Mr. Moto Takes a Chance (1938)

User Rating:

6.7/10   

Director:

Norman Foster

Writers:

Lou Breslow (writer)
Wyllis Cooper (story)

Release Date:

24 June 1938 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Mystery | Drama

Plot:

In the jungle near Angkor Wat in Cambodia, Mr. Moto poses as an ineffectual archaeologist and a venerable holy man with mystical powers to help foil two insurgencies against the government.

Plot Keywords:

Priest | Sequel | Beautiful Woman | Fourth Part | Character Name In Title

Cast

Peter Lorre	...	Mr. Moto
Rochelle Hudson	...	Victoria 'Vicki' Mason
Robert Kent	...	Marty Weston
J. Edward Bromberg	...	Rajah Ali
Chick Chandler	...	Chick Davis
George Regas	...	Bokor
Frederick Vogeding	...	Capt. Zimmerman (as Frederik Vogeding)

Also Known As:

Look Out, Mr. Moto (USA) (pre-release title)

Runtime:

63 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Certification:

USA:Approved (PCA #3842)

Company:

Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

Filmed in 1937, not released until 1938.

Goofs:

Continuity: Near the end of the movie Mr. Moto begins a fight with Bokor's bodyguard. The bodyguard lunges at Mr. Moto and takes the first swing with the sword. The bodyguard's sword breaks in half, but in the next shot they they continue this sword fight, but with no broken swords.

Movie Connections:

Followed by Mr. Moto in Danger Island (1939)

A hectic, funny Golden Age B picture.

Indeed this movie is a great deal like a Republic serial. For those who like their meat raw, that's a good thing, and fun can be had here. Granted, there is more than enough silliness to go around -- Lorre's disguise as an Asian sage is, to be blunt, not *entirely* successful, but he plays the impersonation tongue in cheek, and the end result is nothing if not amusing.

I cannot imagine what is offensive except possibly the dreaded racial stereotypes, which surely are endemic to the whole series. The idea that a B picture would be "held back for a few months" because of a matter of taste doesn't seem likely. Zanuck didn't expect Bs to be any good, and rarely screened them. There's no reason to single this film out as any sillier than many Bs of the period. There's more than enough to enjoy, and the running time is mercifully short. I'd rather watch this than any of the interminable Charlie Chan films.