Mr. Moto in Danger Island

Mr. Moto in Danger Island(1939)

NR
04/07/1939 (US)Crime, Mystery, Thriller, Action1h 4m
6.6

"HUNTED BY THE POLICE!...STALKED BY A KILLER!"

Overview

In Puerto Rico to investigate a glut of contraband diamonds that are flooding the world's jewel market, Mr. Moto and his sidekick, a wrestler, find themselves involved in murders by thrown daggers, the frame-up of an overstressed Army colonel, and a pirate gang led by an unknown boss who has inside knowledge of the ensuing investigation.

John P. Marquand

Characters

George Bricker

Story

Herbert I. Leeds

Director

Peter Milne

Screenplay

John Reinhardt

Story

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Part of the Mr. Moto Collection

Collection of movies featuring Mr. Moto Mr. Moto is a fictional Japanese secret agent created by the American author John P. Marquand. He appeared in six novels by Marquand published between 1935 and 1957. Marquand initially created the character for the Saturday Evening Post, which was seeking stories with an Asian hero after the death of Charlie Chan's creator Earl Derr Biggers. In various other media, Mr. Moto has been portrayed as an international law enforcement agent. These include eight motion pictures starring Peter Lorre between 1937 and 1939, 23 radio shows starring James Monk broadcast in 1951, a 1965 film starring Henry Silva, and a 2003 comic book produced by Moonstone Books. The graphic novel Welcome Back, Mr. Moto by Rafael Nieves and Tim Hamilton published by Moonstone Books in 2008 (originally published in 2003 as a 3-issue comic book miniseries) portrays Mr. Moto as an American of Japanese descent helping Japanese-American citizens after World War II.

Media

Social

C
A review by CinemaSerf
6.0

Written on June 22, 2022

This last but one outing for Peter Lorre in the title role is a really lacklustre affair with precious little for either us, to him, to sink our teeth into. Our contemplative detective is despatched to Puerto Rico to investigate a diamond smuggling racket that cost his predecessor his life. En route he bests and befriends the nice but dim wrestler "McGurk" (Warren Hymer - whom I could have sworn was Ward Bond) and so acquires quite an useful bodyguard as his task becomes positively dangerous. Sadly, though, the infiltration and exposure elements of the story are quite weak, and the opportunities for "Moto" to use his celebrated cerebral skills are sparse. It's engaging enough to watch, though, just a shade on the predicable side.