Strictly Business (1931) review - Mostly just boring sightseeing

Don’t bother with Strictly Business unless you have a weirdly specific obsession with early British talkies. If you want a snappy thriller, this is going to feel like watching paint dry on a rainy Tuesday in London.

It’s mostly for people who want to see what 1931 London looked like through a very dusty lens. Anyone expecting actual suspense will probably hate it within ten minutes. 🥱

The plot is basically a tourism brochure with a tiny crime story tacked on. We follow the daughter of an American leather tycoon who gets dragged around London by her dad's incredibly stiff business associate.

Naturally, a blackmailer shows up. Otherwise, we’d just be watching people stare at Big Ben for an hour.

Betty Amann plays the heiress. She has these incredibly expressive eyes, which is great, but the early sound technology does her no favors here.

There is a scene in a restaurant where a waiter drops a spoon and the clatter is so loud it literally made my cat jump. The sound mixing back then was a total wild west.

It sort of reminds me of the light, silly setups in Good References, but without the actual energy to make it work.

The villain is played by Philip Strange. He looks like he is constantly trying to twirl an imaginary mustache.

He is so obviously evil from the second he appears. You really have to wonder how the main characters don't see it instantly.

Also, the sightseeing montages go on forever. I swear I saw the same double-decker bus pass the exact same corner three times.

Maybe they only had one day of outdoor shooting? It feels that way.

Most of the actors stand completely still while talking. They were probably terrified of moving too far away from the hidden microphones.

If you are looking for a lost masterpiece, keep moving. But if you want a cozy, creaky relic to half-watch while folding laundry, this might do the trick.