Sherlock Holmes - Dressed to Kill (Prelude to Murder) (1946)

80% of critics liked it
(5 reviews)
67% of users liked it
(2,284 ratings)

Prelude to Murder is the last of the many Sherlock Holmes adaptations that starred Basil Rathbone as the observant and logical private detective alongside Nigel Bruce as his more outgoing partner, Dr. Watson. The story concerns printing plates swiped from the Bank of England as well as a collection… More Prelude to Murder is the last of the many Sherlock Holmes adaptations that starred Basil Rathbone as the observant and logical private detective alongside Nigel Bruce as his more outgoing partner, Dr. Watson. The story concerns printing plates swiped from the Bank of England as well as a collection of music boxes. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 12 min.
Directed By: Roy William Neill
Written By: Leonard Lee
Genres: Drama, Horror, Mystery & Suspense, Classics

In Theaters: Jun 7, 1946 Wide
On DVD: Mar 2, 2004
Studio: American Pop Classics

Critic Reviews

Donald J. Levit, ReelTalk Movie Reviews
One of the classic movies pairing suave gaunt Basil Rathbone as Sherlock Holmes and plump Nigel Bruce as his bumbling Boswell, Dr. Watson.
Ken Hanke, Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)
Final entry in the Rathbone series has a lot of style.
Michael W. Phillips, Jr., Goatdog's Movies
The Rathbone/Bruce series of Sherlock Holmes films didn't exactly limp to a close, but it didn't go out on a high note either.
Mark Bourne, DVDJournal.com
...patched together from hand-me-down remnants. Director Roy William Neill and the writers seem to be just going through the motions while waiting for that final smack from the clapboard. Rathbone delivers a magnetic performance to the bitter end, though.
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
This is another enjoyable well-paced and acted mystery thriller in the series with the usual pleasant banter between Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson.

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Featured Audience Ratings

jay n

The new version has its merits, the portrayal of Watson by Jude Law as a worthy helpmate to Holmes chief among them, although it's a little CGI heavy but Basil Rathbone is still the genuine article as far as Holmes goes. The old films are also told with wonderful ecomony usually… More
The new version has its merits, the portrayal of Watson by Jude Law as a worthy helpmate to Holmes chief among them, although it's a little CGI heavy but Basil Rathbone is still the genuine article as far as Holmes goes. The old films are also told with wonderful ecomony usually presenting a good story in just over an hour.
Sunil J

The music boxes got on my nerves a bit but great work by holmes and watson. A lot of fun.
Patrick D

Never been a huge fan of ol' Sherlock, but after watching this sucker, I realized I just didn't give him enough of a chance. Holmes is actually badass, and this film, although laughable at part is just straight up entertainment. Here's to watching a heck of alot more.