Murder Will Out (1930) - A Weirdly Creaky Mystery Review

If you have a spare hour and you really like the sound of frying bacon—which is basically what the audio quality of these 1930 films sounds like—then you might enjoy Murder Will Out. It is definitely for the people who enjoy seeing how movies struggled to walk and talk at the same time. If you want something fast or even remotely logical, you will probably hate this one. It’s slow. It’s dusty. It’s very much a product of its time.

The whole thing starts with a businessman getting blackmailed by a Chinese gang. This was a huge trend back then, the whole 'secret society' thing. It feels a bit like The Denial in how it tries to be serious but ends up feeling a little stiff. The plot isn't really the point though. It's more about the atmosphere.

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of Murder Will Out (1930) through its definitive frames.

Jack Mulhall is the lead, and he has this way of looking extremely surprised by everything. Even when someone just walks into a room. He opens his eyes really wide and stands perfectly still. I think he was afraid if he moved too much, he’d go out of focus or miss the microphone hidden in the flower vase. 😲

Noah Beery is the Best Part

Noah Beery shows up and he just has one of those faces. You know the type. He looks like he’s about to steal your lunch and your house. He plays the villainous type so well that he doesn't even have to do much. He just sits there and radiates bad vibes. It’s a lot more effective than the actual script, which is a bit wordy.

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of Murder Will Out (1930) through its definitive frames.

There is this one scene in an office that feels like it goes on for ten years. Two guys just talking across a desk. One of them keeps fiddling with a paperweight. I spent about five minutes just looking at that paperweight. It was shaped like a little dog, I think. Why was it a dog? The movie doesn't tell us. It’s just there.

The lighting is actually kind of cool in a few spots. There’s a lot of deep shadows that remind me of Michael Strogoff, though not as fancy. When the gang members are lurking, you mostly just see their silhouettes. It’s a cheap way to make things scary, but it works. It hides the fact that the sets are probably just painted cardboard.

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of Murder Will Out (1930) through its definitive frames.

• The hats are huge. Seriously, Hedda Hopper’s hat is like a small aircraft.
• The dialogue has these long pauses where you can hear the actors waiting for their cue.
• There is a lot of pointing. People point at doors, at letters, at each other.

I noticed that the music comes in at really weird times. Like, a character will say something totally normal like "I'll have some tea," and the music goes DUN-DUN-DUNNN. It’s a bit much. It makes me miss the subtleness of something like Whoozit, which is saying a lot.

The writing is by Murray Leinster, who did a lot of sci-fi later on. You can kind of tell he wants the plot to be cleverer than it is. There’s all this talk about the "Great Brain" or whatever the gang leader is called. It sounds like a comic book. But then they just go back to standing around in suits and looking worried.

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of Murder Will Out (1930) through its definitive frames.

One thing that really stuck out was a reaction shot of Lila Lee. She looks genuinely confused, and I don't think it was her character. I think she actually forgot what was happening for a second. It’s those little human mistakes that make these old movies fun to watch. It feels like a high school play with a massive budget for suits.

Is it actually a good mystery?

Not really. You can figure out who the bad guy is pretty early on. The "twist" isn't much of a twist if you've seen more than three movies in your life. It’s more of a gentle curve. But the way they get there is so clunky it’s almost charming. It’s like watching a puppy try to climb stairs.

The ending is very abrupt. Like they ran out of film or the actors had a bus to catch. One minute they are solving the crime, and the next, it’s just over. No real wrap-up. Just... thwack. The End. It’s sort of refreshing compared to modern movies that take forty minutes to say goodbye.

If you’re looking for a masterpiece, go watch The Raid. But if you want to see a bunch of 1930s actors being very serious about a silly gang, Murder Will Out is a decent way to kill an hour. Just don't expect it to change your life. 🎥

I still can't get over that dog paperweight. It really was the most interesting thing in that room. I wonder if the director brought it from home? Anyway, it’s a weird little flick. Give it a shot if you’re bored and like black and white shadows.