Limerculer A waste of 90 minutes of my life

StyleSk8r At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

Derry Herrera Not sure how, but this is easily one of the best movies all summer. Multiple levels of funny, never takes itself seriously, super colorful, and creative.

Asad Almond A clunky actioner with a handful of cool moments.

morrison-dylan-fan With my dad being a big fan of writer Rex Stout's Nero Wolfe series of book,I decided to search around online for a Wolfe novel which he has not yet read.As I started my Wolfe hunt,I was shocked to stumble upon a film adaptation of the novels,which led to me getting ready to meet Nero Wolfe.The plot:Returning to her employer after making a sudden departure, Maria Maringola reveals to her boss Nero Wolfe that her brother Carlo has suddenly disappeared.Getting Maria to go into detail about the last known events of her brother,Wolfe discovers that Carlo had cut a story out of a newspaper about a college dean called Prof. Edgar Barstow dying of a heart attack on a golf course.Suspecting that Carlo's "disappearance" may actually be a murder,Wolfe and his assistant Archie Goodwin begin to take a closer look at Barstow's family.Initially being told by everyone that's he's imagining things,Wolfe pushes for a second autopsy to be performed on Barstow,which reveals that he had been poisoned.With Wolfe suspecting that someone on the golf course is not only behind Barstow's death,but also Carlo's.Wolfe and Goodwin set their sights on scoring a "birdie" with the killer.View on the film:Based on Stout's Wolfe novel Fer-de-Lance, (which is given a cheeky cameo in the opening credits) the screenplay by Joseph Anthony, Howard J. Green & Bruce Manning gives the film a fast pace comedic bite,as Wolfe marks the post-Prohibition era with gallons of homemade booze,and also runs rings around the suspects,and even his own assistants.Along with the Comedy slides,the writers keep a close eye on keeping the murder mystery burning,with the murderers initial playfulness becoming surprisingly vicious,as Wolfe and Goodwin get closer to solving the case.Whilst he still shows signs of his stage origins in his second feature,director Herbert J. Biberman uses smoothly-handled swift camera moves to build a terrific frantic atmosphere,with Biberman cleverly using clocks as a symbol to Wolfe & the killer reaching their deadly hour.Joining Wolfe every step of the way, Lionel Stander gives a joyful performance as the hapless,but well meaning Goodwin,whilst a pretty Rita Hayworth gives a charming performance as sweet Maria Maringola.Taking on the title role, Edward Arnold gives an excellent performance as Wolfe,with Arnold showing Wolfe to be full of powerful energy and also having a full grip on his skills of out smarting anyone who comes his way,which makes this a fantastic meeting with a true lone Wolfe.

dbborroughs Edward Arnold stars as the house bound large framed detective with a passion for beer and orchids. The story starts when a college dean dies nominally of a heart attack after teeing off on a golf course. We quickly learn that a the death was no accident when a mysterious young man dies while clutching a newspaper story on the dean's death. Unfortunately for the killer the second dead man is the brother of a friend of Nero Wolfe who springs into action...well wanders into action as promises of money periodically appear on the horizon. Aiding Wolfe is his aide de camp Archie Goodwin, who as the film begins is attempting to leave Wolfe's employ so that he can get married.Amusing 1930's mystery is a good time. No its not perfect, Arnold's Wolfe is often abrasive, and the marriage subplot quickly runs out of steam but the film is otherwise a really good way to spend 75 minutes. First off you have two great performances from Arnold and Lionel Stander as Goodwin. Next you have an intriguing mystery that or the most part works, certainly it holds your attention as you try to find out who's doing what, especially with several red herrings. Lastly the dialog is crisp and witty. The exchanges are very pithy.and often very funny. I really like this film and I regret that this never clicked enough to cause a series to appear, though it did spawn a sequel, though with out Arnold as Wolfe.Worth a look if you can manage to come across a copy.

bigkids While this first Nero Wolfe film seems well-intentioned, it's really of interest only as an historical curiosity. Edward Arnold, one of the great character actors of all time, looks pretty good as the portly Wolfe, but his portrayal of the detective is way off base. Rex Stout created Wolfe as an irascible, egotistical, curmudgeonly man who quaffs beer endlessly from a glass. Arnold portrays him as a jolly, laughing, hale-fellow-well-met who drinks beer directly from the bottle -- something that Wolfe did very rarely.Archie Goodwin, Wolfe's amanuensis, legman, and sometime tormentor, is supposed to be a tough, smart, courageous detective in his own right. Lionel Stander, also a fine actor when properly cast and directed, turns Goodwin into a clown.The plot moves rapidly. Too rapidly, in fact, for the charm of the Nero Wolfe mysteries lies largely in the atmospheric familiarity of their milieu. They are written as if they were stately waltzes, and this films zips by like a two-minute jazz riff.Of all the adaptations of the Nero Wolfe stories, from the Sydney Greenstreet radio version of the 1940's to the lovingly produced A&E network productions almost sixty years later, the nod must be given to the A&E version, and to Maury Chaykin's portrayal of Nero Wolfe.

John Braun (kartrabo) A great who-done-it mystery film told with the true spirit of author Rex Stout's genius detective Nero Wolfe.Perfect in size,girth,and bellicosity Edward Arnold portrays the heavyset armchair private investigator as fans of the novels would expect.His man of all tasks,Archie Goodwin(played here for laughs),is portrayed by gravel-voiced character favorite Lionel Stander. Adapted from the first Nero Wolfe novel'Fer De Lance',the mystery in the film begins with a strange death at a golf course which was actually murder.It is a very young Rita Hayworth who hires Nero Wolfe to solve the crime before the police prosecute a loved-one for the murder.The story moves quickly with marvelous red-herrings,interesting clues,murder attempts,and plenty of suspects to choose from(Victor Jory,Walter Kingsford,Frank Conroy). All of the elements from the novels are included :the brownstone mansion,the huge library and red-leather chair,the orchid room upstairs,the endless beer supply,and Wolfe's personal chef played by John Qualen.Columbia pictures had a winner here and there were hopes of a series but,because of Edward Arnold's commitments elsewhere he bowed out after this entry.There was one more Nero Wolfe film following the success of this one.It was 'The League of Frightened Men'(1937),and starred Walter Connolly as Wolfe and Stander returning as Archie Goodwin.