Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!

Simply Perfect

It is neither dumb nor smart enough to be fun, and spends way too much time with its boring human characters.

One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

The doorbell rings. A woman wants to see Mr. Chan. She gives no name but hands an ornate ring to the butler and says, "Take this to him." While waiting for Chan in his study, she is shot through the window with a poison dart. Who was she and why was she killed? Charlie Chan investigates. The plot of this late series entry is about as original as that opening scene. Clues include an inscription on the ring and an unfinished note scrawled by the dying woman. Mr. Chan is assisted by handsome young police sergeant Warren Douglas, who chews gum all the time. Also on the case is perky newspaper reporter Louise Curry, who climbs in Chan's study window looking for clues. Douglas spends most of his time trying to keep Curry out of his way...and of course they have one of those love-hate romances that is totally nauseating. Roland Winters makes his debut as Charlie Chan and he is not bad, though he takes some getting used to. He moves more quickly than poor Sidney Toler did in his last few pictures; this Chan is more vigorous, less grandfatherly, and ultimately less interesting, too, since unfortunately his stock of wise old sayings in this picture is practically nil. Mantan Moreland is fine as Birmingham Brown. The one-time chauffeur seems to have taken on butler duties as well. Sen Yung helps out as number two son Tommy Chan--he's energetic as always but for some reason he is absent (and missed) during a long middle section. The story moves at a decent pace but it's really just too predictable, and generally weak dialog probably makes the familiar plot seem worse. Interesting for Chan fans but not one of the series' highlights.

The original Fox Charlie Chan movies with Warner Oland were the best but the Sidney Toler Fox movies were pretty good, too. When the series (and Toler) moved to Monogram in 1944, it resulted in a sharp drop in quality. There were still a few watchable movies left but nothing to brag about. As it went on, Toler's performance got worse along with the general quality of the movies themselves. It got to the point where all he did was show up, half-remember the poorly-written lines of dialogue, and occasionally throw in one of the irritating feces-eating grins of his that were so commonplace in the Monogram films. After Toler died, Roland Winters took over for the remainder of the series. This is the first of the Roland Winters Chans and, yes, it is terrible. All of the Winters films are garbage and the worst of the entire Charlie Chan series from Fox to Monogram. It's truly sad that several early Warner Oland Chan films have been lost to time but these have survived.The plot here is a remake of Mr. Wong in Chinatown with few changes. Roland Winters is a dull, lifeless Charlie Chan. He seems to be trying to emulate Oland more than Toler. He fails more than any person has ever failed at anything ever. Mantan Moreland is still in the series as comic relief Birmingham Brown. As there are no "spooks" for him to be afraid of in this one, he serves no purpose. He appears to have lost some weight and looks older since his last appearance. Victor Sen Yung returns but, for some bizarre reason, he's now Tommy Chan instead of Jimmy! Tommy, for those who know the series, was the terribly dull son played by Benson Fong in most of the Toler Monogram films.The writing had been crap for the entirety of the Monogram years but here it's at an all-time low. So don't expect any witty Chan aphorisms from Winters. Here we have this gem: "Strange events permit themselves the luxury of occurring in strange places." Just stupid. There's nothing about this I can or would recommend. Avoid at all costs.

A mysterious princess arrives at the Chan home, where she is shot. Collapsing, she manages to write, "Captain K," on the desk pad. "Are you sure she's dead, Pop?" Tommy asks. "Death, my son, is the reckoning of heaven. In this case, most complicated reckoning," states philosophical Charlie, lifting a line from Biggers' Behind That Curtain.This one, Number 42 in the series and the first with Roland Winters in the title role, does not augur well for the remainder of the Monogram efforts in this inept re-make of Mr Wong in Chinatown. Mr Winters is a poor substitute for Sidney Toler (not to mention Boris Karloff). He moves stiffly, and his accent is poor stuff indeed. A less inspired actor to play the part of Chan could not possibly be imagined, although I should mention that Winters was to improve considerably in his later Chan characterizations.Scott Darling has done very little to update his Wong script and changing the dwarf to a small boy is just about the last straw. Also, Beaudine's direction does not compare well with Nigh's. Admittedly, this entry has obviously been made on an extremely tight budget.

This was the first Chan film with Roland Winters in the title role. It is a remake of Monogram's "Mr. Wong in Chinatown". This is okay as Monogram Chans go. The supporting cast is pretty good for this studio with Philip Ahn standing out. An interesting search for a mysterious "Captain K" makes it fun.