To Agree, Or Not To Agree?

The film review that I chose by The New York Times, illustrates the movie as being a "refrigerating effect,".  The film review also describes the movie as being suspenseful, which is a character of the film that I feel we can all agree upon.  The film review does a good job describing the plot of the film.  Right in the first paragraph, it tells us how Baraba Stanwyck and Fred MacMurray set out to achieve the perfect murder, in such a way, that not even a cleaver insurance adjuster (Keyes) can figure it out.  I liked how this film review does a good job describing the ambiance felt about the movie.  I wasn't so sure though, about what to make out of the comment from the NY Times quote "Such folks as delight in murder stories for their academic elegance alone should find this one steadily diverting, despite its monotonous pace and length.  Okay,...monotonous means in one varying tone, so how exactly does this word tie in with this movie?  I saw this film being far from monotonous.  Then the critic of this article says, "No objection to the temper of this picture; it is as steel."  This statement I do agree with, because the film dealt with how the characters had a sense of toughness in their attitude, giving the characters a sense of foundation or accomplishment.  Lastly, the critic states that "the very toughness of the picture is also the weakness of its core, and the academic nature of its plotting limits its general appeal."  Again a conflicting statement by a critic which I feel, didn't make his opinions clear as to whether or not he truly liked the film.