Mr. Moto Takes a Chance (1938)

Mr. Moto goes undercover in the Cambodian jungle as an archaeologist. There he tangles with a nefarious high priest and a Rajah (J. Edward Bromberg) who's more threatening than he seems. Also in the mix are a couple of goofy newsreel photographers (Robert Kent, Chick Chandler) and an aviatrix (Rochelle Hudson).In most of these Moto films, Peter Lorre seems to be having lots of fun and this one's no exception. He's great to watch. As another reviewer pointed out, Moto uses a disguise that strongly resembles Yoda. Chick Chandler is often annoying. Robert Kent isn't much better. The movie could only have been improved by removing their characters. J. Edward Bromberg seems like comic relief at first but his character's pretty sinister. He serves Mr. Moto his carrier pigeon for dinner! Next to Lorre, Rochelle Hudson is the best reason to watch this. She's gorgeous and does a great job playing the adventuress. She has more sex appeal with a ripped shirt exposing one bare shoulder than most actresses have fully nude.This one plays more like a jungle adventure film than a detective one. But it's pretty fun, with neat temple sets and nice performances from Lorre and Hudson.

Has it occurred to anyone else who has trekked through the undergrowth of this jungle thriller that at last we have the origins of Yoda? Fans of white-suited Mr. Moto may be aware he loves to masquerade in order to manipulate the unwary and the villainous, and in Mr. Moto Takes A Chance, Peter Lorre slips on a disguise...well, you just have to see it to believe it! It also appears that the studio's Central Casting dragged a couple of folks off of Hollywood Boulevard and strapped them into what might be Neo-Asian Drag, as it is a little difficult to know from looking at the poor things exactly what cultural background they are supposed to represent.There's also an ancient temple crawling with vines, a cobra in a basket, and all the trappings of a wonderfully silly Saturday afternoon matinée adventure--all this and Rochelle Hudson! Not one of the best Mr. Moto adventures, especially when Lorre, in his Moto makeup, spends far too much time under another layer of disguise to mystify the villainous as well as willing viewers--that said, if Peter Lorre's in it, the film is probably worth a look!

Mr. Moto is posing as an archaeologist but in reality he's investigating reports that there is soon to be an uprising against the colonial government. Soon after he arrives, an Amelia Earhart-like woman conveniently "drops in" as well as two wildlife documentary film makers--making this part of rural Thailand about the busiest place in the entire country!! Some things about MR. MOTO TAKES A CHANCE are very good and make this a stand out film. First, instead of being stuck on a cruise ship or in the big city, Moto is in Thailand--a nice departure indeed. Second, like the earliest Moto films, our hero is NOT above killing his enemies--making Moto quite the different from Charlie Chan. Later Moto films are quite different, with Moto acting almost exactly like Chan--so in general, the later the films were made the worse they were.Unfortunately, the film also had more than its share of dopey moments, such as the bats that flew up out of the trap door. Not only were they obviously fake, but you could very, very clearly see the strings! There was also an overuse of stock footage. While fortunately the animals were correct (such as Asian elephants, tigers and orangutans) but sometimes the clips were a bit grainy and seemed like they were thrown in for padding. In addition, the one cameraman character (the obviously "goofy" one) was a bit annoying. He seemed to be some sort of unnecessary comic relief and really detracted from the film.'' Overall, not a particularly inspired film and far from one of the better films in the series. Watchable but it's only a time-passer for everyone but Moto fans.

For the 4th Fox Moto the script took a nosedive and crashed like Rochell Hudson's plane did at the beginning. You could tell it was going to be a bumpy ride as she was flying over Angkor Wat and awe-struck by its beauty for a full half second. The overall intelligent production and sinister atmosphere generated by the sets more than make up for it though and keep me coming back."Grave-digger" Moto played beautifully superciliously by Peter Lorre is trying to discover and stop a plot to overthrow a Cambodian Rajah (?) played by mincing and wincing J. Edward Bromberg. Two grade A American newsreel cameramen get in the way, one falling for Hudson the other supplying the comedy. It takes a long time coming but the 2 Yanks escape an execution, Moto gets to show his incredible disguising (!) and energetic jujitsu skills off, and Hudson nearly got raped too (well, what was that about with the pervy High Priest if not?!) The High Priest/Temple scenes reminded me of George Zucco in The Mummy's Hand a few years later, another great film with a gossamer-like plot than smacked of Serial. Even so, there's a few surprises along the way, and the 61 minute running time simply flew by, because you see, I enjoy watching this type of movie: I can laugh at its many faults at the same time as revelling in its many good points.I only wish they had made this as a 13 part serial, there'd be so much more to enjoy.