Too much of everything

Memorable, crazy movie

A Disappointing Continuation

Excellent and certainly provocative... If nothing else, the film is a real conversation starter.

When Detective Dan Grady is found murdered in San Francisco Bay his friend Captain Bill Street is in charge of the investigation. Early evidence suggests that Grady was investigating the smuggling of precious Chinese Jade. Due to the Chinese connection Street calls Detective Wong to assist in his investigations. Reporter Roberta 'Bobbie' Logan also assists although Street wishes she wouldn't. Early clues lead to the 'Neptune Club' and its shady owner and a Jewellery Store that may be involved in selling the jade. As the investigation continues more murders take place; the problem is the main suspects have cast iron alibis for the time of one of the murders.This might not be a classic film but it is still entertaining with a good central mystery and it isn't obvious who did it prior to the final reveal. The characters are fun if a bit over the top... this is particularly true of Street who rarely stops shouting at whoever he is talking to. It must be said that in this day and age the idea of having a white actor play a Chinese character would not be acceptable but here it didn't really bother me; partly because of the film's age but mostly because if it weren't for his name and the fact that he is described as 'The Chinese Copper' I wouldn't have realised Wong was meant to be Chinese! Still Karloff was interesting in the role. Much of the film's fun is provided by Marjorie Reynolds's portrayal of Bobbie Logan, particularly in the scenes between her and Grant Withers's Captain Street. Overall I thought this was a fun little B movie.

This was a pretty fun Mr. Wong detective story. It has a few comical moments in it and the story was good. Mr. Wong is after a smuggling ring & unmasks a murderer.The Mr. Wong series is quite fun. If you like any of the Sherlock Holmes movies then it's possible you will like the Mr. Wong series starring Boris Karloff.What is interesting in this particular film, it features a wireless remote controlled radio. This radio was reality - it was not made up for the film. There is an article about the radio on CNet called "Back to the future: 1939 wireless remote control!" The article's subtitle reads: "Philco's Mystery Control (1939) was a battery-operated radio transmitter, so it didn't have to be in the same room as the radio it was controlling." Also, you can read more about this cool invention on Philco's website. That is a neat trivia fact I just learned about today.Yes this film is worth watching if you are a fan of detective stories or Boris Karloff.6/10

When a friend and fellow police officer is murdered, Captain Bill Street (Grant Withers) turns to Mr. Wong (Boris Karloff) for help. Wong's investigation leads him to uncover a smuggling ring. Because the story here is personal for his character, Grant Withers gets a chance to flex his acting muscles for the first time in the series. He wasn't nominated for an Academy Award, which surely must have been an oversight on the part of the Academy. Surely. But don't think the dramatic storyline means Street doesn't find time to yell at his girlfriend, Torchy Blane rip-off Bobbie Logan (pretty Marjorie Reynolds). Another watchable entry in the Mr. Wong series, which was never anything exceptional. Any movie with Boris Karloff is always worth watching once.

When Captain Street's best friend Dan O'Grady is murdered, Street enlists the help of Chinese detective James Lee Wong (Boris Karloff). Wong uncovers a smuggling ring on the waterfront of San Francisco and unmasks the killer, though not until several more murders occur. This film was including in a horror box set, and the Internet Movie Database considers it to be in the genre of horror, but I will tell you right now: there is no horror in this. None. It is a straight detective story. Yes, Boris Karloff is in it, but that does not make it horror.I was confused by the casting of Karloff as the Chinese Mr. Wong. He plays Wong in six films, but as far as I can tell Karloff is not Chinese and does not look or sound even vaguely Chinese. So why would they not cast someone else or change the nationality of Karloff's character? I really enjoyed Marjorie Reynolds as the pushy reporter, who was possibly Grant Withers' girlfriend (it is never made clear). She seems to show up at all the critical moments, adding a humorous element to the otherwise straight film. The other great character is Frank Puglia as "Hardway", the career criminal who hangs out around the police station. He was the most interesting character, providing a great red herring (actually this film is full of red herrings).If you like mysteries and old films, this is one you will want to give a fair chance to. If old movies bore you, never mind... you will fall asleep. But I liked it.