The Mystery of Mr. X

Plot synopsis:
London police constables are being killed by a man calling himself "Mr. X" (Leonard Mudie). By chance, one of the murders occurs around the same time and place as a diamond robbery, leading Police Commissioner Sir Herbert Frensham (Henry Stephenson) to suspect the same man is responsible for both, much to the annoyance of the thief, Nicholas "Nick" Revel (Robert Montgomery), and his confederates, taxi driver Joseph "Joe" Palmer (Forrester Harvey) and insurance clerk Hutchinson (Ivan F. Simpson).
After another slaying, Sir Christopher Marche is arrested as a suspect, as he had drunkenly quarreled with the latest victim shortly before his death. However, Nick provides him with an alibi. As a result, he becomes acquainted with Marche's grateful fiancée (and the commissioner's daughter), Jane Frensham (Elizabeth Allan). The two are attracted to each other.
Meanwhile, Sir Herbert becomes convinced that Nick is Mr. X and puts him under constant surveillance. When the commissioner learns that his daughter has gone alone to Nick's flat, he sends Marche a message supposedly from Nick urgently requesting that they meet. When Marche finds the couple alone together, though they are not doing anything untoward, he breaks off his engagement with Jane.
Nick decides to give up his life of crime for Jane. He mails back the jewel. However, when Joe warns him that Hutchinson has been picked up for questioning, he realizes that it is only a matter of time before his associate gives him up. Nick discovers that the locations of the murders form an X, which provides him with the site of the next crime. He disguises himself as a policeman and flushes the real killer out. After a struggle, Mr. X is fatally injured, but before he dies, he boasts to Sir Herbert how he close he came to fulfilling his goal of one murder for each of the 15 years he spent in prison.

Tags: revenge, murder

Review:
This is Robert Montgomery's film all the way.
This fine American Actor/Director is at his best and obviously has a lot of fun as he plays a second story man who just happens to steal a valuable diamond at the same time a policeman is murdered by a deranged killer.
The killing takes place on the sidewalk just below where Montgomery has made his heist and, as the film unfolds, Scotland Yard comes to the erroneous conclusion that the theft and the murder have been committed by the same person.
This leaves Montgomery in a precarious position and he realizes that to keep from being blamed for the murder he will have to bring the killer to justice by his own wiles.
He is working on all of this while, at the same time, romancing the daughter of the head of Scotland Yard.
There is plenty of good old fashioned suspense in this film to satisfy any mystery fan.
There are also several light moments as we watch the romance between the jewel thief and the daughter of the Scotland Yard chief unfold.
Lewis Stone, perhaps remembered best as Judge Hardy in that venerable series does a great job as another high Scotland Yard official who is suspicious of Montgomery from the start and plays a bit of a cat and mouse game with the thief.
A Policeman's Lot Is Not a Happy One. Well-done mystery/thriller with Robert Montgomery playing a jewel thief suspected of being a police serial killer.
The plot adapted by Philip MacDonald from one of his own novels is tightly woven and executed very nicely by director Edgar Selwyn.
Selwyn, for a 1934 film, uses lots of flair and style in creating a suspenseful pace and good atmosphere.
I particularly liked the way he used his cast - all of whom do excellent jobs.
Montgomery is in top form as the "hero" out to find the killer in order to exonerate himself of the heinous killing spree.
Aiding him is a love interest played by Elizabeth Allan, a truly lovely actress as the police commissioner's daughter.
Lewis Stone also rounds out the cast playing a police superintendent convinced Montgomery is guilty of the crime of stealing a valuable diamond and killing the bobbies.
He has marvelous comic timing in a more subtle way than just being a buffoon as so typically used in films like this.
But it is Montgomery's portrayal that really gives the film its steam and he is as charming as ever.
This is one of those rare diamonds one comes across every now and then from the Golden Age of film-making.
This is a first-rate mystery with excellent direction, good performances, and an interesting,convincing script..
This is one.Set in London, it is a romantic, mystery thriller (with comedy elements).
Robert Montgomery is most charming as a gentleman thief.
(Yum!) Also, Forrester Harvey, as Montgomery's Cockney cab driver stooge, does an excellent turn as comedy relief.What really sets this movie apart from others, however, is the absolutely amazing chemistry and timing between Montgomery and Allan.
