A Certain Mr. Gran: Venice, Spies, and a Whole Lot of Dust

Is it worth your time?

Honestly, you should only watch A Certain Mr. Gran if you have a massive soft spot for vintage European thrillers where everyone looks like they just stepped out of a stiff tailoring catalog. If you’re the type of person who needs a fast-paced, modern thriller with snappy dialogue, you will probably hate this. It moves at the speed of a gondola stuck in the mud.

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of A Certain Mr. Gran (1933) through its definitive frames.

The whole thing takes place in Venice, which is clearly the star here. Every shot of the water is lovely, even if the plot feels like it was scribbled on a napkin during a long lunch. Our hero is a German secret service captain, and he’s one of those guys who is always far too serious for his own good.

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of A Certain Mr. Gran (1933) through its definitive frames.

Then you’ve got the villain, this older antiquities dealer who just radiates pure creep factor. He’s obsessed with stealing weapon drawings. I’m not sure why he needs them so badly, but he looks great in a hat while doing it.

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of A Certain Mr. Gran (1933) through its definitive frames.

Small moments that caught my eye

• The way characters walk into a room and just stop, waiting for the camera to catch up. It’s like watching a stage play that forgot it was being filmed.
• The background extras in the street scenes. Half of them are clearly just locals who wandered into the frame and have no idea they are in a spy movie.
• The lighting in the dealer's shop. It’s so dark you can barely see the weapons, which I guess is a good way to hide the budget.

There’s a scene about halfway through where they’re tracking the stolen blueprints across a piazza, and it lingers on a pair of pigeons for about ten seconds too long. It’s funny because you can feel the director trying to build tension, but it just ends up being a bird documentary for a minute. 🐦

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of A Certain Mr. Gran (1933) through its definitive frames.

It’s not quite as punchy as Fantomas: The Man in Black, which really knew how to lean into the absurdity of the genre. A Certain Mr. Gran feels like it wants to be a serious procedural, but it lacks the grit you find in something like Illegal.

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of A Certain Mr. Gran (1933) through its definitive frames.

I found myself zoning out during the dialogue scenes. They talk a lot about 'the mission' and 'the blueprints' without actually showing us why these pieces of paper matter. It reminded me a bit of the pacing issues in The Storm Breaker, where things happen because they have to, not because the characters actually decided to do them.

Is it a masterpiece? No. Is it a fun trip to old Venice? Sure, if you don't mind the plot being a bit of a mess. It’s an uneven ride, but sometimes the atmosphere is enough to keep you watching until the credits roll.