Movie Review: Flight from Destiny (1941)
Synopsis: Philosophy Professor Henry Todhunter learns he only has six months to live and after philosophical discussion with his colleagues, decides to commit a murder that will benefit humanity. He eventually settles on Ketti Moret, a woman running a fraudulent art scam that is ruining the life of his former student Michael Farroway. However, his action results in unexpected consequences, including Michael being arrested for the murder.
Who's in it? The movie stars Thomas Mitchell, Mona Maris, Geraldine Fitzgerald, Jeffrey Lynn and Jonathan Hale.
Review: My daughter's community theater musical opened this weekend and there was a cast party at the local bowling alley following last night's performance. I had no interest in making two trips across down or sitting in the bar area, so I stayed in the car and watched a movie on my phone. I picked the film turned out to be Flight from Destiny, and it ended up being a great choice.
The movie's plot was intriguing because it raised a question about when homicide is justifiable. The movie went out of its way to show Ketti wasn't a good person with Prof. Todhunter (Mitchell) giving her every opportunity to turn her life around or, at minimum, release Michael (Lynn) from the mess she helped him get into.
In fact, one of the things I liked about this film was just how thorough Todhunter was when researching Ketti. He didn't just choose her because of the trouble she got Michael into; he also made sure to interview everyone who ever knew her, from her mother to the daughter she put into foster care, just to see if there was a single person who cared if she lived or died.
Todhunter's justification for doing what he was doing was also something that made me think, especially when he claimed losing his fear of dying was the equivalent of being immortal and that gave him the right to be judge, juror and executioner. While his motive showed his heart in the right place, the cold, calculating nature of his plan made him seem as villainous as the woman he planned to kill.
I liked the two big twists that happened as the result of his actions, especially when the crime was blamed on the guy he was trying to protect. It was unclear just how he was going to set things right or if he'd even be able to when the police believed he was making his confession up and he could drop dead at any moment. They were things he clearly hadn't thought through and was a real "best laid plans" moment that kept the movie from becoming predictable.
Final Opinion: It's a solid movie with a great story and a philosophical question that really makes you think. I'm glad I finally had a chance to watch it, even if it had to be in a parking lot.
My Grade: A
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Here are some reviews of other movies from 1941:
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