ThiefHott
Too much of everything
NekoHomey
Purely Joyful Movie!
Kaelan Mccaffrey
Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.
Hitchcoc
The first couple episodes introduced us to a clever deceiver. Mr. Moto has a dark side. It wasn't long before Hollywood decided to throw an Abbot and Costello angle to these films. It happened to Charlie Chan. I'll be interested to see if things get better as I make my way through this series. Lorre is always good, but throw in a bunch of moronic characters. First of all, the native people are all white American actors. They are supposedly Asian. The main bad guy looks like a New York cop. The two filmmakers are such jerks, I wish they had gotten thrown into that well. Then there's the guy who is the prince on the island. He's another fat American. None of them look even remotely like Southeast Asians. Moto does what he can but it is hardly enough to pull this one off. The whole thing with the carrier pigeons is so laughable. With all the birds around why couldn't Moto have sent the thing at a time when it wouldn't be noticed.
classicsoncall
The fourth in the series of Twentieth Century Fox films featuring Japanese detective Mr. Moto (Peter Lorre) opens with jungle stock footage right before aviatrix Victoria Mason (Rochelle Hudson) sabotages her own airplane and parachutes to safety in the Cambodian wilds of Tong Moi. The logistics of that plane crash and her parachute landing practically right on top of Mr. Moto on an archaeological dig isn't very believable, but it does set up a fast paced adventure involving native revolutionaries and a secret munitions base. As in the first two Moto films, Lorre dons a disguise for part of the story, this time as an aged Hindu wise man. You know it's Lorre all the while, but it adds some melodrama to the occasion, and he does get to spout some appropriately sage advice to friends and foes alike.There's an early tribute to Lorre's brilliant portrayal in the 1931 Fritz Lang film 'M'. As the two newsreel reporters continue on their way following the first encounter with Moto, Marty Weston (Robert Kent) comments to partner Chick Davis (Chick Chandler) - "If I was casting a horror picture, I'd have him play the murderer".If you pay attention the first time Moto reaches for a carrier pigeon to relay a message to his government contact, you'll note that the cage door is already open. Makes you wonder why the pigeon stayed put! J. Edward Bromberg adds to the colorful proceedings as Rajah Ali, walking a fine line between Bokor's (George Regas) native upstarts and his French government superiors. This time around, in addition to Moto's clever detective work and martial arts skill, he also shows he can be deadly with a machine gun. Unlike his Oriental counterparts Charlie Chan and Mr. Wong, Moto can mix it up pretty well with the bad guys, and leaves a trail of dead bodies in his wake that would make Dirty Harry proud.All in all, an offbeat and different kind of mystery for Mr. Moto, reminiscent somewhat of the much later Charlie Chan film, 1948's "The Feathered Serpent" which takes place in an Aztec jungle setting. In that one, Roland Winters portrays Chan, and scurries around the steamy wilderness in the trademark white suit, tie and top hat. At least Moto looked more comfortable in a safari suit.Oh, and lest I forget, let me get my vote in now for Rochelle Hudson, the actress with the sexiest shoulder of the 1930's!
JoeKarlosi
I've only seen the first three Mr. Moto films at this point but this was easily the least of them so far. Mr. Moto (Peter Lorre) poses as an archaeologist in a Cambodian jungle to sabotage the anti-government plans being cooked up by leader Rajah Ali (J. Edward Bromberg). He is helped out by a female spy (Rochelle Hudson) who has "conveniently" crashed her own plane on the island. This one plays very much like an old Republic serial. Detracting much from whatever enjoyment there is here are two silly American newsreel photographers who work their way into the story, providing what I suppose they think is comic relief. ** out of ****
paul panzer
Indeed this movie is a great deal like a Republic serial. For those who like their meat raw, that's a good thing, and fun can be had here. Granted, there is more than enough silliness to go around -- Lorre's disguise as an Asian sage is, to be blunt, not *entirely* successful, but he plays the impersonation tongue in cheek, and the end result is nothing if not amusing.I cannot imagine what is offensive except possibly the dreaded racial stereotypes, which surely are endemic to the whole series. The idea that a B picture would be "held back for a few months" because of a matter of taste doesn't seem likely. Zanuck didn't expect Bs to be any good, and rarely screened them. There's no reason to single this film out as any sillier than many Bs of the period. There's more than enough to enjoy, and the running time is mercifully short. I'd rather watch this than any of the interminable Charlie Chan films.