One of the murders happens at a time when cracksman Robert Montgomery has stolen a very valuable diamond and Scotland Yard links the two crimes mistakenly.
Montgomery realizes he can't fence that valuable jewel with the heat on so he tries by subterfuge to aid Scotland Yard.
Of course this tangles him up with Elizabeth Allan who is Henry Stephenson's daughter in the film and Mrs. Robert Montgomery in real life.Robert Montgomery is poaching a bit on Ronald Colman's territory, but he does a fine job as the thief.
Henry Stephenson as always is THE quintessential English gentleman and Lewis Stone is a hard and driven inspector trying to catch the maniac.The police do make mistakes here, but the mistakes are completely understandable and really the fault of both Forbes and Montgomery who step into it themselves.
By the way you know that this picture is before the Code because it is by no means clear that Montgomery will ever give up a life of crime..
Good vehicle for Robert Montgomery.
Robert Montgomery, always the class act, gets to do more here than MGM normally let him in the very early years of his career when they too often typecast him as a wealthy playboy.
Someone is going about killing London policemen with a long sword in the absence of any other crime.
Enter Robert Montgomery as the unlucky cracksman Nicholas Revel.
He is unlucky because he steals a beautiful diamond at virtually the same time and place that one of the policemen is killed.
The police unfortunately deduce that the cop killer, "Mr. X", is also the diamond thief and figure when they find the diamond and its thief they'll find Mr. X.In yet another plot thread the daughter of police commissioner Fresham is engaged to a young man, Sir Christopher 'Chris' Marche, who is prone to nocturnal drunken adventures.
With the young man's scarf clutched in the dead policeman's hands, Sir Christopher is instantly a suspect.These threads intersect when Revel, a man with a profound conscience for a jewel thief and apparently better investigative instincts than the police, decides he cannot let Sir Christopher be blamed for a crime that he believes he did not commit.
He has a theory on how to catch the real cop killer - and thus get himself off the hook too - but he needs to talk to police commissioner Fresham and tell him his theory.
Lewis Stone as police superintendent Conner is also excellent here as usual, as he wages a passive-aggressive battle of wits with Revel.
The film has a very satisfying precode ending, but not the kind you would normally think of when you mention precode.Also, let me correct one common mistake.
The leading lady here is Elizabeth Allan, a fine British film actress, not Elizabeth Allen the stage actress and wife of Robert Montgomery at the time this film was made..
This was an excellent pre-code mystery which cried out for a series starring the dapper, cosmopolitan Robert Montgomery.
A sentence or two about the plot; Someone is killing bobbies in and around London, much to the chagrin of Scotland Yard.
As another cop murder is taking place on the street, RM is stealing a precious diamond in an adjacent mansion.
For the rest of the picture he tries to extricate himself from the murder while hanging on to the stolen diamond.Things go somewhat awry towards the end - apparently, the screenwriter was stuck for an ending and opted for one of convenience and unbelievability, but the picture was so good up to that point I decided to go with it and suspend disbelief.
Robert Montgomery is a gentleman jewel thief and in the films of the 1930s this would make him the hero...of sorts.
You see, X has been killing and taunting police for some time and when one of Montgomery's burglaries happens to occur at the same place a copper is killed by X, the police now suspect that X and the gentleman thief are one in the same--which clearly are not.
So, it's up to Montgomery to do what he can to help the police capture X--then, and only then, can they possibly sell the huge diamond.
Things get complicated when the daughter of the police inspector on the case falls for Montgomery.
By the end of the film, it's a life and death struggle between X and Montgomery--and guess who wins!
In many ways, this film plays a lot like a Saint or Falcon outing, though with a higher quality budget.
The overall product is enjoyable light entertainment--the sort they really haven't made in over 60 years.By the way, couldn't you also see William Powell in the role Montgomery played?
Modern directors who don't know how to make a movie in less than two hours could take a lesson from this fast-paced 84 minute thriller, shot in 1934.
The tale centers on a killer who uses a cane-sword to skewer policemen, warning Scotland Yard of each murder before it occurs.
