Mr. Moto (Peter Lorre) is present, albeit in disguise, at the discovery of the crown of the Queen of Sheba, and he later exerts himself to thwart the many crooks — including the master criminal called Metaxa, whose identity is unknown — who wish to steal the crown from the museum where it has been …
Read the full post →“<em>Mr. Moto Takes a Vacation</em> (Twentieth Century Fox, 1939)”
A killer stalks the heirs of an eccentric man who requires them to stay for a week together at his mansion in order to inherit — and their greed proves fatal for some, as the titular scarf makes its appearance in the hands of a murderer. This is a pleasing if rather unoriginal Edgar Wallace …
Fast-paced detective thriller, original titled Ren tou ma, has plenty of complications, unusual scenes, and enough action to keep the viewer interested, albeit sometimes it’s a bit hard to follow. Still, well worth a look for fans of 1960s crime films. Mildly recommended. Otto judiciously thinks this movie is OK, but not great. Movie 248 …
Read the full post →“<em>Dark Rendezvous</em> (Shaw Brothers, 1969)”
Saboteurs working on behalf of a hostile government seek to foment an international incident and drive a wedge between allies by blowing up the French fleet when it visits the British in Alexandria. The clever and ruthless leader of the gang (Ricardo Cortez), who performs as a ventriloquist as a cover, outwits a secret agent …
Read the full post →“<em>Mr. Moto’s Last Warning</em> (Twentieth Century Fox, 1939)”
Heirs of a shipping magnate are summoned to Shanghai with the prospect of splitting the old man’s fortune, but they’ll face some challenges along the way, including being abducted by the magnate’s erstwhile partner, who wants a share himself. Twists keep this one fairly interesting, and Kent Taylor does fine as the lead. Mildly recommended. …
Read the full post →“<em>Dangerous Millions</em> (Twentieth Century Fox, 1946)”
Spies after a formula that can be used for warfare are after a woman being deported and riding the “exile express,” a cross-country train carrying deportees to the East Coast. Moderately entertaining fare. Mildly recommended. Otto judiciously thinks this movie is OK, but not great. Movie 236 for 2021.
American agents (Tom Keene and Warren Hymer) tackle arms smuggling in the Far East. Reasonable amounts of action and good leads (including Wera Engels as the heroine) make for a fairly entertaining low-budget effort. Mildly recommended. Otto judiciously thinks this movie is OK, but not great. Movie 233 for 2021.
Entertaining low-budget thriller features a strange society of black-robed figures whose secret ceremonies include an officiating priestess … the object of the protagonist’s affections! There’s a lot going on here to maintain the viewer’s interest. Mildly recommended. Otto judiciously thinks this movie is OK, but not great. Movie 224 for 2021.
Newspaper editor (Grant Withers) gives suicidal young woman (Lois Wilson) a job on his paper, and she and another reporter both investigate the smuggling of illegal aliens into San Francisco, an investigation that brings danger and that may hit rather close to home for the editor. Decent performances from both leads and supporting characters add …
Read the full post →“<em>The Secrets of Wu Sin</em> (Chesterfield, 1932)”
An earnest young police constable (Hugh Latimer) goes undercover to try to track down and capture a gang of violent thieves targeting trucks. He’s helped by his fiancée, Joan (Patricia Cutts), who proves able to hold her own in the investigation … but what will happen when the mysterious leader of the gang learns they’re …
