Holmes (Basil Rathbone) and Watson (Nigel Bruce) are back in action, confronting and dealing with more World War II espionage as Sherlock Holmes heads to the new world.

Not even using a Sir Arthur Conan Doyle story as a launching point, the story is short, simple, and honestly, didn’t really need Holmes’ insight.

A British secret service agent who is traveling in America with a secret microfilm carrying information to the U.S. government goes missing. at the behest of his own government Holmes and Watson pack up and skip across the pond.

We as the viewers have already learned that the microfilm is hidden inside a war bonds matchbook. It’s in the hands of an innocent. And we follow it’s path, even as it falls into the hands of the very unaware leader of some Nazi agents, William Easter (Henry Daniell).

Holmes and Watson play tourist; Watson digs into the slang, and chews bubblegum.

With his battered fedora atop his head, Holmes is easy to wrap everything up in just over an hour. In fact if I was the home department, I would have questioned the logic of sending Holmes in the first place. another agent could have figured all of that out.

Still, you do get to enjoy seeing how Holmes and Watson get along in America. And they are continuing their struggle against the Nazis. and that’s always a worthy fight.

The film moves along at a brisk pace, but it takes too long for Holmes to show up. The film has to establish the missing agent, showing how it happens, and the reveal of the matchbook and where it is hidden.

It’s a fun entry, Holmes and Watson are wonderful. Rathbone and Bruce are a delight together, there’s a nice chemistry between the two of them, a real sense of playfulness and friendship between them.

This one, despite it’s sense of fun, isn’t as enjoyable as the previous entries. It didn’t use a Doyle story as a launching point, just absconded with his characters. But Rathbone and Bruce are just so fun to watch, that viewers are quite happy to buckle up and wander along on their adventures.

I do hope that even if they continue to do battle with the Nazis in future installments that the filmmakers at least used a Holmes’ story as it’s launching point. Holmes is such a great character, and it’s fun to see him matching his wits with the vilest of enemies, Nazis.

So let’s see what happens next time, when Sherlock Holmes Faces Death!