In retrospect, W. S. Van Dyke can be considered a minimalist director. There are very few sets in the movie and the props are also kept to a minimum. Unlike most murder mysteries, the action element is sparse, but there is a reason for this. Van Dyke's intention was not to create a film that flies from one explosive scene to another. Rather, he intended to make a movie in which William Powell and Myrna Loy could showcase Hammett's elegantly clever writing while displaying the undeniable electricity they produce together on screen.

Another factor that might have played a role in the film's relative sparseness was the low budget and strict time schedule allocated to the movie. Metro Goldwyn Mayer only allotted Van Dyke enough money to film The Thin Man as a B movie and the entire film was completed in two weeks...