The Glass Key Details

1942

A classic murder mystery, based on the the Dashiell Hammet novel and said to be the inspiration for Kurosawa's Yojimbo. When a corrupt politician is accused of murder, his assistant hunts the real killer, avoiding amorous advances from his boss' fiancee and attacks from gangsters along the way. Read more

loading...

The Glass Key

A classic murder mystery, based on the the Dashiell Hammet novel and said to be the inspiration for Kurosawa's Yojimbo. When a corrupt politician is accused of murder, his assistant hunts the real killer, avoiding amorous advances from his boss' fiancee and attacks from gangsters along the way.

Starring	Alan Ladd, Veronica Lake, Veronica lake, Brian Donlevy
Director	Stuart Heisler
Studio	UNIVERSAL PICTURES UK
Run time	DVD: 1 hr 22 mins
Certificate
Genres	Thriller
Language	English
Released	DVD: 12 Feb 2007 Production year: 1942
Format	DVD

• Critics' reviews of The Glass Key

  View all

• Not quite so resonant an early example of noir as The Maltese Falcon, partly because the novel's ending has been... read more on Time Out

  • Time Out
  • Posted 04 Nov 2008

• Most helpful member's review of The Glass Key

  View all

• 4 out of 4 people found this review helpful

  

  An action-packed gathering of really good actors

  An early scene featuring Alan Ladd in profile seemed to show him as really wooden. But he soon warmed up. Which is just as well, given the lively performances of Brian Donlevy, William Bendix and others, with no holds barred in the action. Even Veronica Lake showed a bit of personality. And it was a cracking good story adapted from Dashiell Hammett's novel.

  • • A customer from Preston
    • Posted 05 Dec 2008 unknown

• Most recent members' review of The Glass Key

  View all

• 1 out of 2 people found this review helpful

  

  Pleasant but missable.

  This is a forties classic. I looked forward to seeing the film, but really it was dated and lacked that special quality which some films of this era have. It was pleasant but missable.

  • • Annakate from Holmfirth
    • Posted 05 Dec 2007 22:02

• More like this

  View all

  Showing 1 to 4 of 20

  [+] [-]

  Previous

  • This Gun For Hire

    
    • Sign up
    • Buy

  • The Blue Dahlia

    
    • Sign up
    • Buy

  • Murder, My Sweet. Farewell, My Lovely

    
    • Sign up
    • Buy

  • The Great McGinty

    
    • Sign up
    • Buy

  Next

Find cinemas

Postcode or town

POPULAR PLACES

• Birmingham
• Bradford, BD1
• Bristol
• Edinburgh
• Glasgow

• Leeds, LS1
• Liverpool
• London
• Manchester
• Sheffield

Rating breakdown

255 Member ratings

100	13
90	8
80	62
70	68
60	56
50	17
40	16
30	11
20	3
10	1

Related user collection

Films I Own (107)

  90% from 2 members

Showing 1 to 3 of 107

View all [+] [-]

Previous

• Au Hasard Balthazar

  

• The Trial Of Joan Of Arc

  

• Last Year At Marienbad

  

Next

by: A customer from Ely

Buy from the LOVEFiLM shop

• • 
    
    
    • Buy
  • The Glass Key
  • DVD: £3.93
    Free Delivery
  • RRP £9.79 (you save: 60%)
  A classic murder mystery, based on the the Dashiell Hammet novel and said to be the inspiration for Kurosawa's Yojimbo. When a corrupt politician is accused of murder, his assistant hunts the real ...