Sherlock Holmes and the Secret Weapon

Sherlock Holmes and the Secret Weapon (1942)

  • 59% of users liked it
    (2,312 ratings)

The second of Universal's "modernized" Sherlock Holmes films pits the Great Detective (Basil Rathbone, of course) against that "Napoleon of Crime," Professor Moriarty (Lionel Atwill). Surpassing his previous skullduggery, Moriarty has now aligned himself with the Nazis and has dedicated himself to… More

Unrated, 1 hr. 8 min.
Directed By
Roy William Neill
Written By
Edward T. Lowe, W. Scott Darling, Edmund Hartman
Genres
Action & Adventure, Mystery & Suspense, Classics
In Theaters
Feb 12, 1943 Wide
On DVD
Feb 13, 2001
Universal Pictures

Critic Reviews

  • Michael W. Phillips, Jr., Goatdog's Movies

    The pacing is slack, the big mystery not mysterious enough, and the showdowns between Holmes and Moriarty a bit too silly for my taste.

  • Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews

    Not a great Sherlock (too many plot holes), but one that's entertaining, never dull and has a lot of intrigues going for it.

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Featured Audience Ratings

  • Tim S


    I had the chance not too long ago to see this with a small crowd in a theatre, and I had a lot of fun in the process. I don't know if The Secret Weapon is one of Holmes' best outtings, but it's certainly enjoyable. The beginning is kind of slow and it takes a bit to get… More

  • Sunil J


    Starts off slow but it's pretty great. I always love the Professor Moriarty mysteries because you know Holmes is going to have at least 2 great disguises and I wasn't disappointed.

  • Anastasia B


    I found this review from an imdb user "James Oblivion" very close to what I have been thinking about the film: "All in all, this film has its moments, but fails to live up to the legend of the world's greatest detective. Rathbone is a fine Holmes and Bruce (despite… More

  • Marion R


    This is so boring, I am usually up for a good mystery, but this is some crappy hybrid. There is no climax and at no point are you fearful for Holmes. A bunch full of shinanegans.

  • Anthony V


    Another solid Sherlock Holmes outing.

Cast

See full cast

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