(1934)
4
Hans J. Wollstein
Told in flashback, Before Midnight is one of those synthetic murder mysteries where a great deal of strange occurrences -- screams in the night, grandfather clocks suddenly stopping, sinister Orientals lurking about -- signify absolutely nothing. And once the identity of the real Edward Arnold has been established, well, suffice it to say, the audience will more than likely beat the redoubtable Inspector Trent to the punch. Which makes the good inspector seem not a little slow-witted in comparison. Not surprisingly, Ralph Bellamy plays the detective with tongue firmly planted in cheek, but the screenwriters failed to give him anything amusing to say or do.
Before Midnight on AllMovie
Before Midnight (1934)
