Exoticalot People are voting emotionally.

Dynamixor The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

Fairaher The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

Guillelmina The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

lugonian THINK FAST, MR. MOTO (20th Century-Fox, 1937), directed by Norman Foster (who also scripted), based on the story by John P. Marquand, introduces Peter Lorre as the Oriental sleuth, Kentaro Moto. With the studio's success to what developed into a long running "Charlie Chan" movie series starring Warner Oland, "Mr. Moto" was another attempt for another franchise of Oriental detectives. The slight difference between Chan and Moto is that Chan was a Chinese inspector with a wife and family while Moto was a Japanese detective only as a hobby who occasionally lives and works alone, acquiring assistants along the way, usually comic foils most commonly found in the latter theatrical episodes to come.For its first installment to an eight film series, based on Marquand's third written "Moto" novel, the story begins during the Chinese New Year in San Francisco where Mr. Moto (Peter Lorre), disguised as a street peddler, enters a Jacob Berger Curio Shop attempting to sell a precious Romanov stone collection to its owner (Fredrik Vogeding). Having earlier taking notice of a disguised man with a tattoo mark on his arm leaving the shop, Moto silently notices a hand from a dead body sticking out from a wicker basket beneath the counter. Moments later a man of authority arrives to arrest the disguised Moto for peddling without a license, but manages to make his escape dodging gunfire. Once entering his apartment and removing his disguise, Moto, on a secret mission to locate narcotics smugglers, telephones to make reservations for a stateroom on the Monte Carlo Pacific steamer bound for Shanghai. While on board, Moto befriends Bob Hitchings (Thomas Beck), a millionaire playboy whose father (George Hassell), owner of the ship, entrusts his son with a confidential sealed letter to be delivered to his branch manager, Joseph B. Wilkie, stationed in Shanghai. Coming on board the ship during a stopover in Honolulu is Gloria Danton (Virginia Field), who, at first, gives Bob a hard time when trying to make her acquaintance. Prior to the ship docking for Shanghai, a series of mysterious circumstances have occurred: Carson (John Rogers), a steward, gets tossed overboard after being caught snooping in one of the staterooms; Gloria, with whom Bob has fallen in love, makes a sudden departure; and the note Bill is to give Mr. WIlkie (Murray Kinnell) turns out to be a blank piece of paper. Aside from an assortment of characters involved, including Lela (Lotus Long), a hotel telephone operator, and the bearded Adram (J. Carroll Naish) of the East India Bizarre, Mr. Moto must think fast when falling victim to danger of Nicholas Marloff (Sig Ruman), proprietor of the International Club, along with his associate, "Muggs" Blake (George Blake), with intentions of doing away with Moto before the little man discovers any more evidence that's to expose the actual ringleader responsible for a series of murderous activities.Also in the cast are: Charles Irwin (The Steward); Frank Mayo (Captain Marshall); Tom Herbert (The Seasick Passenger); and William Law (Steve, the Shanghai Police Chief). Virginia Field playing the mysterious Gloria Banton, introduces a song, "The Shy Violet" by Sidney Clare and Harry Akst, while Bert Roach participates in one of the film's few comedic moments as a bartender who confusingly prepares a drink for Mr. Moto as instructed by him.Other than Peter Lorre's know-how ability to hold the viewer's interest throughout this fast-paced 67 minutes, what makes THINK FAST, MR. MOTO so enjoyable viewing is keeping the audience guessing to which assortment of characters involved are the villains and which ones are undercover agents. Suspense really builds once Moto and Bob reach the International Club where, at the risk of their lives, to discover more than they realize. Other than the natural fight and last minute rescues, Lorre's Moto acquires a new method of self defense uncommonly found on screen at that time, which happens to be jujitsu.Of the eight installments, oddly enough, THINK FAST, MR. MOTO, was strangely the least known and revived of the series, especially in the New York City area. It wasn't until sometime in the mid 1980s did this initial entry, along with its seven other Moto/Lorre mysteries did it become available for viewing on broadcast television and eventually onto DVD a couple of decades later for its rediscovery. Next installment, THANK YOU, MR. MOTO (1937) with Lorre resuming his title role, and Thomas Beck and Sig Rumann making return engagements in different character roles, is another gem that's just as good. (***)

