Charlie Chan at Monte Carlo (1937)

A weak, but still enjoyable Chan film, 18 August 2007

Traveling from Monte Carlo to Nice, Charlie Chan and No.1 son Lee discover and abandoned car. Inside the car, they find the dead body of a bank messenger who was transporting $1 million in bonds belonging to a wealthy industrialist named Victor Karnoff. There is no shortage of suspects: Paul Savarin – Karnoff's business rival; Joan Karnoff – Victor's wife who was being blackmailed; Al Rogers – a shady bartender; Evelyn Gray – a woman living above her means; or Karnoff himself for the insurance money. It's up to Charlie Chan to discover the truth.

Charlie Chan at Monte Carlo would be Warner Oland's last performance as the venerable detective. Unfortunately, it's one of the weakest Chan films Oland would make. It's not his fault – instead the blame can be placed on a weak script and a couple of other factors. Chan films notoriously cheat the viewer in that the solution to the mystery too often relies on facts not available to the audience. Charlie Chan at Monte Carlo is especially guilty of this. Key clues that help trap the killer are known only to Chan and the French Police Inspector. As for the other factors I mentioned, one of these would be Harold Huber. Huber, who appeared in two other Chan films, really lays it on thick here with his over-the-top acting and ridiculous French accent. It gets annoying rather quickly.

Still, this is Charlie Chan I'm talking about so it's not all bad. In fact, even a weak Chan film is still an enjoyable experience. It's just a shame that Oland couldn't have gone out on a higher note.

6/10

Charlie Chan on Broadway (1937)

Big Time Spoiler Alert, 18 August 2007

Charlie Chan and #1 son Lee get mixed up with a mysterious woman on board a ship bound for New York. Unbeknownst to Chan, the woman is the former girlfriend of a gangster with information that, if published, could blow the lid off the underworld. She hides a small package in Chan's luggage to make sure it gets to New York safely. Shortly after arriving in New York, the woman is murdered in an office at the Hottentot Club. Can Chan discover the woman's secret and find her killer?

Charlie Chan on Broadway is yet another very solid entry in the Chan series. Warner Oland and Keye Luke are as good and entertaining as ever. Plus, anytime I see the names Marc Lawrence or Leon Ames in the credits, I know I'm in for a good time. But the highlight of this one has to be the killer's identity. It completely caught me off guard.

BIG TIME SPOILERS – If you've seen enough of the Charlie Chan movies (or any other detective type movies from the 30s and 40s), there are a few absolutes you can generally count on. One of them is that the Chan movies usually feature a young couple in love. While both may come under suspicion at some point in the movie, they are always exonerated by the end to continue their dreamy relationship. That's not the case in Charlie Chan on Broadway. One of the last people I expected – the male half of the ideal couple – is found to be the killer. It really threw me for a loop! END OF BIG TIME SPOILERS

Overall, I'm very pleased to have discovered a "new" Charlie Chan film. I look forward to revisiting it many times in the future.

7/10

Night Key (1937)

A "new" Karloff film is always welcome, 30 July 2007

David Mallory is an inventor. Twenty years ago, he invented an alarm system that was so good his partner, Steven Ranger, stole his ideas and set-up his own security/alarm firm without compensating Mallory. Well, Mallory has now developed two new inventions. The first is an improvement on his old system – an electronic beam that detects intruders. He intends to sell the improvement to Ranger. It' s not until his old buddy does him wrong a second time that Mallory unveils his second new invention – an electronic key that will allow anyone who uses it to bypass the Ranger security system. Mallory begins using it to set off alarms all over town as a joke to annoy Ranger. But when the local crime boss gets wind of Mallory's invention, he wants it – and not for practical jokes.

While Boris Karloff is always welcome in any movie he appeared in, the role of David Mallory could, in all honesty, have been played by just about anyone. The role did not require Karloff's unique talents and abilities. I suppose that's one of the things that bothers me the most about Night Key – you have Karloff, why not use him to the fullest? I understand that Universal owed Karloff a movie, but why make this? Why not put him in something more in keeping with the image that Universal had already built up? It doesn't make much sense to me.

