I love this movie so much

the audience applauded

How sad is this?

Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

Regarding the Basil Rathbone Sherlock Holmes adaptations, The Secret Weapon is an improvement on The Voice of Terror, but entries like Hound of the Baskervilles are superior. The Secret Weapon is quite good and does have some entertainment value. It's not faultless, to me that is, the story is fun, fast paced and engrossing with some good mystery and suspense but felt rushed towards the end and the secret code stuff was confusing. It also had moments where it did feel over-plotted and didn't have enough time to explain it properly. Nigel Bruce does what he can with Watson and is a good partner with Rathbone, but can come across as too blustery and too much of a idiot, the way Watson is written though has a lot to do with it. Purists will find a lot of good things with The Secret Weapon but adaptation-wise, there are parts from The Dancing Men and The Empty House other than that as said already there's not much Conan Doyle here and the inclusion of Nazis may come across as silly to some. To me, the Nazis weren't so much a problem and they were appropriate within the setting though there is the sense that without the characters' names that this could have been any mystery film set during the war. The Secret Weapon is well made, stylishly and atmospherically shot with fine attention to detail, while the score is appropriately haunting in some others and jaunty in others. The dialogue is intelligent and witty, the banter between Holmes and Watson intrigues and amuses and that with Moriaty even more so. Thankfully also the patriotic stuff is much more toned down than in The Voice of Terror. The direction is solid and skillful, not taking things too seriously nor is anything taken like a farce, suspense and such aren't undermined, even if there are other entries in the series that have a much more suspenseful edge. The acting is strong, the obvious high point is Basil Rathbone who is easily the best of the film incarnations of Holmes and overall either joint first or very close second place to Jeremy Brett. He has a very commanding presence, very intelligent, cunning and not one to miss much, his disguises are very convincing too. Lionel Atwill is a very good nemesis, he gets the malevolence of Moriaty just right if not quite as mysterious as other actors as the character and seems to be enjoying himself thoroughly. Dennis Hoey makes a credible debut as Lestrade, he does come across as an idiot but seeing as Lestrade is an inept character anyway that didn't come across as problematic, though it might do for any first-time viewers who've never read a Sherlock Holmes story before or for who this is their first encounter with this great literary detective. Overall, fun and quite good, but there are better Sherlock Holmes adaptations out there, both with Rathbone and in general as well. 7/10 Bethany Cox

Sherlock and Watson's second wartime adventure. This time the forced patriotism isn't as prevalent which gives way to an interesting story that uses the wartime backdrop to great effect. Holmes, once again played by the phenomenally good Rathbone, helps a scientist with a Secret Weapon to escape Switzerland without running foul of Nazis. Once back in England, the scientist develops his weapon for the British government but an old nemesis of Holmes' is back to wreak havoc. The film has the typical but always amusing banter between Holmes and Watson, with Lestrade also given a number of key scenes to play off the pair. The mystery itself is a bit up and down at times. We are told the answer before Holmes or Moriarty work it out which means they are playing catch-up with us. Also with the short running time there is no time for any character development. It is all exposition. Character was particularly important here, as one could argue against the scientist's choices in how he deals with the situation. A fun and fast paced entry.

During WWII, Sherlock Holmes manages to smuggle a key scientist out of Switzerland. The scientist promises his revolutionary bomb-sight design to the Allies, but before long he has been kidnapped by the evil Professor Moriarty …This is the first of eleven Sherlock Holmes movies directed by the talented Neill, and is one of the best. It showcases many of the most enjoyable features of the series; Rathbone in a variety of disguises, breathless plotting, great B-movie supporting players (in this case Atwill and Herbert), fiendish villains, dank fog-shrouded sets and bewildering clues. Rathbone's seemingly never-ending energy propel it forward, his hawkish stare and quiet intelligence more than compensating for the sometimes lacklustre production values. This film marks the first of Hoey's sextet of agreeable appearances as the flat-footed Inspector Lestrade. Very loosely based on the Arthur Conan Doyle short story Dancing Men.

I liked this probably slightly more than Terror by Night though not enough to give it the extra *. The beginning is just brilliant, as we peek in on Nazi agents scheming to get their hands on a new bomb sight and its inventor in a small Swiss village, only to be foiled by a disguised Holmes who spirits the scientist back to London. Once there, he does everything he can to keep the scientist from falling into the hands of the man behind it all -- not Hitler, but worse: Holmes' arch-enemy Moriarty. Of course the scientist disappears, leaving a tantalizing coded note, and Holmes goes in pursuit, once again in disguise. A climax in Moriarty's dockside lair is suitably exciting, and we can all guess that all ends well, can't we? Slightly over-the-top patriotic message as the credits roll. Now that I think of it, the fine sense of place despite the obvious sets, Rathbone's use of disguise and the way in which so much plot is crammed into just over an hour -- what the heck it gets that extra * and is my favorite of the 5 Rathbone/Bruce films I've seen to date.Watched on DVD, part of the "50 Mystery Classics" set from Mill Creek Entertainment. Many of the transfers on these el cheapo box sets are of very poor quality, but Holmes fans take note that the Rathbone/Bruce films (there are 4 on this set) are all quite watchable and reasonably sharp.