Trent's Last Case (1929 film)

Trent's Last Case is a 1929 American pre-Code mystery film directed by Howard Hawks and starring Raymond Griffith, Marceline Day, and Raymond Hatton. It is based on the 1913 novel Trent's Last Case by E. C. Bentley, which introduced the amateur detective Philip Trent.

The film follows Philip Trent, an artist and amateur detective, as he investigates the murder of a wealthy and unscrupulous financier, Sigsbee Manderson. Manderson's wife, Margaret, becomes a prime suspect, as does her stepson, John Marlowe, and various other individuals who had reason to dislike the victim. Trent uses his observational skills and deductive reasoning to unravel the complex web of relationships and uncover the true killer.

Trent's Last Case is notable as one of Howard Hawks' early directorial efforts and for being one of the first talking pictures to feature a detective story. While Raymond Griffith, a popular silent film comedian, was cast in the lead role, the transition to sound proved challenging for him. His speaking voice was deemed unsuitable by the studio, and his dialogue was eventually dubbed by another actor. The film was released in both silent and sound versions. The sound version is now lost. Only fragments of the silent version survive.