1940s

Reviews of films released in the 1940s

21 Days Together (1940)

A Close Call for Boston Blackie (1946)

A Close Call for Ellery Queen (1942)

Adventure in Iraq (1943)

The Adventures of Tartu (1943)

A Fig Leaf for Eve (1944)

After Midnight with Boston Blackie (1943)

Alias Boston Blackie (1942)
A Man About the House (1947)
The Amazing Mr. X (1948)

And Then There Were None (1945)

A Night for Crime (1943)

The Ape (1940)

The Ape Man (1943)

Arizona Stage Coach (1942)
A Stranger in Town (1943)

Baby Face Morgan (1942)

Behind Green Lights (1946)

The Big Noise (1944)
Big Town After Dark (1947)

Black Angel (1946)

Black Dragons (1942)

Black Magic (1944)

The Black Raven (1943)

Blue, White and Perfect (1942)

Booked on Suspicion (1945)
Boot Hill Bandits (1942)
The Boss of Big Town (1942)

Boston Blackie and the Law (1946)

Boston Blackie's Chinese Venture (1949)

Boston Blackie Goes Hollywood (1942)

Boston Blackie's Rendezvous (1945)
Bowery at Midnight (1942)

Brand of the Devil (1944)

The Brasher Doubloon (1947)

The Brighton Strangler (1945)
British Intelligence (1940)
Bush Pilot (1947)

Call Northside 777 (1948)

Canal Zone (1942)

Candles at Nine (1944)

The Caribbean Mystery (1945)

Castle in the Desert (1942)
Castle Sinister (1948)

The Chance of a Lifetime (1943)

Charlie Chan at the Wax Museum (1940)

Charlie Chan in Panama (1940)
Charlie Chan in Rio (1941)
Charlie Chan in the Secret Service (1944)

Charlie Chan's Murder Cruise (1940)

Chasing Trouble (1940)

The Chinese Cat (1944)

City of Missing Girls (1941)

Confessions of Boston Blackie (1941)

Contraband (1940)
The Corpse Vanishes (1942)

Corridor of Mirrors (1948)
Crime Doctor (1943)

The Crime Doctor's Courage (1945)

The Crime Doctor's Diary (1949)

The Crime Doctor's Gamble (1947)

Crime Doctor's Man Hunt (1946)

Crime Doctor's Strangest Case (1943)

The Crime Doctor's Warning (1945)

Crime Smasher (1943)

Criminals Within (1941)

The Crimson Canary (1945)

Cry of the City (1948)

The Dancing Masters (1943)

Dangerous Lady (1941)

Dangerous Money (1946)
Dark Alibi (1946)
Dead Men Tell (1941)
Dead Men Walk (1943)

Dead of Night (1945)

The Devil's Mask (1946)

Detective Kitty O'Day (1944)
Detour (1945)

The Devil Bat (1940)

Devil's Cargo (1948)

Dick Barton: Special Agent (1948)

Dick Barton Strikes Back (1949)
Dick Tracy (1945)
Dick Tracy's Dilemma (1947)
Dick Tracy Meets Gruesome (1947)

Dick Tracy vs. Crime, Inc. (Serial) (1941)

Doomed to Die (1940)
Double Cross (1941)

Double Exposure (1944)

Dressed to Kill (1941)

Dressed to Kill (1946)

Dr. Kildare's Strange Case (1940)

Dr. Morelle (1949)

Drums of the Desert (1940)
Dual Alibi (1947)

The Echo Murders (1945)

Ellery Queen, Master Detective (1940)

Ellery Queen and the Murder Ring (1941)

Ellery Queen and the Perfect Crime (1941)

Ellery Queen’s Penthouse Mystery (1942)

Enemy Agents Meet Ellery Queen (1942)

Exposed (1947)

Eyes in the Night (1942)

The Falcon in Hollywood (1944)

The Falcon's Alibi (1946)

The Falcon Strikes Back (1943)

The Fatal Hour (1940)

Fear (1946)

Fear in the Night (1946)

Find the Blackmailer (1943)

Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe (Serial) (1940)

Flight to Nowhere (1946)
Flying Blind (1941)
The Flying Serpent (1946)
Fog Island (1945)

Freckles Comes Home (1942)

The Gang's All Here (1941)

Gangs, Inc. (1941)

Gang War (1940)

The Gay Falcon (1941)
Ghosts on the Loose (1943)
The Golden Eye (1948)
The Green Hornet (Serial) (1940)

The Hangman Waits (1947)
Hard Guy (1941)

The Hat Box Mystery (1947)

Haunted House (1940)

He Walked by Night (1948)

The Hidden Room (1949)

High School Hero (1946)

Hold That Woman! (1940)

Homicide for Three (1948)

Holt of the Secret Service (Serial) (1941)

The House of Fear (1945)

I Killed That Man (1941)

I Live on Danger (1942)

I Love a Mystery (1945)
The Inner Circle (1946)
Inner Sanctum (1948)
Inside Job (1946)

Inspector Hornleigh Goes to It (1941)

Invisible Ghost (1941)