Paularoc This eight picture movie series gets gets off to a great start with excellent production values, strong supporting cast, fast paced plot and the incomparable Peter Lorre as Mr. Moto. Mr. Moto who is "a detective only as a hobby" is an expert in disguises and jujutsu. On the trail of smugglers, Mr. Moto becomes a passenger on an ocean liner going from San Francisco to Shanghai. Aboard ship, Moto soon meets Bob Hitchings (the personable and handsome Thomas Beck), son of the ship's owner who is also trying to unmask the smugglers. Young Hitchings has a shipboard romance with the mysterious Gloria Danton (Virginia Field, who I most remember from her many appearances on the Perry Mason show). There is one shocking scene where Moto throws one of the culprits overboard. A look of sadness briefly flits across his face. To assist him, Moto recruits a hotel telephone operator played by the Japanese/Hawaiian-American Lotus Lang who was very good in the part. Look for J. Carrol Naish as the baddie Adram. Naish played, among many other roles, Charley Chan in the New Adventures of Charley Chan television show of the 1950s. This movie's grand finale in the Shanghai International club has some surprises but in the end, Mr. Moto tidies everything up. A fun movie well worth a watch.

Michael O'Keefe 20th Century Fox presents its first in a series of eight mysteries based on a character in novel's by J.P. Marquand. Kentaro Moto(Peter Lorre)boards a ship from San Francisco to Shanghai. Moto gives the impression he is involved with international jewel smugglers. Aboard ship is the ship line's owner's son Bob Hitchings(Thomas Beck), who falls heavy for an intriguing White Russian Gloria Danton(Virginia Field). Moto suspects trouble with this shipboard romance. Bob's father also happens to be a legitimate gem dealer and warns him there may be smugglers aboard. Moto gets the idea that Miss Danton may be involved with criminal activity. And wouldn't you know it...there is a known murderer also making this trip. The story gets rolling when the ship docks in Shanghai and Gloria is nowhere to be found. As this crime caper concludes the quiet and compactly built Mr. Moto reveals himself as a special agent of the International Police. At times a bit silly, but overall very interesting. Other players include: Sig Ruman, Murray Kinnell, George Cooper, J. Carrol Naish and John Rogers.

John Wayne Peel I love these Moto flicks. I'll tell you that right out of the gate, and the history of these low budget detective films is almost more interesting then the films themselves. First of all, Peter Lorre was one of the most underrated actors in cinema history. In fact, those who knew him thought he would have been a psychiatrist had he not been an actor, which tells me he studied people and learned a lot about how a little goes a long way in a portrayal. The director reportedly wanted character actor J. Edward Bromberg to play the lead but the studio gave him this Hungarian Jew just out of Hitler's Germany to play the part, which made the director go berserk. He needn't have worried. Forget the fact that Lorre was in such poor health in those days after starving in Europe for most of his adult life and had to have a stuntman do his jiu-jitsu scenes for him. (Harvey Parry was his name. Another underrated genius in cinema history who did stunts for everyone from Douglas Fairbanks Sr. to Buster Keaton and Harold Lloyd) Lorre is just terrific and with almost no make-up, he is damned convincing as a Japanese detective. A short side note here. Please pretend that there was never a 1960s Moto movie with Henry Silva. The eight 20th Century Fox Motos are to be treasured. It's only a shame that World War II stopped the series for good.As for J. Edward Bromberg, he even acted in one of the Moto films as a Rajah in Thailand (which acerbic yet clever critic referred to as "Indoors China") before he was hurt by the blacklist and died a sad and broken man, who unintentionally hurt the career of actress Lee Grant when she attended his funeral and was herself blacklisted until the movie "In The Heat Of The Night."Watching Peter Lorre in any film is always a delight and the Motos never disappoint for pure entertainment value.