If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

I am only giving this movie a 1 for the great cast, though I can't imagine what any of them were thinking. This movie was horrible

Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

THINK FAST, MR. MOTO (20th Century-Fox, 1937), directed by Norman Foster (who also scripted), based on the story by John P. Marquand, introduces Peter Lorre as the Oriental sleuth, Kentaro Moto. With the studio's success to what developed into a long running "Charlie Chan" movie series starring Warner Oland, "Mr. Moto" was another attempt for another franchise of Oriental detectives. The slight difference between Chan and Moto is that Chan was a Chinese inspector with a wife and family while Moto was a Japanese detective only as a hobby who occasionally lives and works alone, acquiring assistants along the way, usually comic foils most commonly found in the latter theatrical episodes to come.For its first installment to an eight film series, based on Marquand's third written "Moto" novel, the story begins during the Chinese New Year in San Francisco where Mr. Moto (Peter Lorre), disguised as a street peddler, enters a Jacob Berger Curio Shop attempting to sell a precious Romanov stone collection to its owner (Fredrik Vogeding). Having earlier taking notice of a disguised man with a tattoo mark on his arm leaving the shop, Moto silently notices a hand from a dead body sticking out from a wicker basket beneath the counter. Moments later a man of authority arrives to arrest the disguised Moto for peddling without a license, but manages to make his escape dodging gunfire. Once entering his apartment and removing his disguise, Moto, on a secret mission to locate narcotics smugglers, telephones to make reservations for a stateroom on the Monte Carlo Pacific steamer bound for Shanghai. While on board, Moto befriends Bob Hitchings (Thomas Beck), a millionaire playboy whose father (George Hassell), owner of the ship, entrusts his son with a confidential sealed letter to be delivered to his branch manager, Joseph B. Wilkie, stationed in Shanghai. Coming on board the ship during a stopover in Honolulu is Gloria Danton (Virginia Field), who, at first, gives Bob a hard time when trying to make her acquaintance. Prior to the ship docking for Shanghai, a series of mysterious circumstances have occurred: Carson (John Rogers), a steward, gets tossed overboard after being caught snooping in one of the staterooms; Gloria, with whom Bob has fallen in love, makes a sudden departure; and the note Bill is to give Mr. WIlkie (Murray Kinnell) turns out to be a blank piece of paper. Aside from an assortment of characters involved, including Lela (Lotus Long), a hotel telephone operator, and the bearded Adram (J. Carroll Naish) of the East India Bizarre, Mr. Moto must think fast when falling victim to danger of Nicholas Marloff (Sig Ruman), proprietor of the International Club, along with his associate, "Muggs" Blake (George Blake), with intentions of doing away with Moto before the little man discovers any more evidence that's to expose the actual ringleader responsible for a series of murderous activities.Also in the cast are: Charles Irwin (The Steward); Frank Mayo (Captain Marshall); Tom Herbert (The Seasick Passenger); and William Law (Steve, the Shanghai Police Chief). Virginia Field playing the mysterious Gloria Banton, introduces a song, "The Shy Violet" by Sidney Clare and Harry Akst, while Bert Roach participates in one of the film's few comedic moments as a bartender who confusingly prepares a drink for Mr. Moto as instructed by him.Other than Peter Lorre's know-how ability to hold the viewer's interest throughout this fast-paced 67 minutes, what makes THINK FAST, MR. MOTO so enjoyable viewing is keeping the audience guessing to which assortment of characters involved are the villains and which ones are undercover agents. Suspense really builds once Moto and Bob reach the International Club where, at the risk of their lives, to discover more than they realize. Other than the natural fight and last minute rescues, Lorre's Moto acquires a new method of self defense uncommonly found on screen at that time, which happens to be jujitsu.Of the eight installments, oddly enough, THINK FAST, MR. MOTO, was strangely the least known and revived of the series, especially in the New York City area. It wasn't until sometime in the mid 1980s did this initial entry, along with its seven other Moto/Lorre mysteries did it become available for viewing on broadcast television and eventually onto DVD a couple of decades later for its rediscovery. Next installment, THANK YOU, MR. MOTO (1937) with Lorre resuming his title role, and Thomas Beck and Sig Rumann making return engagements in different character roles, is another gem that's just as good. (***)