The Iron Curtain (1948)

Island of Doomed Men (1940)

Isle of Forgotten Sins (1943)

I Take This Oath (1940)
It Happened in Soho (1948)

Just Before Dawn (1946)

Just Off Broadway (1942)

Killer Dill (1947)

King of the Bandits (1947)

King of the Zombies (1941)

The Last Alarm (1940)

The Last Crooked Mile (1946)

Leave It to the Irish (1944)

Let George Do It! (1940)

Lightning Strikes West (1940)

The Lone Wolf in London (1947)

The Lone Wolf Keeps a Date (1940)

The Lone Wolf Meets a Lady (1940)

The Lone Wolf Strikes (1940)

The Lone Wolf Takes a Chance (1941)

Lucky Ghost (1942)

Lure of the Islands (1942)

Madonna of the Desert (1948)
Malice in the Palace (1949)
Man on the Run (1948)

The Man Who Wouldn't Die (1942)

Mary Ryan, Detective (1949)

The Masked Marvel (Serial) (1943)

Meet Boston Blackie (1941)

Meet the Wildcat (1940)

Michael Shayne: Private Detective (1940)
Midnight Limited (1940)

The Millerson Case (1947)

Million Dollar Weekend (1948)
Minesweeper (1943)

The Missing Lady (1946) 

Miss Polly (1941)

Miss V from Moscow (1942)
The Monkey's Paw (1948)
The Monster Maker (1944)
Mrs. Pym of Scotland Yard (1940)

Mr. Washington Goes to Town (1941)

Murder by Invitation (1941)

Murder in the Music Hall (1946)

Murder in Times Square (1943)

Mysterious Intruder (1946)

The Mysterious Mr. Valentine (1946)

Mystery Broadcast (1943)

Mystery in Swing (1940)
The Mystery of the 13th Guest (1943)

Nabonga (1944)

Nazi Agent (1942)

No Hands on the Clock (1941)

The Notorious Lone Wolf (1946)

No Way Back (1949)

Odd Man Out (1947)

Omoo-Omoo, the Shark God (1949)

One Body Too Many (1944)

One of Our Aircraft is Missing (1942)

On the Spot (1940)

The Panther's Claw (1942)

Parole, Inc. (1948)

The Pay Off (1942)

Penny and the Pownall Case (1948)
The Phantom of 42nd Street (1945)
Phantom of Chinatown (1940)

Phantom Killer (1943)

The Phantom Shot (1947)

Philo Vance Returns (1947)
Philo Vance's Gamble (1947)

Philo Vance's Secret Mission (1947)

The Princess and the Pirate (1944)

Prisoner of Japan (1942)

Pursuit to Algiers (1945)

Quiet Please: Murder (1942)

Raiders of Ghost City (Serial) (1944)

Repeat Performance (1947)

The Return of the Whistler (1948)

Revenge of the Zombies (1943)
Robot Plane (1941)

Rogues Gallery (1944)
Rubber Racketeers (1942)

The Saint's Vacation (1941)

Saps at Sea (1940)

Scared to Death (1947)

The Scarlet Claw (1944)
The Scarlet Clue (1945)

The Secret Code (Serial) (1942)
Secret Evidence (1941)

Secrets of the Lone Wolf (1941)

The Secret Tunnel (1948)
Seven Doors to Death (1944)

Shadows in the Night (1944)

The Shadow Returns (1946)
Shadows on the Stairs (1941)

Shake Hands with Murder (1944)

The Shanghai Cobra (1945)
Sheriff of Tombstone (1941)

Sherlock Holmes and the Secret Weapon (1942)

Sherlock Holmes Faces Death (1943)

Sherlock Holmes in Washington (1943)
Shock (1946)

Shoot to Kill (1947)

Sign of the Wolf (1941)
Sky Liner (1949)

Sleepers West (1941)
South of Panama (1941)
Special Agent (1947)

The Spider Returns (Serial) (1941)

The Spider Woman (1943)
Spies of the Air (1940)

The Spiral Staircase (1946)

Spy Smasher (Serial) (1942)

Stop Press Girl (1949)

Strange Holiday (1945)

The Stranger (1946)

Terror By Night (1946)

That Wonderful Urge (1948)

Theirs is the Glory (1946)
The Thief of Bagdad (1940)

The Thirteenth Hour (1947)

Time to Kill (1942)

Too Many Winners (1947)

Topper Returns (1941)
Trail of the Silver Spurs (1941)
The Trap (1946)

Trapped (1949)

Trapped by Boston Blackie (1948)

Uneasy Terms (1948)

Unpublished Story (1942)

Up in the Air (1940)

Up With The Lark (1943)
The Upturned Glass (1947)

Voodoo Man (1944)

Whispering City (1947)

Whispering Footsteps (1943)

Women in Blue (1943)

The Woman in Green (1945)

The Woman in the Window (1944)

The World Owes Me a Living (1945)

Yellow Canary (1943)

You're Out of Luck (1941)

X Marks the Spot (1942)

Zorro's Black Whip (Serial) (1944)