Happily retired and married to wealthy Norah (Myrna Loy), former detective Nick Charles (William Powell) finds himself unwillingly drawn into a new case he has already refused. Where Nick is against going back to work, Norah is excited at the prospect of solving a mystery with her husband.
What a joy.
I had been meaning to check out the Thin Man series for years but it was not until I read Rob Kozlowski's biography of stars Powell and Loy, Becoming Nick & Nora, that I finally took the plunge.
I repeat - what a joy.
Chemistry is one of those magical things that is almost impossible to describe. The mysterious charge of two actors working together, creating a symbiosis that is so intensely watchable, it feels like you are watching something completely alive and real.
Powell and Loy are absolutely dynamite together.
Like most great detecctive films, the actual mystery is completely superfluous - a catalyst to get our heroes into action.
Our heroes do not have any conflict between them: they each enjoy a drink, there are no fears of infidelity (one mistaken embrace just leads to our heroes mugging at each other), and the case’s pressures do not lead them to question their devotion).
The only real friction is Nick’s (relative) disinterest in working, and Norah’s enthusiasm for a caper. Even the threat of death only gets her more excited.
One gets the sense Norah has been so embedded in la dolce vita it takes the danger and unknowns of a murder mystery to get her juices flowing.
A sparkling soufflé of a movie, The Thin Man would prove to be so popular it would lead to multiple sequels, and cement William Powell and Myrna Loy as a cinematic team.
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