three films featuring book seller and part-time detective Joel Sloane and his wife Garda. Each of the three films featured a different set of actors playing the Sloanes. The first film, "Fast Company" starred Melvyn Douglas and Florence Rice followed by this film with Robert Montgomery and Rosalind Russell. The last of the films, "Fast and Furious" had Franchot Tone and Ann Sothern. I like all three films, but this one is my favorite probably because I really like Robert Montgomery and Rosalind Russell, but also because the supporting cast was also good displaying the talents of Reginald Owen and Sidney Blackmer. It's also a good story and nice mystery with some great comic relief. The chemistry between Montgomery and Russell seemed genuine to me and unlike one other reviewer I thought Mongomery transitioned well between the comedy and action elements of the story. Any comparison between this film and the disappointing Lord Peter Wimsey story "Haunted Honeymoon" is way off base. Again, I like all three of the films and would recommend them to anyone who enjoys the mystery films from this era. I've watched this one many times and continue to find it funny and entertaining with each viewing. This may not match the best of the Thin Man movies, but it's far better than a couple of the weaker entries.