maksquibs Review of Mr. Moto Takes a Chance

Mr. Moto Takes a Chance (1938)

Mr. Moto finds he's not the only secret agent looking for a secret munitions warehouse.

[6/10 · 10 April 2008]

If you exclude MR. MOTO'S GAMBLE which is really a 'Charlie Chan' pic, this is the least of the Moto series. The workable plot concerns a munitions warehouse hidden in a Cambodian temple, but there's a poverty row feel to the thing. Not so much in production values, but in the writing & execution, as if everyone was just going through the motions. Peter Lorre's Moto spends a third of the picture as an ancient holy man (looking & sounding like a precursor to Yoda from STAR WARS), and combining the comic relief with the romantic subplot only makes things worse. If this happens to be your first MOTO don't let it be your last. Six of the eight adventures are tremendous fun, so hang in there.