Murder Over New York (1940)

There are many Charlie Chan movies out there. They are generally pretty good. Either of the two actors that played Charlie Chan did a good job even though neither was of Asian heritage by any stretch of the imagination. These movies used logic and some humor, usually provided by the number two or three son and some from Chan himself (watch his face at times during the films). As usual for these movies Chan solves the case using unorthodox means and by miss direction including asking questions that direct the suspects attention where he wants them to go. Charlie is in New York for a convention. His Scotland Yard friend is killed and the hunt is on for the killer. After the usual search the guilty party is apprehended and every thing is fine.

As he unmasks the murderer at the film's end, Charlie Chan (Sidney Toler) looks directly at the killer and says: "Desperate attempt to silence ... reveal you to be head of sabotage ring". It's the standard whodunit ending, with all the suspects gathered together in one room. I correctly identified the murderer, but before that person is revealed, a plot twist kept me on edge.For a Chan movie, the story here, which involves WWII espionage, poisonous gas, and warplanes, is reasonably interesting, though predictably implausible. There's just the right number of suspects, all of whom are well defined. Efforts at suspense are a bit hokey.And Chan, as usual, seems to be able to make correct deductions based on the flimsiest of clues. Indeed, for the viewer, the best way to solve the case is to use intuition. Logical clues are few and far between. The film's weak link is the presence of Chan's annoying son, Jimmy. Overall acting is a tad exaggerated, especially at the end.A fairly typical story in the Chan series, "Murder Over New York" is worth watching if one is a whodunit or Charlie Chan buff. Most other viewers will find the story too implausible, too thin and insubstantial.

On his way to a police convention in New York, Charlie Chan runs into an old friend from Scotland Yard, Hugh Drake. Drake, now employed by military intelligence, is hot on the heels of a saboteur named Paul Narvo. Drake asks Chan to pay him a visit while he's in New York to talk over his case. Chan makes the visit only to find that his colleague has been murdered.If you look through my reviews, it should become apparent that I'm a fan of Charlie Chan. That's why it pains me to admit that I don't really care for Murder Over New York as much as most other fans seem to. Part of the problem is the whole WWII spy angle. I've never much cared for this type of plot when watching a Chan film. I should also point out that I have the same problem with the Basil Rathbone Sherlock Holmes films that deal with WWII espionage. I'd much rather see my favorite film detectives solving murders than chasing spies.Beyond my issues with the plot, I've always had a real problem the solution to the case. There is no way that the audience could hope to play along with Chan and come up with a solution. The movie cheats far too much. There is information known only to Chan that comes up after the killer is identified. All I ask is that movies of this type play fair.From my rating, it's probably obvious that even with the problems I have with the film, I still enjoy it. I mean it's still Charlie Chan after all. Sidney Toler is as enjoyable as ever. Victor Sen Yung is as good, if not better (meaning less annoying), than in some of the previous installments. The rest of the cast is more than serviceable with a fun cameo from Shemp Howard. Like all the other Chan films, this one looks much better than it should. The cinematography is solid. Finally, considering all the problems I pointed out that I have with Murder Over New York, it's a bit odd that I've probably seen it more than any other Charlie Chan film. That's got to count for something.

Charlie's in New York catching pre-war spies with wise-cracking #2 son, Victor Sen-Yung. They make a delightful team. Yes, it's unfortunate that blacks are stereotyped, but we're certainly intelligent enough to place this within the proper prospective.As with every Chan film in the 30s & 40s, the film shows Charlie's high sense of family values, and he is accorded respect like no other character in the film as he easily outwits dimwitted white chief detective Don McBride and the others.Overall, the Chan series are an honorable and respectable part of our film history - and they're fun and entertaining as hell. These films deserve to be seen as often as any other film of the era.Please pass the popcorn and leave your over-sensitive political correctness at the door. It's show time!