Film

Another Thin Man

Name: Another Thin Man
Genre: Comedy, Mystery, Crime
Released: 1939
Cast: William Powell, Myrna Loy, Virginia Grey, Otto Kruger, C. Aubrey Smith

Crime
Mystery
Light-hearted

The third entry in the Thin Man series finds retired detective Nick Charles and his witty wife Nora juggling a new baby, high society, and murder. A breezy, sophisticated comedy-mystery where the pleasure is watching two brilliant people banter their way through a case, sustained by Powell and Loy's effortless chemistry and the film's elegant sense that solving crime is just foreplay between a devoted couple.

TMDb rating

3.6

If you liked this

The Big Sleep1946

Bogart and Bacall crackle with the same electric-couple-solving-crime energy, navigating a byzantine plot that matters less than watching them spar. If you loved Nick and Nora's rhythm, this is essential.

But The plot is genuinely hard to follow—even Bogart admitted no one understood it. If you need clarity, this gets deliberately opaque.

Murder on the Orient Express1974

Agatha Christie's locked-room murder with an all-star cast and genuinely clever construction. Poirot's deduction has the same satisfaction as Nick's detective work, wrapped in glamour and period detail.

But It's more puzzle box than character study. If you're watching for wit and warmth rather than whodunit mechanics, it can feel cold.

The Philadelphia Story1940

Cary Grant, Katharine Hepburn, and James Stewart in a comedy that matches Another Thin Man's sophistication and humor. The banter is sharp, the romance genuine, the plot secondary to character pleasure.

But It's fundamentally about a wedding, not a mystery. If the crime element is essential to your enjoyment, this prioritizes romance and class comedy instead.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Another Thin Man

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Adam's Rib1949

Both films understand that the real mystery is how two brilliant people love each other while seeing the world differently. Romance and detective work are the same engine.

Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn play a husband-and-wife legal team opposing each other in court. It's a comedy structured as philosophical debate about gender and marriage, with performances of such ease and intelligence they make the script sing.

But It's not a mystery at all—it's about ideas. The case is almost secondary to the couple's argument about gender roles. If you need plot momentum, the intellectual argument might feel static.

Murder by Death1976

Neil Simon's affectionate parody of detective fiction starring Dick and Dora Charleston (deliberately echoing Nick and Nora). It's a love letter to mystery tropes with a cast that understands and relishes the form.

But It's very 1970s and occasionally the parody lands unevenly. If you prefer straight mystery to clever deconstruction, the winking gets exhausting.

Dinner at Eight1933

An earlier ensemble comedy with similar wit and glamour, multiple plots colliding at one dinner party. Powell is brilliant, and the script crackles with pre-Code sophistication and sexual innuendo.

But There's no mystery plot—it's pure comedy and character. If you're attached to the crime-solving framework, this strips it away.

The Lady Eve1941

Preston Sturges directs Barbara Stanwyck and Henry Fonda in a con-artist romp with the same playful energy and romantic partnership. The script is endlessly inventive and the chemistry is effortless.

But It has almost nothing to do with crime or detection. If plot mechanics matter to you, this is pure romantic chaos.

Witness for the Prosecution1957

Billy Wilder's courtroom mystery with real stakes and a genuine twist. The mystery plot actually works as both mechanical puzzle and character study, with wit threaded throughout.

But It's far darker and more cynical than Another Thin Man. The lightness and warmth are replaced by suspicion and betrayal.

Charade1963

Audrey Hepburn and Cary Grant in a thriller-comedy where romance and mystery genuinely intertwine. The tone is buoyant despite real danger, and the couple's pleasure in each other's company feels authentic.

But It's more thriller than mystery, with genuine jeopardy that undercuts the playfulness. If you want unambiguous lightness, the stakes will feel uncomfortable.

Ball of Fire1941

Hawks directs Stanwyck and Cooper in a comedy built on rapid-fire dialogue and the pleasure of two intelligent people circling each other. The energy and verbal wit rival any Thin Man entry.

But The plot involves hiding a fugitive from cops. If you want straightforward mystery-solving, the moral ambiguity might feel wrong.

Rope1948

Both films trust dialogue over action and take place across a single evening where intelligence and charm are weapons. The comfort and horror are inverted, but the structure is a mirror.

Hitchcock's locked-room thriller unfolds in real time across a single evening, all wit and tension and two men hosting a dinner party while harboring a terrible secret. It's a masterclass in sustained suspense and verbal sparring.

But It's deeply uncomfortable morally and sexually transgressive by 1948 standards. The lightness of Another Thin Man is replaced by dread and cynicism.

To Catch a Thief1955

Both films are about couples for whom mystery-solving is foreplay. The case exists so two attractive people can be in rooms together, sparring and seducing.

Hitchcock and Cary Grant in the French Riviera, where the pleasure is in watching a con man and a reformed jewel thief circle each other across glamorous locations. It's a mystery that barely pretends to matter—it's all seduction and visual pleasure.

But Nothing is at stake. The crime plot is decoration for Technicolor tourism and romantic banter. If you want genuine peril or resolution, this is hollow.