Trent's Last Case (1929) - A strange, goofy detective parody

You should watch this if you like early Howard Hawks or if you're tired of detectives who are always 100% right. 🕵️‍♂️

If you want a serious, grit-your-teeth mystery like Sherlock Holmes, you're probably going to hate how silly this gets.

It’s a silent movie from 1929, but it has this weird energy like it's trying to talk to you through the screen.

Raymond Griffith plays Philip Trent, and he has this *hilarious* way of moving his eyebrows whenever he sees a clue.

He doesn't look like a genius investigator; he looks like a guy who stumbled into a murder scene on his way to a party.

The movie starts with Sigsbee Manderson, who is just the worst millionaire ever.

He's mean to his servants, mean to his wife, and basically spends his first five minutes on screen begging to be murdered.

When he finally kicks the bucket, nobody is actually sad, which makes the whole investigation feel kind of low-stakes in a fun way.

I noticed this one shot where the camera lingers on a pair of shoes for way too long.

It’s like Hawks was trying to tell us something, but then the movie just moves on to Trent flirting with the widow, Marceline Day.

Speaking of the widow, she looks perpetually worried, which is fair since her husband was a monster.

There is a scene where Trent is trying to be all suave and detective-like, but he keeps getting distracted by how pretty she is.

It reminds me a bit of the comedic timing in The Suitor, where the lead is just slightly out of step with reality.

The plot is actually based on a book that was supposed to be a joke about how dumb detective novels are.

You can really feel that vibe here, especially during the ending which is a total *mess* in the best possible way.

The way the "mystery" is solved is so ridiculous it makes you wonder if the movie is making fun of you for paying attention.

I loved the bits with the butler and the secretary, who both look guilty as hell for no reason.

It has that same chaotic household energy you see in Love 'Em and Weep, where everyone is hiding something behind a door. 🚪

The titles cards are a bit clunky and sometimes they explain things that are already obvious on the actors' faces.

But Raymond Griffith is so good at physical comedy that you don't even need the text half the time.

There's this moment where he examines a fingerprint and his face goes through about six different emotions in three seconds.

It’s not a masterpiece, and some of the middle parts drag while they're walking around the garden.

Actually, the garden scenes felt like they were shot at five in the morning because the lighting is so flat and grey.

Still, it’s a fascinating relic from the end of the silent era.

It’s got that Howard Hawks "guys hanging out" feel even though they're supposed to be solving a crime.

Don't expect to be shocked by the twist, just enjoy the weird, jaunty ride.

I think I missed a whole subplot about a telegram, but honestly, it didn't seem to matter.

It’s just a movie about a guy with a funny mustache trying to be cool.