Actuakers One of my all time favorites.

Smartorhypo Highly Overrated But Still Good

FuzzyTagz If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

Frances Chung Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

kapelusznik18 ****SPOILERS*** Charlie Chan, Sidney Toler, working for the US Government as undercover hat store owner Fu Yean works against time in finding out and preventing a sinister plot to sink the entire US Atlantic Fleet while docked at the Panama Canal. This is being planned by a number of German saboteurs in what seems like Nazi Germany's efforts, in early 1940, to get the US involved in WWII! This making FDR's, in running for re-election that year, job a lot easier. That by him getting the American people who were as much as 95% against it,at the time, to go along with him in getting the US into WWII.It's Charlie's bumbling #1 Son Jimmy, Victor Sen Yung, who after messing things up for Charlie ends up saving his life in preventing, by hitting him with a tobacco can, one of the saboteurs from assassination his pop. It's when Charlie along with #1 Son Jimmy and a number of the cast, including the head Nazi saboteur, are trapped in a cave that he realized were the explosives, a two gallon bottle of nitroglycerin, was hidden: at the Panama Canal power station.***SPOILERS*** Breaking out of the cave and heading for the power station to prevent a catastrophe from happening It's the saboteur him or herself who ended up exposing himself in knowing just what kind of explosive was to be used. Something that only Charlie the police and the saboteur himself could have known. As usual as in most pre-WWII movie before the US got involved in the saboteur's identities or nationalities were kept from the public. But it didn't take a genius to figure who they were working for with the pretty Jean Rogers playing a refugee from fascism with the Slavic sounding name Kathi Lenesch being from a Nazi occupied, Poland or Czechoslovakia, at that time country.

bensonmum2 As the U.S. fleet prepares to move through the Panama Canal, a foreign agent known only as Ryner plans to blow-up part of the canal. However, Charlie Chan and #2 Son are on hand to stop Ryner's plot (and solve a murder or two in the process).Charlie Chan in Panama is a rock solid entry in the Chan catalogue. This was Sidney Toler's fifth outing as Chan, Victor Sen Yung's fourth appearance as Jimmy Chan, and Norman Foster's third directorial credit in the Chan series. These guys knew what they were doing. Throw in an excellent supporting cast (featuring the always enjoyable Lionel Atwill), excellent looking sets, suspicious characters, red herrings around every corner, and some decent comedy bits from #2 Son and you've got the makings for an enjoyable movie experience. I'm not usually a fan of Chan films that are spy centered, preferring the murder based plots instead. But here, it works. As others have pointed out, I appreciate that the mystery's resolve actually makes sense. It always makes things more enjoyable when you as the viewer can follow along with what Chan is saying. And, finally, I appreciate that for once Jimmy Chan actually serves a real purpose. In this one, he is directly responsible for saving Pop's life.Overall, an 8/10 from me. Charlie Chan in Panama is a must for fans of the series.

csteidler "At least we're getting off to an exciting start," comments school teacher Mary Nash to mystery author Lionel Atwill. "Like one of those blood and thunder novels you write." New arrivals in the high-security Panama Canal zone, they have just watched two sailors chase a guy with a camera off the end of a dock. Murder and espionage are afoot in this tense mystery set on the brink of WWII; the U.S. fleet may be attacked as it passes through the Canal, and it falls to Charlie Chan and his colleagues to prevent the attack—and identify the master spy behind the plot.Among others on hand are Jack LaRue, owner of a shady café; Kane Richmond as an engineer working for the government; and Jean Rogers, airplane stewardess turned nightclub singer and possible spy. Sidney Toler is at his best in this efficient thriller that is more of an espionage picture than your typical Chan murder mystery; Lieutenant Chan masterfully manages some pretty high stakes dramatic situations—but also manages to fit in a few laughs with number two son Lee. Sen Yung is also strong as Lee, as much valuable assistant as comic relief. Between the great lineup of suspects—everyone is suspicious as can be—and the fine performances from Toler and Yung, this is an entertaining and exciting series entry. Plus it includes at least one great Chan aphorism: "Bad alibi like dead fish. Cannot stand test of time."

pbalos back lot Hollywood provides a rather convincing Panama City of the 40's.Overall a fine plot of a mystery that works evenly with a surprise ending.One of Tolar's better movies, if not the best, with an excellent cast of characters.Well done !