Rendezvous

This is a so-so movie starring the wonderful William Powell. I swear the man could have brought the phone book to life. It's a film about a spy ring, breaking some codes, and finding the mole. Costars include young, dark-haired Cesar Romero (by the time I knew who he was, he had white hair), Binnie Barnes, Lionel Atwill, and Rosalind Russell in a very early - and very annoying role. Russell is pretty (except for what looked a clown costume turned into a woman's suit), and she was certainly a masterful actress/comedienne of stage and screen. But this was not a good part. In fact, as I was watching it, I thought, I wonder if anyone else found this character - well, not very likable. The character reminded me a little bit of Katharine Hepburn in Bringing Up Baby, where Hepburn pursued Grant. But Katharine Hepburn played an airhead, and Russell portrays a down to earth woman. Somehow, her making a nuisance of herself with Powell isn't as fun as seeing Hepburn do it.

Bottom line, it's just not a great script, but it is interesting to watch.

Not an often shown film, nor a great one, this is worth your time if TCM ever shows it again. The plot is somewhat dated but nevertheless interesting -- code breaking and spy catching -- if you ignore some of the excesses that were probably added by Hollywood. Folding in comedy, drama, and action into what would probably have made an excellent military training film, we are left unsatisfied with the overall effect. Yet there is a hint of the "Thin Man" chemistry between William Powell and Rosalind Russell that brings a smile to your lips. Fair but I am not sorry that I watched it.

Have always appreciated comedy and try to appreciate all types. One can't go wrong with anything that incorporates suspense, being a fan of thriller and mystery which is full of it if done right 'Rendezvous' certainly did appeal to me. If done right too, romance can work great too and there have been films that have mixed comedy, suspense and romance very well (i.e. 'Charade'). There is a lot of talent in the cast too so there was a lot going for this film.

The good thing about 'Rendezvous' is that a lot of it does work, there are many things that work very well indeed and it is definitely well worth seeing, with most of the cast being the main reason. At the same time, it doesn't live up to full potential and a couple of the things that easily could have worked brilliantly disappoints quite badly which is pretty frustrating. Sorry but part of me does get a little narked when something has a good deal of potential but either doesn't live up to full potential or completely wastes it.

'Rendezvous' does have a good deal of good things. It is very nicely filmed and has the right amount of grit without looking under-budgeted. William Axt's score is a mix of jaunty and ominous, which worked very well with the film's tone(s). The script does amuse and thought provoke and the direction on the most part is well judge. The story generally compels, but works best in the spy elements which were intriguing and clever as well as with the right amount of suspense.

Some of the comedy was amusing and cleverly interpolated. William Powell is in a part perfect for him and manages to show an expert mix of funny, debonair and intense. Binnie Barnes is also a delight and steals all her scenes while Cesar Romero is also in a role well suited to him. Seeing Lionel Atwill in a non-villain role was a pleasant surprise and he doesn't look taxed at all.

On the other hand, not everything in 'Rendezvous' works. There could have been less going on, a little too much goes on and parts are more tangled than they should have been which gives the film an at times over-complicated feel. Not all the comedy gels, more subtlety was needed and some of it distracts from the plot rather than moves it along.

Do agree too that Rosalind Russell, replacing Myrna Loy who would fitted the part perfectly, has an extremely annoying and sometimes implausibly written character and tries too hard, so she becomes annoying as well sadly. She and Powell's chemistry doesn't really sparkle and doesn't really gel either, actually didn't think they looked completely comfortable together.

In conclusion, interesting but decent but had the ingredients to be great. 6/10

WILLIAM POWELL and ROSALIND RUSSELL have good chemistry here--although Russell gets the short end of the stick with an annoying "comic" character who disrupts everything in sight, including the plot.

The spy ingredients are nicely handled and there's a lot of behind-the-scenes decoding efforts going on in the World War I era that add interest to the storyline.

Nice to see Lionel Atwill on the good side for a change and Binnie Barnes is fine as a femme fatale heavily involved in the spy network. Cesar Romero keeps a poker-face as one of the ring members but is convincing enough in a minor role.

None of it makes for a great movie, but it passes the time quickly with an interesting glimpse of Russell before she perfected her comedy technique and Powell already at the peak of his comic timing. Cast includes Samuel S. Hinds and Charley Grapewin (Dorothy's uncle in 'The Wizard of Oz').

A rather uneasy mixture of comedy and suspense--but a stronger script would have helped considerably.

Most of these reviews mention how Russell was a poor replacement for Loy. I didn't really make that connection as I'm a fan of Russell's from My Girl Friday. She was much better in MGF, I will grant you, but it didn't lessen my enjoyment of Rendezvous just because Loy was not in it.

William Powell plays Bill Gordon, a genius puzzle solver, who gets duped into becoming a code breaker for the Army by Russell's Joel Carter when America enters WWI. She is the niece of the Asst Secretary of War and uses her connections to get Gordon placed at a desk in Washington D.C. to keep him near. Its supposed to be cute and romantic, but it comes off as spoiled and cruel. Gordon then goes on to break an important spy message and leads him to a ring of spies operating in town.

Powell is amazing as usual. The opening scene where Joel mistakes him for a Russian singer and Gordon plays along is vintage Powell. He had great comedic chops and timing. The code breaking scenes are fantastic as Powell conveys wit, genius, and tension as his character goes through the long hours and countless failures trying to crack the code. As I said, Russell has done better work. Her role is is to act as a ditsy foil to Powell and it doesn't work.

The supporting cast is brilliant. While Russell was a the weak link in her first major role, the rest of the cast does great work. Binnie Barnes and The Joker himself, Caesar Romero, as German spies are top notch. Lionel Atwill as Gordon's boss provides a looming presence. With a tighter script and less pratfalls from Russell, this could have been a wonderful spy drama. It seemed they tried too hard to shoehorn in the comedy instead of letting it develop naturally with the plot.

If you are fan of Powell's this is a movie that needs to be part of your viewing library. If not, focus on the code breaking scenes and its still a fun ride.