TrueJoshNight Truly Dreadful Film
BlazeLime Strong and Moving!
NekoHomey Purely Joyful Movie!
Fluentiama Perfect cast and a good story
zsenorsock Roland Winters steps into the role of Charlie Chan for the last of the great detective's final six outings. First we see the now familiar Chan home in San Francisco (has he separated from his wife? Where are all those little kids we used to see?) then the familiar Birmingham Brown who then goes to the new Charlie and tells him he has a mysterious visitor. Soon after they are joined by Victor Sen Young, still playing number two son but now called Tommy (the name of Benson Fong's number three son) instead of Jimmy. This film is a lot more atmospheric than Toler's last outing in "The Trap" and the script makes a bit more sense but there's a sense that the party is over and they're just playing out the string here. Roland Winters doesn't contribute much as Chan and fails to make any impression other than that of a road show Charlie Chan. This film is more interesting as a curiosity than as a film. It is only interesting if you're watching to see what the new Chan is like. The answer: not too good. And the next five were pretty much downhill from here.
jonfrum2000 As Chans go, not the best, but the story itself is fine. Roland Winters is a perfectly good Chan - the role was defined by the time this episode in the series was made, so he basically just had to show up and recite the lines to get the job done. Although Victor Sen Young shows up as Tommy, he plays a very small part in the film - a good thing in my opinion. Birmingham Brown is present as comic relief, but doesn't shine in this one. Sargent Bill Davidson and plucky girl reporter Peggy Cartwright play the clichéd role of battling couple with unfortunate results. After the third or fourth exclamation of "Bill Davidson!" by our intrepid girl reporter, I was ready to strangle her. By the sixth or seventh time, I was ready to strangle myself. You'd think the writers were paid to keep the word count down. Worse, while the two argue in Davidson's office, he grabs her and shakes her in a rage, nearly knocking her off her feet. Of course, that's what men do to women they love, right? Don't worry, it all ends up in a kiss. Good God.That's what you have to deal with when watching sixty year old movies - sometimes there's a real culture shock.
JohnHowardReid 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.
Steve-171 Winters' debut as Chan is okay, but film is a near line-by-line remake of MR. WONG IN CHINATOWN, and the story wasn't great then. Foulger has meaty part as nervous banker, Ahn looks inscrutable, Moreland rolls his eyes, and Louise Currie is gorgeous, but pedestrian direction and cheapo production sink this for all but Chan fans.
