- Based on a play by John Galsworthy and directed by Basil Dean, 21 Days (aka, 21 Days Together) is a fairly entertaining drama in which Larry Durant (Laurence Olivier) finds himself unjustly unsuspected of murder. I describe it that way because Larry did indeed kill Henry Wallen (Esme Percy), but the police don't even suspect he was involved. That Wallen was attempting to extort Wanda (Vivien Leigh) — a woman who is both Larry's girlfriend and Henry's estranged wife — would no doubt interest investigators if they ever found out.
- As it happens, however, the police already have their murder suspect in the form of a guilt-ridden vagrant preacher named John Evan (Hay Petrie), who is too busy incriminating himself to bother with the fact that he did not kill Wallen. Meanwhile, Larry's career-minded brother Keith (Leslie Banks) wants nothing more than for this case to go away so that the scandal doesn't interfere with his own chances of becoming a judge. For once, the cards are unfairly stacked in favor of a guilty protagonist rather than against an innocent one. If only Larry didn't have a conscience, he wouldn't have any troubles at all.
- While I wouldn't have guessed that Sir Laurence Olivier would ever tolerate being called "Larry," he and Leigh prove their versatility by delivering strong performances that help sell the film's occasionally absurd plot. Concerning the plot, I note that 21 Days belongs to that rare class of film where the resolution requires something terrible to happen to an innocent person in order for the protagonist to get a happy ending. Doubtless the implausibly fatalistic Mr. Wallen wouldn't have complained, but one wonders whether justice has really been served by the film's end. In any case, it was entertaining enough to watch Olivier try not to have fun at a carnival and a sing-along ferry ride that one can overlook the film's minor quirks.
