Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!

The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one

The joyful confection is coated in a sparkly gloss, bright enough to gleam from the darkest, most cynical corners.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

Apparently Maurice Dekobra was a prolific writer français, and had numerous works turned into short and full length films. and is still having his works made into films, even though he croaked in 1973 ! The always-debonair Adolphe Menjou is Captain Roberts, and when caught with the wife of prominent Sangrito (Stroheim), makes a payoff to him rather than fight a duel. and of course Hugh Herbert is in here for comedic effect. Lili Damiti is Sangrito's wife, and it turns out they have played this blackmail game before. But this time she doesn't want the money... she wants the Roberts, the lover. Damita herself had quite a life-story, according to wikipedia; married to Hollywood big-shots Michael Curtiz, then Errol Flynn. and her journalist son disappeared in Cambodia in 1970, never to be found. In our film, a very young Laurence Olivier is the interloper, also falling for Madame Sangrito. The story is pretty simple; the sound quality isn't so good... keeps going up and down. a couple awkward edits. and that ending. so abrupt. were some scenes cut or did the book really end like that? was pretty good overall, but the ending kind of left me feeling cheated. Some clever editing... how they switch from showing the male lead showering to showing us the female lead showering, artfully blocked, of course. This was prior to the film code being enforced, so i'm sure part of that was just for the tingle factor. Directed by Victor Schertzinger, who had started out as a musician. This is an RKO shortie, at 68 minutes.

The FRIENDS AND LOVERS of a duplicitous female nearly have their lives destroyed by her wicked ways.This well-acted piece of fluff makes no attempt at serious entertainment but manages to engage the viewer nonetheless, mainly because of its unique cast.Lily Damita plays the sultry vamp who has no difficulty in enticing every man she meets. She is the female star of the picture, but her character is completely detestable. It says nothing positive about the moral discernment or intelligence level of the lead male players in the film that they are so completely seduced, for a time.Adolphe Menjou and Laurence Olivier play the two British officers, firm friends, who both fall into Damita's web. Making no pretense at behaving British, Menjou plays the debonair captain who must decide between carnality & comradeship. Olivier, who looks astonishingly young (he turned 24 in 1931) is bright & energetic, projecting shadows of the future Lord Olivier as he advises Menjou as to the proper cut of tailored lapels.Whimsical Hugh Herbert puts his gentle humor to good use as Menjou's Scots valet. Acting as a sort of Greek Chorus to the proceedings around him, he easily steals most of his scenes. Erich von Stroheim, that Teutonic master of menace, dominates the screen with a cunning portrayal of Damita's vile husband. Like an uncoiled snake ready to strike, von Stroheim slithers about the screen, alert to deliver the maximum discomfort to his victims. As always, he is a joy to watch. Alas, that his role is so brief.Frederick Kerr as a boisterous old general, and Blanche Frederici as his straitlaced titled sister provide a few moments of sparkle at the end of the film.The action during the scenes set in India takes place entirely within the walls of a rather dull fort. The Studio, Radio Pictures, apparently were unwilling to spend an extra dime on ambiance.

Aside from the fact that Damita cannot act her way out of a paper bag, I found this little gem highly amusing. Add one practically unrecognizable Adolphe Menjou (that's a good thing, mind you) in prissy mode, A young, gorgeous and very sexy Laurence Olivier in even prissier mode (nice lisp, Larry), the archetypically silly British dogsbody (Hugh Herbert, who is great), add one seriously hilarious over-the-top-but-perfectly-so performance from Erich Von Stroheim, and you have got one hell of a cool flick here!The fact that they were all fighting over this woman was lost on me - surely it wasn't for her acting skills.SPOILER (this paragraph only) My favorite part was when Olivier finds Damita and Menjou in a clandestine clutch and screams "I oughta kill the pair of ya!" while firing a revolver at them. Also, each time they mentioned the fact that Von Stroheim's character "collected porcelain," people would glance at each other slyly, as though this trait was highly taboo. Very funny!A great piece of acting by Larry before he became the "Laurence Olivier entity," if you know what I mean. A superb early performance by him that should not be missed. Recommended.

This is a wonderful pre-code pot-boiler with sterling performances from it's lead players, plenty of action and the man "You Love to Hate" Eric von Stroheim, at his most repellent best.Look out for the outstanding shower scene for Lilly Damita, and listen to the sonorous magic of Laurence Olivier's voice, both reason enough to watch this little-known piece.At 64 minutes, the most fun you can have in an hour of black and white.