Best movie of this year hands down!

Memorable, crazy movie

When a movie has you begging for it to end not even half way through it's pure crap. We've all seen this movie and this characters millions of times, nothing new in it. Don't waste your time.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

Although this is a short "B" programmer, there's a lot to like in this espionage thriller. Peter Lorre is joined by a great cast of recognizable character actors including George Sanders, John Carradine, E.E. Clive, and Ricardo Cortez as the villain. Robert Coote plays a hopelessly British tourist. There are some inspired (and intense) scenes, such as a fiendish murder involving a diving bell. Peter Lorre's Mr. Moto again proves to be a master of disguise, a cunning intellect, and an expert at judo. He's a deceptively great fighter and very resourceful, escaping numerous attempts on his life. The nefarious plot isn't too fleshed out, but it's fun watching Moto foil it.

For a dedicated film buff I've not had too much luck with franchises; I hadn't seen a single Andy Hardy film until Channel 4 screened them in sequence on succeeding Saturday mornings about fifteen years ago, I've still to see a single film featuring Ann Sothern as 'Maisie' and only now have I finally caught up with Mr. Moto. In each case I knew of the existence of these characters and I even read a couple of John P. Marquand's Mr. Moto potboilers but this is my first exposure to the celluloid detective. It was good to see Peter Lorre playing something other than a heavy or a coward but that doesn't quite outweigh the risible plot - why, I asked myself, would a Music Hall in Port Said have signs - No Smoking, Exit, et - in English, why indeed, it it comes to that would there even BE an English type Music Hall in Port Said at all and do Egyptians really go for vent acts? Presumably in the late thirties no one was asking awkward questions and elaborate plans to blow up the harbor were accepted at face value. I'm glad I've now seen at least one title in the franchise but I'm not rushing to locate any more.

Moto's first name "Kentaro" suggests he's meant to be Japanese instead of Chinese, and besides TCF already has a Chinese sleuth in Charlie Chan. Then too, when Chan is in a scene, he's always the center of attention. But not so with the recessive Moto. Note how he kind of lurks around the edges. Sometimes you even forget he's there. It's a really shrewd way to use the cagey Lorre since physically he's hardly a commanding presence. But he does convey a sly and calculating presence, such that when Moto chooses to pounce, he's very believable. It's a cleverly thought out character, a distinctive contrast to the many other sleuths of the period.Of course, Moto is not really a sleuth; instead, he's an agent of international intrigue. Sort of an unglamorous, non-gimmicky James Bond of the 1930's, skilled in what was then the exotic martial arts. The narrative contains no mystery, only the suspense of how Moto will foil an international plot to blow up French ships and start a war. What lifts this entry above standard series entries of the day are the production values. Notice the diving-bell sequence and how well done it is, both in detail and in concept. Cheaper productions could not have mounted this set-piece. Also, the sets are better furnished than normal, lending more atmosphere to the results. True, the action never leaves the back lot, but the attention to detail really helps. I also like the business going on in the background of the seedy saloon, where for example a drunk gets his nose plopped into a flagon of beer. It's colorful touches like this that raise a production above the routine.There's also the eerie business with the ventriloquist's dummy. I kept wondering if someone connected with that great British horror trilogy Dead of Night (1945) had seen this programmer. My only reservations are with the sometimes hard-to-follow screenplay and with George Sanders' awful French accent. Odd too, to find the imposing Sanders in such a secondary role—likely the result of being under contract. Anyway, it's a colorful little entry in the Moto series.

I've always enjoyed Peter Lorre. When you run the gamut of actors from the inception of the motion picture, I can think of no one to match him. Here he plays a Chinese detective. His credibility is in question because of that very fact. Nevertheless, there is a sort of acceptance due to the wisdom of Asians. I suppose this all came out of the Charlie Chan mythos. In this one there is a plot to blow up the French fleet. It would be a major act of war and a great defeat. Mr. Moto is forced to make his way among a bevy of bad guys. There's espionage, double dealing, but he makes his solitary way through this confusing mess. One of the bad guys is a ventriloquist who seems to have a sick fascination with his dummy. Of course, this all works into the plot. Mr. Moto manages to engage the help of several other characters and finds a way to save the day.