I Am a Thief

Diamond thieves seem to abound in "I Am A Thief," a 1934 film starring Mary Astor and Ricardo Cortez. Cortez buys the famous "Karenina diamonds" at auction, winning them from Astor. The two wind up on the Istanbul Express, where Cortez is hounded by an American who insists on buying the jewels from him. The story continues with murder, secret identities, mysterious telegrams, a paste copy of the jewels, and the jewels themselves.

Fast-moving story, like the train the characters ride, as the jewels change hands and different people are implicated.

Astor is radiantly beautiful and charming in the role of a flirt who has another agenda, and Cortez is elegant and suspect both.

Short at 1 hour plus, it's a delightful film.

A string of sensational jewel robberies has rocked Paris. Unnerved insurance executives hatch a plan. They will lure the thieves into the open by auctioning off the famous Karenina diamonds....

Mary Astor and Ricardo Cortez are outstanding in this wild tale of jewel robbers chasing each other across Europe. Cortez outbids Astor and purchases the famous diamonds ("Impertinent fellow but very handsome," she comments), but Astor remains intensely interested in the jewels. Indeed, she sneaks into his hotel room in the middle of the night--only to find his bodyguard knocked unconscious and a would-be thief just leaving. Not surprisingly, Cortez has hidden the diamonds in a safer place than his hotel room, and laughs off the whole attack.

Very soon Cortez is en route to Istanbul to sell the diamonds. Astor hops on the same train carrying a duplicate set of the same jewels. A pushy baron (Robert Barrat), a sly count (Irving Pichel), and a rich American (Dudley Digges) also make the trip in pursuit of the Kareninas. The various characters appear to form rivalries and alliances....But who is really who?

Part of the fun is guessing--and the exciting climax features a couple of gasp-inducing moments. A fast-paced and stylish adventure.

After several spectacular jewel thefts an international group of insurance underwriters plan to trap the culprits by following the buyer of the Karenina diamonds.Enter man of mystery,jewel dealer Ricardo Cortez who makes the purchase,leaves Paris on the Orient Express,and is followed by numerous people hoping to get their hands on the gems.The viewer must figure out just who is an actual thief/murderer or those who are on the side of the law in this delightfully fast-paced thriller.A trainload of wonderful Warner Brothers contract players(Mary Astor,Robert H.Barrat,John Wray,Irving Pichel,Dudley Digges,Ferdinand Gottschalk,etc.) and the always terrific direction of Robert Florey keep the suspense right on track.

Ricardo Cortez is a suave jeweler. He buys at auction some famous and expensive diamonds, then takes the Orient Express to Istanbul, so he can romance Mary Astor -- who eventually steals the jewels -- and keep things humming along, with a bunch of people who obviously want the gems and are willing to murder to get them. Apparently.

Robert Florey directs this at the high-speed Warner Brothers pace, even though the plot complexities, which seem to involve everyone actually being someone other than they seem to be, sometimes overwhelm the movie. Like a detective in a pulp novel, I began to suspect everyone, from Parisian chauffeurs -- a shady lot at the best of times -- to children selling gimcrack souvenirs by the side of the train. Why were they traveling on the Orient Express anyway? Don't they know it's a hotbed of espionage, murder, and Kenneth Branagh in a face-eating mustache?

Florey was always fond of Dutch angles, but he can't do much on board the railroad, even with Sidney Hickock as his cinematographer. It was fun while it lasted, but occasionally confusing, as players switched who they were playing.

Directed by Robert Florey. Starring Mary Astor, Ricardo Cortez, Irving Pichel, Dudley Digges, Robert Barrat, Hobart Cavanaugh, Ferdinand Gottschalk, John Wray.

Valuable diamonds, an infamous jewel thief, and assorted suspicious figures involved in murder and larceny during a ride on the Orient Express; where's Hercule Poirot when you need him? Mild mystery/thriller is modestly satisfying, though immemorable; Astor and Cortez, as competing bidders for the targeted jewels, don't exactly ignite the screen with the passion of their romance. The late twists/revelations are pretty tame (for a movie that's only a shade over an hour long, there are quite a few complications and red herrings), and the resolution in the denouement is rather laughable, but those with a fondness for these sorts of mannered, Agatha Christie-like mystery programmers might enjoy it. Digges does a blustery caricature that would make Yosemite Sam proud.

59/100