Mr. Moto Chega a Tempo

1939's "Mr. Moto's Last Warning" stars Peter Lorre as the Japanese detective, of whom nothing was heard once the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. Lorre is surrounded by a great cast, which includes Ricardo Cortez, Virginia Field, John Carradine, and George Sanders. Lorre not only plays Moto, but his cover, who runs an antique store.

The story concerns Moto's investigation of a conspiracy against the British and French governments. One of the "conspirators" is a British agent, and the two of them discover that the group has put mines in the harbor in order to blow up the French fleet -- the group had been desperately trying to find out the arrival date, and once they got it, set the bombs in place. Obviously, this is before Churchill blew the French fleet up in 1940 when the French refused to do so, which would thus give the Germans access to the fleet. The conspirators plan to blame the British for the bombing, hoping to start the Second World War.

Lorre does a great job, and Ricardo Cortez, as the head of the group whose works as a ventriloquist as his cover, makes an effective villain. Sanders uses a strange accent. Virginia Field, one of the "ice cream blondes" of that era was under contract to 20th Century Fox at the time; unfortunately, she never made it to the top, but she was in a lot of good films and is very pretty. John Carradine is in top form.

Entertaining as well as interesting, this is a good entry into the series featuring the brilliant and delightful "Mr. Moto."

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 is always fun to watch, and this 'Mr. Moto' film gives him a good role that allows him to do a lot of things. The story itself is pretty good - although there are some loose ends, it moves quickly and has some offbeat aspects that usually work. Lorre carries the show, but there is a good supporting cast, especially George Sanders and John Carradine.

The setting and atmosphere are interesting, combining the waterfront setting (in Port Said) with an assortment of characters of different nationalities. The stage variety show, which is at the center of much of the action, creates some good moments. All in all, a pretty good feature that works well as light entertainment.

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(!)

The Mr. Moto films went out of circulation immediately after Pearl Harbor. As we can see in this film, they reflected a hope that circulated in John P. Marquand's England (and had some currency in the US) that a reasonably 'civilized' (in the European sense) Japan could be negotiated with over China and then used for political leverage against Russia and Germany. This film was released in early 1939; by September of that year, Germany was in Poland, and England and France were allied against it, so the basic premise of the film was made worthless. Shortly after, the Japanese kicked the British out of China, so the basic hope underlying the film became worthless. The film is thus best approached as a kind of fantasy.

It is, specifically, a spy thriller, not a mystery at all; it's more closely related to the James Bond films (which are also largely fantasies) than to the Charlie Chan style 'oriental detective' movies of its own day.

This is the only widely - and cheaply - available Moto film. I've only seen one other Mr. Moto film, a long time ago, and I don't remember it well. It was a fairly faithful adaptation from the original Marquand material, and seemed very complicated, much as the Marquand novels can be. This film, to the contrary, is an original story. It is streamlined and linear in plotting. It appears to have been made rather quickly on not a lot of money, but the film-making is strictly professional. The pacing avoids a lot of lags, and there are moments of real suspense and real surprise.

Thus we have a well-made, enjoyable genre film here; but the main delight of the film is undoubtedly the performance of Peter Lorre. Lorre achieved some respect in Germany and England before coming to Hollywood - where, alas, he was not treated well, as the type for which he was usually cast - 'suspicious foreigner' - was very narrow. Mr. Moto here allows Lorre a star-turn, a hero's part, and surprisingly considerable latitude in interpretation. He is obviously having a grand time here, and delivers a wonderful performance.

Overall, an excellent B-movie, very entertaining if taken on its own terms.