The Mask of Dimitrios, (Dir: Jean Negulesco, 1944)

It seems there is no end to the entertaining film noirs from the 1940s. This one is the fifth movie, out of nine total, featuring Peter Lorre and Sydney Greenstreet, a wonderful collaboration which began with "The Maltese Falcon" in 1941.

Lorre plays a mystery writer who learns of the death of an enigmatic career criminal named Dimitrios, whose body was found in Istanbul washed up on the shore of the Bosphorus Strait. The writer becomes intrigued with the story of the dead man, and he undertakes a quest to unravel the story of the life of Dimitrios. His efforts take him to other European cities, including Athens, Sofia, Geneva, Belgrade and Paris. Along the way he runs into the Greenstreet character, and the last part of the movie is mostly about the two of them.

The use of flashbacks in this film is quite effective. Along the way we meet many compelling characters. This is good, old-fashioned storytelling, a movie well worth your time.