L'ultimo avvertimento di Mr. Moto

I've always enjoyed Peter Lorre. When you run the gamut of actors from the inception of the motion picture, I can think of no one to match him. Here he plays a Chinese detective. His credibility is in question because of that very fact. Nevertheless, there is a sort of acceptance due to the wisdom of Asians. I suppose this all came out of the Charlie Chan mythos. In this one there is a plot to blow up the French fleet. It would be a major act of war and a great defeat. Mr. Moto is forced to make his way among a bevy of bad guys. There's espionage, double dealing, but he makes his solitary way through this confusing mess. One of the bad guys is a ventriloquist who seems to have a sick fascination with his dummy. Of course, this all works into the plot. Mr. Moto manages to engage the help of several other characters and finds a way to save the day.

This was my first Mr. Moto film and I wasn't sure what to expect. Peter Lorre is surprisingly good as the Japanese "international police" detective, altho in this entry he's forced to use a lot of broken English in lieu of a disguise. This isn't a mystery, since we know exactly what's happening all along (Moto is tracking some foreign agents who are up to no good), but it is pretty nifty, especially when Moto mixes it up with the heavies and gives as good as he gets. The acting is passable, particularly from the principals, and the seaside setting is realistic. It's good stuff, especially if you're also interested in early John Carradine work or think you'd enjoy seeing posh George Sanders putting on a French accent(!)

Mr. Moto's Last Warning (1939)

*** (out of 4)

Mr. Moto (Peter Lorre), believed dead, is assisted by an undercover British agent (John Carradine) as the two try to stop a couple international agents (Ricardo Cortez, George Sanders) from using the Suez Canal to blow up some French ships and blaming the British. This sixth entry in the series is a major step up from the previous two entries and one could say this one here was the best of the series. The story is a pretty good one but what really works here is the wonderful cast of character actors who really make this a must see. It's fun seeing Lorre's Moto up against various other actors who played famous roles themselves and that includes Perry Mason and Sam Spade (Cortez), The Saint (Sanders) and Dracula (Carradine) too. Seeing the four character actors share the same film makes for a lot of fun and the story itself also helps build some drama and that includes a wonderful underwater sequence that certainly won't be forgotten by anyone who sees it. The story is certainly a bit far fetched but it's made believable due to the actors all giving very good performances and Foster handles the material very well. The ending contains some great action with our hero kicking it into high gear to do major damage. The guys get to have a lot of fun but so does Virginia Fields in her small but fun role. Lorre is great as usual but it's actually Cortez who steals the film as the ruthless villain. Carradine also offers up an excellent performance and his scene at the bottom of the ocean is quite creepy and highly effective. Overall this here is certainly one of the best films in the series and one that even non-fans should be able to enjoy.

Peter Lorre as the oriental detective Mr. Moto was truly a delightful experience to behold. A seemingly small man in statue but gifted in the art of judo. When the decoy Moto is murdered you feel that the real Moto will not stop at nothing to bring justice. A man of quick wit and chameleon abilities to blend in, joins up with a british agent to stop the suspected saboteurs. Mr. Moto faces death several times and survives by observational powers of deduction and underwater skills. A top notch performance by Mr. Lorre and George Sanders really make this film a worthwhile experience.

This one starts out especially murky, bristling with bad hats rubbing shoulders with innocent Westerners in a strange land. What they're all up to takes some resolving, but be reassured Moto's in charge, even though he unwittingly sends 2 of his cohorts to their deaths along the way. High production values compliment an interesting if far-fetched storyline.

A gang of jittery international spies working for an un-named foreign power aim to disrupt the French fleet heading into Port Said in Egypt and cause rupture between those very old long-standing allies Britain and France, Moto's aim is to disrupt the baddies first. All-knowing Ricardo Cortez has a strange job as ventriloquist to his unexplained Cockney dummy Alf, while his second George Sanders puts on a seedy French accent with gusto if not skill. Poor old John Carradine though! And good for Cortez's moll with moral fibre Virginia Field! A tense climax is guaranteed with Moto in the bag, and is ingenious when it arrives.

A great little film for those of us who like the genre, not unless.