Grimossfer Clever and entertaining enough to recommend even to members of the 1%

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.

Numerootno A story that's too fascinating to pass by...

Brennan Camacho Mostly, the movie is committed to the value of a good time.

cm-albrecht Rosalind Russell saves this movie from being just another '30s mystery out of the mystery machine. Paul Lukas, despite his panache is not a good Philo Vance because of his accent. This is more of a romantic "screwball comedy" type of film than a mystery, but taken in that aspect, it's pretty good. The auction scenes and Alison Skipworth are wonderful. The chemistry between the unflappable Russell and Mr. Lukas is really neat, although in the novels romance never got in the way of a good murder. Whether played by Ted Healy or Eugene Palette, poor Sgt. Ernest Heath never got a fair shake. In the books he was never quite the boob portrayed on the screen. The Casino Murder Case is worth viewing if for nothing but to watch Rosalind Russell on top of her game.

Spondonman Paul Lukas was memorable in The Lady Vanishes and some other films, but not playing Philo Vance. The Casino Murder Case is an enjoyable melodramatic murder mystery with three problems: his European accent, and the fact there's not much casino in the story and no murder there either. Did they have Bela Lugosi audition for the part too?!To the background of some incongruous opening music Vance gets called in to protect a man threatened with an "awful tragedy" at a casino, when there finds the murder of the man's bitchy wife takes place at their home. Lukas also found a spunky sidekick in Rosalind Russell and had some nice patter with her – but her snooty British accent jarred a little as well! The job is on to nail the culprit from a gallery of suspects, and Vance is ably obstructed in this as usual by the suspects, the dense District Attorney and the complaining coroner. In bit parts William Demarest was perfect as a shyster auctioneer and Leo Carroll was fascinating to watch as a slapstick servant, but Eric Blore as Vance's gurning butler was sadly underused here. Favorite bit: Lukas and Russell on the phone as the tragedy unfolds.If you don't like detective potboilers from the '30's my advice is to Skip It. For those of us that do, it must be a lot better if you don't know your Vance, but it's an excellent watch even if you do

jamescastle10 With a traditional murder-mystery detective plot, clearly written as a pulp novel before being transferred to the screen, this film abounds with idiosyncratic characters and overly dramatic actors. The framing of this mass-consumption plot occasionally leads to heaps of interesting shots, with the traditional benefits of black and white. Intensely-orchestrated scenes of overdone surprise and intruding butlers and maids make the film enjoyable from one moment to the next. Not to mention a delectable performance by Rosalind Russell.The factors all come together for this film, and if you take it for its backdated surface value, you won't be wasting your time. The trees of this film, so to speak, make a great forest.

Neil Doyle PAUL LUKAS stars as Philo Vance in this trifle designed to entertain audiences with an intriguing murder mystery laced with comedy. The comedy is just so-so and the mystery is weighed down by some heavy-handed explanations involving "heavy water", a most curious plot device and one that Agatha Christie mercifully never thought of as a poison.ALISON SKIPWORTH is a wealthy eccentric woman whose murder prompts the arrival of Philo Vance on the scene. ISABEL JEWELL overacts in her usual style as the woman's daughter, while ROSALIND RUSSELL does considerably better as another household relative. LEO G. CARROLL handles his butler role efficiently and LOUISE FAZENDA is just slightly annoying as an eaves-dropping maid assigned most of the comedy relief.The mystery elements are handled in okay fashion but the use of "heavy water" as a plot device seems totally far-fetched. PAUL LUKAS does rather nicely as Philo Vance but it takes awhile to get used to him in the role often played by more debonair types.Nothing special, but passes the time pleasantly.