Unfortunately, jewel thief Robert Montgomery happens to be heisting a diamond just as another bobby is slain -- and becomes the principal suspect.
The only way he can clear his name is to catch the maniac, pausing from time to time to dally with Elizabeth Allan as the police commissioner's fetching daughter.
As the mystery moves crisply along, there are no long tracking shots, lingering looks at people's faces or endless glimpses of scenery.
Instead, Montgomery's bonhomie, Allan's saucy appeal, a clever, amusing script and tight editing make Mr. X a pleasure to watch..
One of the many Robert Montgomery B movies that are fun to watch.
My enjoyment may have as much or more to do with nostalgia as good movie making, but give it a try.
Robert Montgomery as a diamond thief.
Robert Montgomery stars with Elizabeth Allen and Lewis Stone in "The Mysterious Mr. X" from 1934.A serial killer is going around London killing policemen.
Unfortunately for Nick Revel and his band of merry men, a taxi driver named Joe and an insurance clerk named Hutch, the killer struck outside a home where the famous Drayton Diamond was stolen.
The police think the robber is the killer.Nick and his cronies know that they can't return the diamond for the insurance reward or pawn it until the serial killer is caught.
He has an idea as to how the police can catch the killer.
He figures if he testifies on behalf of March, he will be able to present his plan to the police.March turns out to be the fiancé of Jane, the daughter of the police commissioner, and Revel and Jane are attracted to one another.
Meanwhile, her father is suspicious of Revel.Pleasant mystery, with a charming performance by Montgomery.
The end is quite exciting, with a very dynamic either set or location.Good movie..
Movie Director Edgar Selwyn At His Peak.
"The Mystery Of Mr. X" is the last movie directed by Edgar Selwyn, who had a career in theater and movies that could never be duplicated again.
At the end, when the news photographers want to take a picture of Revel (Robert Montgomery) with Miss Frensham, he hesitates getting next to her and she pulls him closer.
I hate you." The earlier part of the story shows that Connor justifies that low opinion, searching Revel's apartment without a search warrant, lying to Sir Christopher Marche and trying to solve the policeman murders by assuming the Drayton diamond thief is also the murderer.
Throughout the movie, the dialog between Revel and Miss Frensham is literate and delineates the characters in an amusing and cheerful way.Of course, there is no way this movie could ever be a stage play, since much of the action involves taxi rides, walking down foggy streets and other outdoors activities.
This movie must have been a tough shoot, between the constant dialog (1,830 numbered subtitle segments in the closed captions) and the tracking shots for the studio lot scenes.
The showdown in the warehouse building set at the end of the movie must have been really hard to stage and film, but Selwyn and company do a fine job at it.I saw this movie on TCM and the print shown was worn, had frame damage in parts and looked like a 16MM dupe print.
Not the best way to watch a movie that has many scenes shot in shadowed settings.
Director Selwyn, in New York already, did not want to re-shoot the ending.
I am guessing that Selwyn had his fill of working so hard to make this movie a great example of the MGM studio system at work.
So Selwyn bows out as a movie director on the top, with a movie that should have been better known but got lost in the shuffle when the 1934 Production Code went into full force.The Warner Archive should find a way to get "The Mystery Of Mr. X" out as a Blu-ray release using better print material that is given a makeover by the LOC Packard Campus..
Smug Actor Robert Montgomery Stars in this Jammed Packed Little Thriller that is Highlighted by a Number of Nighttime Killings and a Serial Killer that Announces His Crimes Beforehand to the Press.There are Some Neat Side Characters and Our Hero is a Thief, but is Willing to Give Up a Life of Crime as Soon as the Boring Talkathon Begins with a Female.
A Female, by the way, that Throws Her Finace Out as Soon as the Debonair Montgomery Shows Her Any Attention.
Bad Boys are So Much More Fun.This is a Worth a Watch if You Can Take the Gooey Banter Between Him and Her, that Becomes Almost Unbearable in the Kitchen Scene, Because the Movie Outside the Romance is Pretty Good Pulp..
It is reminiscent of "Raffles", in that the hero is a gentleman thief who gets involved with a mystery......in this case, a murder, of which he is the chief suspect.
