Murder at Dawn (1932)
** (out of 4)
Danny (Jack Mulhall) and Doris (Josephine Dunn) are on their way to tell her father about their engagement but what they don't know is that her father scientist has created a deadly ray that can work off the sun. The father's friend is mysteriously murdered and soon more bodies are piling up as someone tries to steal the secret.
MURDER AT DAWN was one of the numerous "old dark house" movies that were produced in the 1930s. This one here features lightening, thunder, mysterious shadows, screams in the night, a nutty scientist, murder and of course an annoying lead couple who go for laughs. If you've seen at least two of these then you already know what's going on in these types of movies as there are countless suspects and out of no where one pops up at the end as the killer. Rarely do these films make any sense so it takes something really special happening in order for them to stand out in the pack.
Sadly, nothing too special happens here as there are way too many characters introduced to us and none of them really stand out in an entertaining way. All the stereotypes are in full force here and I must admit that it was rather hard following the film because it's so uneven. The performances range from fair to decent but, again, nothing really stands out. MURDER AT DAWN isn't horrible and it's mildly entertaining but it's mainly going to appeal to those who want to see all of these sub-genre movies that were made.
