BelSports This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

Kien Navarro Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

Mathilde the Guild Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

Dana An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

binapiraeus "Death from a Distance" (which in the end, as we almost suspected, proves a QUITE appropriate title) may be no masterpiece of mystery, but it's a very solid crime puzzle which, like so often in the 30s, teams a cop with a girl reporter to solve the murder.The performances, especially by Lola Lane as the cheeky, fresh young reporter, are not at all bad: quite convincing, and containing a good dose of humor! Not that the murder case isn't handled seriously: the police methods are portrayed in a realistic way - while, on the other 'side', the newsroom's atmosphere with all its male and female news hounds, who are sometimes nerve-racking, sometimes PRETTY helpful for the cops, is once again depicted in a wonderfully authentic way.But the most stunning feature of this particular movie that otherwise would be one of many average 30s' murder mysteries are the settings of the murder scene: here we actually get to see how a planetarium of the 1930s looked like and worked - certainly a kind of time document today...

Al Westerfield Death from a distance is dominated by two very impressive sets: the planetarium and observatory. The long shot intimates this takes place at the Griffith Observatory. However, the front doors to the Griffith planetarium don't match. Further, the structure and telescope in the observatory don't either. Since there are no similar sites in southern California, I must conclude they were studio sets. Invincible Pictures were distributed by Chesterfield, the latter being famous for renting high class sets at major studios. The conclusion seems to be that Invincible did, too. It would be interesting to find out which film the sets were designed for.For a poverty row mystery the film is well above average with procedurals closer to actual police work. The Charlie Chan gathering climax is handled better than any Chan film. The suspects include several personal favorites: Robert Fraser, the boss villain in many a western and plantation owner in White Zombie; and Wheeler Oakman, the "henchman's henchman" in dozens of B films, especially The Phantom Empire.This is a good mystery of its type, one worth an hour of your time.

csteidler Death from a Distance features a murder at a planetarium. As most of the film's action takes place in the one large room, it's probably a good thing that the room contains a large telescope and a ceiling painted with stars, a setting unique enough to remain somewhat viewable for 70 minutes. The lead characters are not as unique—Russell Hopton is the police detective investigating, Lola Lane the girl reporter getting in his way. Hopton and Lane do their best to put some life into their roles, but the bits of witty banter they are given are somewhat few and far between.The other characters fare little better. Most lively is Lee Kohlmar as Professor Einfeld, who is supposedly one of the three greatest scientists in the world and is therefore rather unkempt and absent-minded but ultimately sharp enough to aid in solving the mystery. There are, of course, also a dumb assistant detective, a couple of scientists with shady pasts, and a curator. (By the way, Einfeld also speaks in a European accent and has a messy shock of hair. Ein-what?)The murder device is cleverly conceived, I have to say. However, the detective work and the uncovering of clues are all somewhat hazy. Ultimately, Death from a Distance lacks snap, but the mystery is at least deep enough to keep us watching until the end.

cinema_universe The film's title implies that death strikes from afar, and in a clever way, it does...This low-budget little whodunit will NEVER be aired on TV, so you will have to find a rental, or more likely, buy a copy to see how this ingenious little murder is worked out.I won't spoil it for anyone by telling you that the victim is in the audience of a planetarium, and naturally-- so is the murderer! The police are called in, and the entire story is acted out pretty much on that one set.Filmed on one of the lowest budgets possible, "Death From A Distance" will still keep you watching, and guessing, right to the surprise ending.Not bad, to say the least. To B-movie mystery buffs, I say: Buy it, if you can find it, and enjoy.