Overall, however, Night Key is an enjoyable little b-type picture. The film is nicely paced with rarely a lull to loss interest. Director Lloyd Corrigan does a solid job in that area. And the 68 minute runtime doesn't hurt either. The acting is good. Other than Karloff, I was impressed with Jean Rogers as his daughter and Hobart Cavanaugh as his less than reputable new friend. Though it's often predictable, the plot is nonetheless engaging. While I could have done without the subplot involving the relationship between Rogers' characters and one of the Ranger security guards, I've got few complaints otherwise. Overall, Night Key is not a bad way to spend an evening.

6/10

Pépé le Moko (1937)

"Blame it on the Casbah.", 16 April 2007

Pepe le Moko (Jean Gabin) is something of a celebrity in the Algerian Casbah he calls home. The locals do what they can to protect Pepe and keep the police off his trail in hopes of winning his favor. But how long can Pepe remain hidden in the maze-like Casbah? The French police have a plan to use one of his best friends to lure Pepe out of the Casbah and place him under arrest. Complicating matters is a Parisian woman visiting Algiers that Pepe finds himself smitten with. She's different from what he's come to know in Algeria. She makes him dream and long for days of freedom outside the Casbah walls.

To begin with, to anyone who recommended Pepe le Moko – a big fat thanks. It's a great movie that I probably would have never even heard of had it not been for some of the good people at IMDb. As a budding fan of film noir, I was hooked from the minute the movie began. The plot kept my interest throughout. Never did it seem slow. I've only seen Jean Gabin in one other movie (Touchez pas au grisbi), but I'm quickly discovering what a talented actor he was. His Pepe is a very believable character. He plays Pepe with style, feeling, and, when called for, viciousness. Director Julien Duvivier uses the twisted roads and alleyways of the Casbah to create a one of kind setting for his film. I've actually been in a place like this during a visit to Tangiers, and the Casbah in Pepe le Moko gave me that same feeling of a place you would easily get lost in.

In many ways, Pepe le Moko is ahead of its time. First, I honestly had no idea that something so seemingly American as film noir could be traced to 1930s French cinema. Many of the American films of the next two decades can surely be traced to Pepe le Moko. Second, much of the subject matter in the film is certainly something an American movie of the 30s would never touch or discuss so openly. Themes of sex and adultery wouldn't be commonplace in American cinema for years to come. And finally, some of the film techniques used by Duvivier give the film the look of something made years later. The camera has a fluidity and style I don't associate with the 30s when so much of what was being made still relied on the old "plant and shoot" technique of the silent era.

8/10

Think Fast, Mr. Moto (1937)

Comfortable and always welcome, 1 August 2006

When I arrived home from work today, I found the Mr. Moto Collection waiting on me. I decided to watch the movies in order and start with the first in the series, Think Fast, Mr. Moto. It's the story of a diamond smuggling ring operating aboard a luxury liner between China and the U.S. The mysterious and ever present Mr. Moto is on hand to put a stop to the illegal activity. Think Fast, Mr. Moto is the kind of movie that's best enjoyed curled up on the couch late at night when you want to put your brain on hold and just be entertained. It's like that favorite old, ratty shirt – comfortable and always welcome. The plot in Think Fast, Mr. Moto may not make much sense (even after everything has been explained) but it's a lot fun. The film would hardly be as good without Peter Lorre in the title role. Unlike most everything I've see him in, Lorre gets the chance to be the hero here and is excellent in the role. The final cat and mouse game between Lorre and the always entertaining Sig Ruman is the highlight of the film (although I must admit that it's difficult to watch Ruman and not want to laugh as images of the Marx Brothers pulling off his toupee went through my head).

I can't wait to watch the other three films in the collection.

8/10