Another Thin Man

Another Thin Man
Starring: William Powell, Myrna Loy
Director: W.S. Van Dyke
Warner Home Video

Being a married couple with a baby boy doesn’t slow down the social butterflies Nick and Nora Charles one iota. Nick manages to keep up his career as a professional consumer of spirits and Nora does her best to keep pace with him. Of all the Thin Man movies Another Thin Man is the darkest and the most fulfilling from a mystery standpoint.

For a married couple Nick and Nora spend a lot of time traveling and once again they are on the move this time out to Long Island. The clever banter and rapid one liners are still a feature in Another Thin Man though to a lesser extent than in the first two movies. This time out of the gate Another Thin Man is a rock solid mystery. The best thing about Another Thin Man is that it all makes sense in the end but you never see it coming.

Dashiell Hammett worked on the screenplay for Another Thin Man and it shows. The story is as complicated and convoluted as any other Dashiell Hammett story. Along with the complicated story comes a cast of characters which is as nefarious as they come. Everyone in Another Thin Man seems to have some kind of a game going. No one but the cops play it straight. Other than Nick and Nora you never know when anyone is telling the truth or a lie.

As the third installment in the series Another Thin Man does credit to the series and to the noir genre. Powell and Loy build on their chemistry and add to the cachet of the Nick and Nora relationship. There is something here for everyone Thin Man fans and those who have never heard of the series.

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