The Criminal Within: A mansion party that overstays its welcome

Is it worth your time?

Honestly, only if you’ve got a real soft spot for 1930s B-movie detective tropes. If you need tight pacing or a story that makes perfect sense, stay away. This is for the folks who like watching stiff actors talk in fancy rooms while someone inevitably drops dead in the next parlor.

The movie starts with a detective showing up to a mansion. You know the drill. It’s supposed to be a swanky evening, but the vibe is immediately off. The mansion feels less like a home and more like a collection of furniture shoved together to make a set. It’s claustrophobic in a way I don’t think they intended.

The Messy Bits

The plot is a bit of a train wreck. We’ve got gangsters, blackmailers, and a detective who seems to be the only person not sweating through his tuxedo. There’s a moment near the middle where three different characters explain their motives in the span of two minutes. I lost track of who was blackmailing whom, and I’m pretty sure the movie did too.

I couldn't help but think about how much tighter the tension was in The Great Diamond Robbery. At least that film knew when to let a scene breathe. Here, everyone is constantly rushing from door to door as if they’re afraid the camera will stop filming if they stand still for more than three seconds. It’s exhausting.

• The butler looks like he’s bored out of his mind.
• There’s a vase in the hallway that moves three different times in one scene.
• The dialogue is mostly just people accusing each other of being 'yellow.'

The pacing is all over the place. One minute we’re dealing with a high-stakes murder mystery, and the next we’re watching someone make a drink for way too long. It feels like the director forgot to yell 'cut' on half the takes. Some of these reaction shots linger so long you start to wonder if the actor fell asleep behind their eyes.

It’s not all bad, though. There is a certain charm to the way they try to pack so much drama into such a small space. It reminded me a bit of the frantic energy in Strange Wives, though without the same level of polish. It’s messy, it’s loud, and it’s mostly forgettable. But for 60 minutes? It’s a weird little trip back to a time when detectives were always ready with a quip and a gun.

Don't look for logic. You won't find it here. Just enjoy the curtains and the stiff acting and try not to think about the plot holes. 🥂