Mr. Moto, at least for me, is a surprise. The Hollywood caricatures of other races -- the foot- shuffling and eye-rolling of black males, the "Ah-so'ing,' "honorable son" and awful pseudo- Confucianism of Charlie Chan -- is not much present with Kentaro Moto (Peter Lorre), executive director of an import-export firm "with a hobby for magic." Sure, this being Hollywood Lorre wears glasses but they're not thick. He uses a dental appliance with slightly protuberant and poorly spaced choppers, but it's only a slight exaggeration. There's some overly polite dialogue for Lorre, but Lorre's distinctive Hungarian accent makes it more piquant that demeaning. Mr. Moto also is an expert at hand-to-hand combat, an occasional detective and good at disguises. He's smart and clever. It also helps at times that Mr. Moto is ruthless, and seems more amused than anything else when he causes the death of a bad guy. He doesn't seem perturbed in the slightest when one night he tosses a man off the side of a passenger liner in the middle of the Pacific. The next morning he even inquires about the missing man's health. Peter Lorre, short and innocent looking, with the hint of something that might be disturbing just below the surface, is excellent. Think Fast, Mr. Moto is the first of the Moto series. For a low-budget movie supervised by a Twentieth Century Fox B-movie producer and directed by a man with little experience, the movie is fast-paced, well constructed and a lot of fun. It's no more than what it is, and what it is was put together in a craftsman-like way. The story has to do with the smuggling of gems and drugs between Shanghai and the States. A passenger line is being used in this dangerous game, and most of the movie takes place either on the high seas or in Shanghai. There are a lot of people about either in evening dress or pulling rickshaws. Among the well-groomed are the young, handsome scion of the cruise ship firm and the beautiful and mysterious young woman who won't discuss her past. We'll also meet her White Russian protector who is based in Shanghai and is almost as good at cards as Mr. Moto. And, of course, there's Mr. Moto, himself, who smiles a lot, asks innocent questions and can deal decisively with a man holding a switchblade. The movie is so fast- paced that in the first six minutes of this hour-and-three-minute film we will encounter a Chinese New Year's dragon parade in San Francisco, a wondrous jewel, clever bargaining, gunplay, oriental treasures and curios, a man in disguise, a corpse in a basket, most of the main characters...and a letter to Wilkie. The letter proves to be as important as the jewels. It's no spoiler to say that Mr. Moto solves the case and traps the villains. We expect that the young couple will enjoy a happy and wealthy relationship. I watched the movie with a smile.

It's nice reading the largely warm and positive comments on this film, fans of the genre like myself seem to seek them out and enjoy them for the entertainment value they offer of a simpler time. I became a Peter Lorre fan with my first viewings of "Casablanca" and "The Maltese Falcon", and was lucky to come by the entire Mr. Moto run over the weekend. 'Think Fast' is the first entry in the 20th Century Fox series, and as first impressions go, I'll be anxious to get through the rest of them.Right off the bat, comparisons to the Charlie Chan and Mr. Wong films of the same era offer a host of differences. The Moto character plainly enjoys getting a lot more physical with his adversaries, and I did a double take when he threw the steward Carson overboard on the cruise ship. This was one Oriental detective not afraid to mix it up Dirty Harry style.Though the ensuing films in the series may prove different, this one didn't seem to be as blatant in terms of racial references. I caught a single 'chop suey' remark, but it didn't come from any of the principal players, but a passenger on board the ship. Another consideration, whereas Charlie Chan was almost always assisted by a Number #1, 2 or 3 son, and Mr. Wong had Detective Street, Peter Lorre's Moto appears to work alone, though interacting with other characters in the story. In this one, Moto befriends the son of the cruise line owner, Bob Hitchings (Thomas Beck).Keep an eye on the scenes that focus on the tattoo convincing Moto the costumed character in San Francisco and the steward Carson are the same person. In the earlier scene, the tattoo is shown on the inside of the disguised character's arm as he closes a door. However on board the cruise ship, when Carson reaches up to close a vent, the tattoo is on the top side of his arm below the wrist!In this, Mr. Moto's first film adventure, he successfully uncovers a diamond smuggling operation, with hints for the viewer along the way as to who the villains are. However there was one surprise a la Charlie Chan, when Moto slaps the cuffs on Wilkie (Murray Kinnell) it seems to come out of left field. Not that he couldn't have been involved, it's just that his involvement wasn't telegraphed along the way. Still, it made a lot more sense than a lot of Chan's solutions, which required the detective to explain how he managed to solve the crime.Anyway, I'm on board with Mr. Kentaro Moto, and will be looking forward to the rest of his adventures. Next in the series is "Thank You, Mr. Moto".

Ah! the 1930's! A time when it was generally perceived that anything that came out of the Orient was a threat. The Yellow Peril loomed over all of Western Europe and America, so it was to be believed, with the likes of Fu Manchu and his minions and other deadly men out to take over the world. Despite this generalized, popular stereotype, Hollywood made strings of films with Oriental detectives that, while still unfortunately maintaining certain Oriental prejudices and mannerisms, bucked this trend with the likes of the wise, sententious Charlie Chan, the inimitable Mr. Wong, and Mr. Moto of course. None of the series used Oriental actors, but the films gave the likes of Warner Oland, Sidney Toler, Boris Karloff, Bela Lugosi, and Peter Lorre jobs. The Mr. Moto series, based on the works of John Marquand, began with Think Fast, Mr. Moto. The film is somewhat confusing in spots, but generally a rousing success of creating an endearing screen character that went on to make several more films. Mr. Moto, unlike Chan or Wong, is Oriental yet very Western in many ways. He is quiet, circumspect, wearing very small rounded glasses. Lorre captured his character wonderfully. The story details how Moto is following the workings of a smuggling ring in Singapore. He travels from San Francisco to the Orient on a luxury liner, where he meets the son of the tycoon that owns the boat and who also may have information that can lead Moto to the smugglers. A pretty good mystery that was not real hard to figure out at the end. It's Lorre's portrayal that gives the film real life, and definitely has set me out to see the other films in the series. By the way, great character actor Sig Ruman plays the heavy...quite nicely!