shoretalk

Raft is oh so wooden in his performance. His face does not show very much emotion until perhaps a scene or two at the end of the film. He even walks and moves like his limbs are full of starch.

The storyline will intrigued viewers and the supporting cast does have more life in their performances. It is a solid mystery cast in film noir although two gangsters who have minor roles are more comical than threatening.

If you ignore Raft's lack of factual expressions, vocal variations and utter stiffness like I did you will find this film worth the viewing time.

Clair Trevor is that classic femme fatale and I found Hoagy Carmichael's performance endearing.

As many of the reviewers have noted, this is not a deep dark difficult to discern crime saga. This is light and fun entertainment, which I discovered on a Sunday afternoon and I'm now tuning in for the second episode.

The lead actors are fun to watch in action. The cruise scenery brightens up one's day and it is pure entertainment for entertainment sake.

Of course I was curious as to which cruise line allowed their ship to be included in this program featuring murder and cruising. I did find it interesting to see some of the behind scenes views of a cruise ship.

So unless you are too stuck up in your views of murder dramas, it's time to get in the cruise buffet line and sample this tasty fun program!

You need to know I really love all things Spade.

That means I will always enjoy Bogey's hunt for his partner's killers and invest time in the Golden Era's radio series no matter who is taking on Sam.

Monsieur Spade to the obvious disappointment of some does not try to recreate any past rendition of Spade so toss aside those hopes and go watch that movie again or listen to the recordings.

Others complain that this does not have the feel of film noir. They are correct because this is not meant to take viewers into those dark myteriou days.

Now that I have taken care of explaining Monsieur Spade's critics let me tell you that the creators of this project are true to Hammett!! They have imagined Spade's progression in life and offered us a drama with the twists and turns mystery novel enthusiasts will want more of.

The solid script is brought to life through solid direction that allows France to be Spade's new home for intrigue. Clive Owen offers us a solid performance that does not try to be Bogart but instead gives us Spade.

I am hoping that viewers enjoy it as much as I have so that we get another season!