TheLittleSongbird 'They Met in Bombay' had a lot going for it. Having Clark Gable, Rosalind Russell and Peter Lorre in the same film, a really conceptually interesting story and a talented director being the primary ones, plus MGM were responsible for many classics of all genres (especially musicals) that are too numerous to list.On the most part, 'They Met in Bombay' doesn't disappoint. Not quite one of those completely living up to high expectations and exceeding them, but it nearly does and in no way a waste of potential. 'They Met in Bombay' is not necessarily great. It is uneven and disjointed for reasons that will be explained later and actually have been covered already in previous reviews. 'They Met in Bombay' having said that is also very entertaining, would classify it as a good film that is hard to dislike and with nothing to be offended by.Good things are a great many. Clark Gable and Rosalind Russell are terrific in the lead roles, particularly Gable. Lots of charm and with great comic timing, their chemistry sparkles. Peter Lorre, Reginald Owen, Matthew Boulton and Jessie Ralph give nice support, Lorre and Boulton coming off most memorably. Production values are lovely to look at, particularly the crisp photography. The score is suitably peppy and the direction sees someone with a lot of talent doing a more than solid job. 'They Met in Bombay' goes at a snappy pace, the script is funny, witty and surprisingly sophisticated and the story for the near-perfect first two thirds is immensely engaging with plenty of well done scenes (including a hilarious scene in a beauty parlour). It is a shame that the last third is not as good. The pace slackens, the wit and sophistication disappears and the patriotic element that is introduced feels heavy-handed and almost tacky, it just felt very misplaced. With the more action-heavy and political edge 'They Met in Bombay' did feel like a completely different film, and one that wasn't near as interesting or entertaining as the first two thirds (which only had the predictability to fault it).Also thought that Gerald's character went through a character change to a more heroic personality trait that also jarred, almost like there were two different Geralds.Concluding, a good and entertaining film let down by a disappointing final third that was enough to bring the film's quality quite a bit. 7/10 Bethany Cox

Bolesroor Any movie that features Clark Gable in a pith helmet has got to be great, right?Well... kind of...The first two-thirds of "They Met In Bombay" is simply fantastic. Clark Gable is at his cocky-best as a con artist trying to steal a rare jewel, and Rosalind Russell is gorgeous as his love-interest/rival. The story moves along at a brisk pace and soon the two stars find they have more in common than they knew… and that they might be falling in love. The beauty parlor scene is hilarious, as is the scene where the two leads are stuck in an elevator. The movie is funny, engaging, romantic and sweet… classic Hollywood at its best. Sadly, the final third of the movie takes a strange and sudden turn and the story falls apart as a result.Most of the movie is a joy, with Gable and Russell romancing on the lam, and Peter Lorre turns up as some money-loving Chinaman crackpot, still speaking with his exaggerated coo, but then the movie swerves off the road and over the embankment. Gable impersonates a Canadian soldier as part of a scam and is then remanded to a military base and denied any access to the outside world. Still being mistaken for a soldier he is thrown into battle, where his sweet but unlikely heroism is almost as hard to believe as Russell's presence on the sidelines.Finally, Gable is awarded the Victoria Cross- the military's highest honor- only to discover he's been double-crossed by his true love. But that's no problem, because the serious part of the story is evidently over, and Gable is able to sneak in two bizarre and implausible twists in the final 90 seconds of the story. The awkward, contrived ending negates most of the movie's nice moments… they met in Bombay, and they should have stayed there.GRADE: C

bkoganbing Clark Gable and Rosalind Russell had worked twice together before. Russell was a supporting player in two of Gable's previous films, China Seas and Forsaking All Others. But in They Met in Bombay they make a bright pair of competing and then cooperating thieves.Bombay is in fact where they do meet, both of them working individually on a caper to steal a really big diamond belonging to inebriated Dutchess, Jessie Ralph. When they discover who each really is, there's some antagonism, but the police chasing them forces some cooperation which becomes more and more willing as the film progresses.The pair eventually arrive in Hong Kong and I dare not say more, but some of Gable's con games involve him something far bigger than he can handle as the plot takes some unbelievable turns.Gable and Russell worked well together, it's a pity that this was their only teaming on the big screen. Look also for good performances by Peter Lorre as the sly Chinese freighter captain and Reginald Owen as the British General and Matthew Boulton as the frustrated British police inspector. Also if you look fast you'll see Alan Ladd in a minute part as a British soldier in a scene with Gable while the leads are in Hong Kong. They Met in Bombay is fast paced and very funny and still holds up remarkably well today.

Anne_Sharp The time-worn cliche of the glamorous, romantic jewel thief can be charming when done with a touch of class, as in "Trouble in Paradise," "Grand Hotel," or "I Was An Adventuress." Here, it's handled with so little taste or imagination it positively degrades the profession. We're given to understand that Gable and Russell are just nice kids down on their luck, and the sundry larcenies they engage in are just playful antics they'll grow out of as soon as they've stolen enough money to settle down in that little cottage with roses round the door. Come ON. Even more appalling are the hideous false "Chinese" eyelids Peter Lorre is forced to wear, which would have been good for his role as the burn victim in "The Face Behind the Mask" but here just add to the general aura of gauche insensitivity.