I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

While it is a pity that the story wasn't told with more visual finesse, this is trivial compared to our real-world problems. It takes a good movie to put that into perspective.

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

Overly schmaltzy, but works, just.A ship bound to San Francisco from Hong Kong has some interesting passengers. One of them is a convicted criminal, being escorted back to California by a policeman. Another is a sickly heiress. The criminal and the heiress meet and fall in love. Cue romance, and a tough choice...It's the intrigue that makes this story watchable. The romance is of your usual conventional soppy variety, so really nothing to write about there, except that it does influence the criminal's actions (adversely, I might add). Decent performances by William Powell and Kay Francis in the lead roles. The policeman, played by Warren Hymer, is quite one- dimensional, however. Even worse is Frank McHugh as the drunk: very hammy and irritating. He does provide the best scene of the movie, however. The mirror scene was Chaplinesque in its hilarity.

A marvelous little (at a swift 67 minutes) movie about a doomed romance between two people on a voyage that may well be their last. As a pre-Code (when, among other things, criminals didn't necessarily have to be punished for their crimes) picture there's uncertainty about how things will end, as well as a scene that although not in the slightest bit racy, leaves no doubt that sexual intercourse has occurred. William Powell and Kay Francis have wonderful, starry-eyed chemistry together and it's one of those only-in-the-movies affairs that ropes you in. There's also some terrific business involving the supporting players, especially Aline MacMahon and Warren Hymer. A couple of the drunken bits with Frank McHugh are dumb, but they're the only missteps in the film, and he has some other moments that are quite funny. The camera-work is really exceptional for its time, with a number of lyrical movements and expressive shots, including one that would be echoed in Borzage's MOONRISE. I've liked Tay Garnett's noir for the most part, but this swept me off my feet. A very enjoyable, impressive and touchingly sweet film that's packed with charm.

Two passengers aboard a ship sailing from Hong Kong to San Francisco are doomed. Joan (Kay Francis) is in delicate health and probably does not have long to live. Dan (William Powell) has been arrested for murder and is being brought to the states to be hanged. They meet in a casual way, unaware of the others problems, and fall in love. Leaving a trail of crossed stems and broken glass, they spend their passage enjoying their last moments on the earth.To be honest, I was more impressed with the secondary actors in their roles than Francis and Powell. Aline MacMahone is so regal and beautiful as the fake countess. She really knows how to put over a comedy line and she never seems overly tough. Frank McHugh has some great comic moments and provides an extra dimension to the film. Even Warren Hymer as the cop is rather good.This is a sweet romance with great photography and snappy direction, a wonderful example of early 1930s film making.

This is a truly remarkable film. I have only ever seen it once and that was over sixteen years ago. It is not normally my kind of film but found myself watching it one wet afternoon and I can still vividly remember not only the film itself but the impact it had upon me. William Powell shows just what a good actor he is. A convicted murderer being returned to San Francisco to be hanged he meets a terminally ill woman and they fall in love. Foregoing the chance to escape Powell returns the sick Kay Francis to the ship which is taking him back to his doom. The occasional relief of the awaiting gallows underlines the sacrifice he has made. Once back on board they play out the charade that their romance can continue, each hiding from the other their own known fate yet secretly knowing their own and each others. At once almost unbearably sad yet uplifting. On reaching harbour they bid farewell and agree to meet at a night club at New Year. The dramatic impact of the ending sent me into a flood of tears. even though this contains a spoiler alert I can't bring myself to describe the ending - you simply must see it. Tragedy played with Powell's usual diffidence but here it is only superficial. Great performances all round.