Good start, but then it gets ruined

I gave this film a 9 out of 10, because it was exactly what I expected it to be.

The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

If you're interested in the topic at hand, you should just watch it and judge yourself because the reviews have gone very biased by people that didn't even watch it and just hate (or love) the creator. I liked it, it was well written, narrated, and directed and it was about a topic that interests me.

Beautiful and touching, 'One Way Passage' is filled with dreamy eyes and an intensity of feeling. William Powell plays a man who bumps into Kay Francis in a bar in Hong Kong, and they're instantly drawn to one another. They find each other again on an ocean liner bound for San Francisco, each not knowing a terrible secret about the other, and their love burns all the brighter knowing that it may not last. Powell and Francis are both brilliant and utterly charming, and director Tay Garnett does an excellent job of telling the story and filling his scenes with nice little touches. He also gives us some modern camera work, and while the film has some fantastic slang from years gone by, it also feels ahead of its time, and timeless. Brilliant ending too.

OK, I was cruising along with this cast of characters nicely and figured, oh well we all gotta go sometime, no biggie. Then, the last scene really hit me hard. I was so surprised, given that not much else happens unexpectedly and was even rather annoyed they made such a mess with those glasses.Great credit is due to that pickpocket's laugh, thee best on celluloid to date and even better than that "Simpson's" Nelson punk. It did not annoy and found his antics most humorous, for that era quite an accomplishment.I never got the Kay Francis craze, her girlfriends were much prettier but guess she is an acquired taste. She did look her best in the flowing white/light gowns and several angles enhanced her countenance.Always interesting to see stock footage from the long gone era of Hong Kong, Queen Mary (?), San Quentin, etc. even though the frame inserts were cumbersome cuts. I would have liked to see more from a history POV.High recommend for those pre-code romances (I think I saw a black garter on the dance floor!!), how to make a Paradise Martini (delish) and the advantages of having underworld pals.

The influence of this Oscar winner for Best Original Story (by Robert Lord) would be seen at the end of the decade (1939) when, among the Best Picture nominees, were two films which shared with it elements of their plot line – DARK VICTORY, similarly involving a dying socialite living it up, while LOVE AFFAIR dealt with a comparable doomed romance aboard an ocean liner, complete with an unkept appointment down the line (ironically, this would also be nominated for its "original" story!). In any case, ONE WAY PASSAGE would be officially remade in 1940 under the title of 'TIL WE MEET AGAIN, with George Brent and Merle Oberon.The film is rated ***1/2 in the "Leonard Maltin Movie & TV Guide": in retrospect, it is no masterpiece and does feature some unfortunate comedy relief courtesy of Frank McHugh (we are supposed to be amused by his inebriated criminal activities, which invariably land him in trouble with the local Police throughout the Hong Kong-Honolulu-San Francisco trip!) – who even reprised his role for the above-mentioned remake. Even leading man William Powell, as a man destined for the gallows, is a bit stiff on this occasion (incidentally, both lovers are unaware of the other's precarious predicament and are naturally uneasy about confessing it!); consequently, the women come off best – heroine Kay Francis (her best role would emerge the same year in Ernst Lubitsch's sophisticated masterpiece TROUBLE IN PARADISE) and Aline MacMahon (a crook passing herself off as a Countess, and who even catches the attentions of the male protagonist's captor Warren Hymer!). Other familiar faces (albeit uncredited) gracing the supporting cast are Roscoe Karns as the ship's flustered bartender (aggravated at the central couple's penchant to shattering the glasses they drink from!) and attendant Herbert Mundin (who unwittingly lets Francis know of what awaits Powell on dry land – conversely, Francis' doctor dutifully informs the latter of her terminal illness). By the way, I am always confusing this one with another 1932 melodrama, in view of its almost identical title i.e. WESTWARD PASSAGE (with Ann Harding and Laurence Olivier)…which I do not even own a copy of! Finally, I would like to state that the computer program I use to play movies with has been displaying signs of instability of late, especially where old files are concerned – and this annoying glitch occurred again, briefly, here!

A marvelous little (at a swift 67 minutes) movie about a doomed romance between two people on a voyage that may well be their last. As a pre-Code (when, among other things, criminals didn't necessarily have to be punished for their crimes) picture there's uncertainty about how things will end, as well as a scene that although not in the slightest bit racy, leaves no doubt that sexual intercourse has occurred. William Powell and Kay Francis have wonderful, starry-eyed chemistry together and it's one of those only-in-the-movies affairs that ropes you in. There's also some terrific business involving the supporting players, especially Aline MacMahon and Warren Hymer. A couple of the drunken bits with Frank McHugh are dumb, but they're the only missteps in the film, and he has some other moments that are quite funny. The camera-work is really exceptional for its time, with a number of lyrical movements and expressive shots, including one that would be echoed in Borzage's MOONRISE. I've liked Tay Garnett's noir for the most part, but this swept me off my feet. A very enjoyable, impressive and touchingly sweet film that's packed with charm.