Murder in the Red Barn

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Audience Member Doesn't hold together too well, but the characters are interesting and the overall plot shows potential, yet it never gets exciting. Short run time helps the slow pacing and there's some good characterization. Overall though, it's forgettable. Rated 2.5/5 Stars •  Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 02/02/23 Full Review Audience Member The Murder in the Red Barn reaffirms my belief that movies from the early sound period managed to pack a lot more into their short running times than today's, which have doubled in length. Rated 2.5/5 Stars •  Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 02/02/23 Full Review Audience Member Inspired by an infamous 19th century crime drama that became a cornerstone of English lore, as well as inspiring a great -- though apparently unrelated -- song by Tom Waits, "Murder in the Red Barn" has somewhat of a storied history. Unfortunately, little of that intrigue makes it to the screen in this forgettable little drama. After a "meet the players" framing sequence forgotten more quickly than the similar Christophero Sly segment from "The Taming of the Shrew," we dive right into the action, where pretty local villager Maria (Sophie Stewart) is torn between two suitors: the cruel, haughty, upper-crust Squire Corder (Tod Slaughter, overacting his part to the hilt) and the sensitive, soft-spoken gypsy boy Carlos (Eric Portman, perfect in looks for a contemporary biopic of Edgar Allen Poe) at a dance in the titular farm structure. A series of rather boring machinations later, Maria is dead, killed by the malevolent squire, who endeavors to pin the crime on Carlos. At less than an hour long, the film plays out and resolves itself nicely, about the only saving grace a dull morality play can have. Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/21/23 Full Review Audience Member These older films are a bit tough for todays audiences to grasp Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/24/23 Full Review Audience Member The production code people probably hated this movie! It takes a more realistic and pessimistic view. Slaughter stars as the villain, of course, and he does a great job. This was a good movie, but it does have some rough spots. Still I would recommend seeing it. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/22/23 Full Review Read all reviews

Murder in the Red Barn

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