This movie is the proof that the world is becoming a sick and dumb place

It's not great by any means, but it's a pretty good movie that didn't leave me filled with regret for investing time in it.

There is just so much movie here. For some it may be too much. But in the same secretly sarcastic way most telemarketers say the phrase, the title of this one is particularly apt.

One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

Just like the two previous 'Sherlock Holmes' adventures produced by Universal, this one is also a real wartime flag waver - hailing the Anglo-American Alliance this time, as the title already suggests... A document of vital importance for the Allies against Nazi Germany has to be transported from London to Washington; and, of course, gets lost in the process and the agent murdered. But Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson take over this very delicate and important case, traveling for the first time to the USA...Apart from the propaganda, at least this time we get to see some of Holmes' good old sleuthing: he very cleverly discovers that the document isn't a letter at all, but has been transformed into a microfilm - the size of an ordinary stamp... And there's an ironic sort of suspense throughout the movie: the microfilm changes hands literally dozens of times without anybody noticing it! For those who can stand the constant declarations of Anglo-American friendship 'under the circumstances', it's a political time document; for crime fans, it's simply a quite neatly made, suspenseful old thriller...

Not one of the best of the series like Hound of the Baskervilles, Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Scarlet Claw, but of the wartime-based Sherlock Holmes films Sherlock Holmes in Washington comes across as the best one. That is not to say the others were bad, Secret Weapon was fun and Voice of Terror had some good things too, though generally it was lacking and the, or one of the, weakest of the series. Sherlock Holmes in Washington can feel padded, particularly in the middle, the ending could have done with more punch and some of the propaganda is rather in-your-face(not as badly as Voice of Terror though). However, it is smoothly directed and photographed with evocatively rendered sets. The music is jaunty and atmospheric, the dialogue is generally thoughtful and the story has a good amount of mystery, suspense and fun. It is also very intriguing, and scenes like at the dinner party and Holmes in the antique shop are very well done. Basil Rathbone, apart from a very distracting hair-do, is wonderful as Holmes(regarding Holmes in movies he was without peer though second only to Jeremy Brett in general). Nigel Bruce is amusing as Watson, he can be too much of a blustering, bumbling fool in the series but it's not so bad here. George Zucco brings the right amount of menace for his villainous role despite him having too few scenes, while Henry Daniell is similarly creepy. The secondary roles of some talented character actors add to the fun too. Overall, a good entry, while not one of the best of the films starring Rathbone- the series works so much better in the Victorian era with the odd horror element amongst the suspense and mystery- it was the best of the ones based in the wartime. 7/10 Bethany Cox

Once again Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce deliver the goods in "Sherlock Holmes in Washington." I like this film from 1943.... A great cast that includes Henry Daniell, George Zucco and some other fine actors of note......If I have any gripe at all about the series of 'Holmes' films that Rathbone and Bruce made is, they are all between 60 to 75 minutes long.... To me, that means rather short... I'd prefer longer scripts and films that run at least 80 to 90 minutes long.... For the 1940s, that is a normal run......I love these old-time co-stars like "Henry Daniell, George Zucco, Lionel Atwill & Dennis Hoey." All them guys were pluses for the series of 'Holmes' films produced from 1939 to 1946...... Good quality there...MR.BILL

It seems to me that which ever Sherlock Holmes {Rathbone} film I watch there is always comments on the site stating it's one of the weaker in the series !!, it really just goes to show how we are all different as regards our love of the series because to me this entry is far from being weak. It has a very tidy plot that takes our delightful duo to America and contains one of my favourite sequences as we watch a (critical to the plot) book of matches go from person to person at a social gathering. Holmes gets to act up as an eccentric art collector and Watson does what he does best, comedy relief. The ending perhaps could of packed a bigger punch for me personally, but all in all it's yer above average detective drama acted out with the usual style from the regulars, 7/10.