The Devil Plays (1931)

Written by CinemaSerf on June 13, 2022

A man is murdered in a mansion and we embark on a sort of "Cluedo"-esque search for the culprit. As we progress (?), it seems that everyone hated the man and had a motive; who knew there was such risk in investing in a tea room? Personally, I could have found plenty of better things to do with the lead piping, or the candlestick - we've got lethargic, repertorically theatrical performances (except, perhaps from Lew Kelly as the hapless sergeant "Snyder") with long drawn out poses and the ending is almost a spin-a-bottle affair. After 20 minutes I'd have used them on myself.