Robert Montgomery is quite suave in the lead, and  Elizabeth Allen (his wife at the time) is very appealing as the daughter of the Scotland Yard director.
Their word play is saucy and leads you to believe that Ms. Allen probably wouldn't blink an eye at his vocation as a jewel thief.
The supporting cast is strong, especially Lewis Stone as the Yard Inspector who is hot on Montgomery's trail.
The unveiling of the real murderer is unusual since he is never introduced into the story......he's just a guy with a grudge that we don't know anything about.
A neat little movie which is well worth watching..
Great looking film with a game cast.
Someone is killing police officers in London.
When one of the murders occurs outside a house being burglarized the police think the two crimes are linked.
This also puts him on the radar of the police who realize he knows too much.
Complications ensue when the thief begins to fall in love with the police inspectors daughter.Neat little murder mystery is a breezy but often tense affair.
If the film works it's due in large part to the cast that is headed by Robert Montgomery and if filled out by great character stalwarts including Lewis Stone.Also helping things is the great look of the film.
The story has a bit of the Lone Wolf flair to it, but in this case, the film's principal, Nick Revel (Robert Montgomery) is still a jewel thief until he's implicated in a murder that coincides with his latest heist of the Drayton diamond.
For a 1930's mystery, this is a pretty good one that doesn't resort to the usual tricks like 'lights-out' scenes or revolving bookcases.
It does involve Scotland Yard though, a rather standard element of films set in and around London.So here's something I had to stop and think about.
At one point, Inspector Connor (Lewis Stone) tells his good friend and Scotland Yard chief Sir Herbert Frensham (Henry Stephenson) that the police murders are being committed by someone using an eighteen inch blade.
In fact, close-up scenes of a couple of the murders in progress revealed the killer using a bladed instrument like a sword that was considerably longer.
So the eighteen inch murder weapon business was completely irrelevant.Anyway, there's a bit of a romance story that goes with the territory here, as Revel has to convince the authorities that his diamond theft had no bearing on a murder committed at the same time in the same neighborhood.
In the process, he falls for the daughter of the Scotland Yard inspector, replacing her fiancé of long standing.
I liked Jane Frensham's (Elizabeth Allan) rationale - "I think you're the straightest man I ever met".
If she only knew.To lend some significance to the picture's title, Revel figures out that the locations of the bobby murders form an 'X' on a map of the city, and reasons that the next one will take place at Gates End Road.
Lucky guess, as the murderer with eight bodies to his credit was going for a total of fifteen, one for each year he spent in prison courtesy of Inspector Connor.
As for the Drayton diamond, that's how Nick Revel turns good guy; he sent it back to Scotland Yard!
Product placement in movies goes back a long way!.
84 minutes.SYNOPSIS: A high-class jewel thief accidentally becomes the chief suspect in a Scotland Yard murder hunt.NOTES: Re-made as Hour of 13.COMMENT: All of Philip MacDonald's novels rate as highly recommended.
Not only does the author come up with the most ingeniously gripping plots, but he manages to create colorfully realistic characters that are both involving yet off-beat; whilst a talent for conjuring a heartily suspenseful atmosphere abets his fast pacing and intelligent dialogue.
There's actually not much mystery about Mr X - we're actually told who he is in the credits - and the subsequent unravelling of the plot bears little resemblance to its Hour of 13 re-make.
The accent in fact is not so much on the comeuppance of Mr X but on the ingenuity of that charmingly resourceful thief, Mr Revel.As played with suitable panache and style by Robert Montgomery, Mr Revel comes across as a fascinating anti-hero.
This seemingly tailor-made role fits so snugly on Montgomery's adroit shoulders it really impresses us as the part Robert was born to play.
Nobly assisted by Forrester Harvey (making the most of an uncustomarily large slice of the action in his customary role as a taxi-driver), Charles Irwin, and even Lewis Stone (who proves surprisingly able, particularly in his early scenes with our hero) - and most other members of the highly competent cast - Montgomery is only let down by his co-star, Elizabeth Allan.
True, her acting is well above board, but her performance is undermined by harshly unflattering photography and her ridiculously unattractive Adrian-designed gowns.It would be true to say that this movie doesn't look like a Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer picture.