The Mystery of Mr. Wong

Although this is a typical "B" movie from the 1930s, it is way above the average suspense flick from that period. It has a lot of interesting elements such as the presence of a valuable gem sapphire called "The Daughter of the Moon", a gunshot out of nowhere, a creepy old house, and a gathering of sinister characters in which all would have motives to commit murder.

Karloff may seem superficially miscast seeming to look just passably Chinese with the makeup used, but one must consider the premise that Mr. Wong is supposed to be raised in England and educated at Heidelberg, Germany and Oxford, England which would account for his heavy British accent.

The film continues at a fine pace throughout the film with the various characters functioning as red herrings (love triangles, attempts to reclaim the gem, another murder, an attempt on Mr. Wong's life) until the true murderer is revealed at the end of the film (which I won't reveal here).

Worthy to be mentioned along with the best of the "Charlie Chan" and "Mr. Wong" series from the same period.

10/10.

Dan Basinger

This second Mr. Wong film was given a bigger budget than the first, actually has some exterior scenes, and is a much more polished production. Boris Karloff is excellent as usual in his suave and quiet manner as the brilliant amateur Chinese detective of San Francisco. In this film, we learn more about him. We discover that he has degrees from both the University of Heidelberg and Oxford University. There is certainly no doubt about his high intelligence and his profound knowledge of Chinese literature and art. He is a connoisseur who is familiar with most types of precious Chinese objects. And hence it is that he is familiar with the background of the object which is at the centre of this story, a precious imperial gem known as The Eye of the Daughter of the Moon. It turns out that in the recent sack of Nanking (today called Nanjing) by the Japanese, numerous priceless gems, jades, and works of art from an Imperial Collection there have been pillaged and made their way into the hands of private collectors. The most priceless of all of these is the gem just mentioned which has been illegally acquired by a rich collector who is very soon murdered. There are two very annoying performances in this film. One is by Grant Withers as the Detective Inspector, shouting and over-acting as usual. The other is Dorothy Tree, who simply can't act at all. However, one ignores these faults in the interest of following the good story. Otherwise it is an excellent film, and lots of villains are to be found.

A prize sapphire has been stolen and received by collector Morgan Wallace right off a freighter in San Francisco bay before docking, thereby eluding customs. It's been stolen during the Japanese occupation in Nanking and Wallace is naturally in fear of his life as a result. It's no accident he's invited the great scholar and criminologist James Lee Wong as played by Boris Karloff to a reception that evening creating The Mystery Of Mr. Wong.

Despite I think was a grammatically incorrect title and given this is a production from Monogram Pictures, this is not a bad mystery and very topical at the time. The news of the war waged on the Chinese by Japan was in the papers all the time.

When the murder of Farley is actually committed it's during a game of charades where guest Grant Reynolds shoots Farley during a sketch and the man doesn't get up. In a manner worthy of Agatha Christie there are a whole host of subjects present at the mansion. It was just the killer's bad luck to do this with Wong present.

One of these days I'll be bowled over when I find out that someone actually decides to call of a planned crime when some famous detective appears unplanned on the screen.

Don't these people go to the movies?

Yes, Mr. Wong is on hand when a murder of a friend takes place. He could not prevent it but works with Capt. Sam Street of the police to solve it. The means of death is not complicated or ingenious - shooting with a silencer. But there are a number of suspects. Ballistics prove that the bullet came from a high angle. Quickly, half of the suspects are off the hook and the film becomes a relatively easy whodunit. Elementary for Mr. Wong, but of course the police are on the wrong track. Good film to see late at night when the "little gray cells" need a rest or if complicated sleuthing is not your "expertise."

That is not to knock Mr Wong, Detective, it wasn't a great film but it was an entertaining one. But The Mystery of Mr Wong seemed visually more refined and just better executed in general. It does suffer from a surprising but rather underdeveloped final solution(much more could have been done to explain the reason behind the crimes) and Dorothy Tree's- a very elegant woman- at times over-emotive acting. However, where The Mystery of Mr Wong most improves on from Mr Wong, Detective is the look of the film and the pacing. The production values are not big-budget, but they are noticeably more refined in editing and photography than in its predecessor. The pacing also is much crisper and maintains interest throughout instead of having the odd lull. The music is jaunty and haunting that suits the atmosphere evoked really well, the dialogue is witty and thoughtful and the story has a good mystery and does it with a diverting atmosphere, good amounts of suspense and use of clues and a sense of fun. The film is solidly directed and the acting is mostly very competent, though only Boris Karloff is very good standard(what to expect from a great actor who made the most always of what he had?). All in all, not perfect but good fun and its improves over Mr Wong, Detective. 8/10 Bethany Cox