bkoganbing Interpol's best agent Moto Kentaro is undercover at the beginning of Mysterious Mr. Moto as a notorious prisoner on Devil's Island. Peter Lorre does an arranged breakout from the island with Leon Ames the head of an international syndicate of assassins. In Brooklyn on a more local level it was called Murder Inc.Lorre attachs himself to Ames to work as his Japanese houseboy the better to get a line on the group. A bunch of them are in London to carry out a contract on Czech steel magnate Henry Wilcoxon unless he coughs up a new manufacturing formula he's developed. Wilcoxon does not take kindly to threats so Lorre has his work cut out for him.International politics gets jumbled considerably as Moto has a Chinese girl confederate here played by Karen Sorrell. And of course he's treated badly when he's in the notorious Limehouse district by the locals and rather condescendingly by Scotland Yard.I will say this though. It's rather obvious after a while who the real ringleader is, but if you look at the cast credits you won't figure it out because of the roles this player done.Peter Lorre is on top of his game, the film though has not stood the test of time.

Steve Ressel The Moto films were 'cheaps', made quickly and inexpensively, and also rather short to pack in with other films for a cinema experience packed with a variety of films in a string. Where most other films of the time have either risen to heights through brilliance or, as most have done, fallen from interest completely due to mediocre or lackluster efforts, the Moto films have found quite an enthusiastic audience that still thrills to the honest, entertaining portrayal of an exotic crime fighter.Mysterious Mr. Moto is the first film in the series where the crew seems to have 'gotten it together'. The acting, acing, story, and film work were all quite a notch above the previous three. Though the stories are always rather linear they keep an audience by balancing thrills, violence, mystery, character and mild romance.The criticism of racism is odd. Lorre plays the character slightly off Japanese, his accent being obviously Germanic, but his mannerisms are keen. Moto is an American schooled Japanese, which was very typical in those days, and it gives him an obvious bridge in understanding western culture. It is a pity they didn't find more Asians to fill key roles in these films, but generally the American actors used were quite good despite looking too Caucasian. I can forgive authenticity for acting ability, especially in the days when there were few stories written for Asians.Moto always comes off as a powerhouse. He's an admirable figure for anyone undersized in a brutal world. Kids must have loved Moto in the day as he proved someone tiny could trash giant brutes with guns and ham hock fists. He's a great roll model for more than just Asians or Japanese, he's a hero for everyone. These films are fun, matinée film that portrayed the shrinking world with a metropolitan and international flavor. I think they are admirable. Lorre proved himself adept beyond any doubt with these movies. They are a credit to the entire crew.

tedg This series was a competitor to the more long-running Charlie Chan stories. The differences are striking.Chan seems to never know what is going on until the end, when he has sussed out an amazingly complex set of circumstances. Our job during the movie is simply to collect facts that will only mean something when the final story is told. During this task we are given a few jokes. Chan's job is precisely the same as ours and we are always with him when he discovers something. He's just smarter, the product of a more clever race. Moto knows ahead of time much of what's going on. The stories aren't detective stories; they're adventure stories. Moto isn't a passive, simple observer on the viewer's side of the stage, but a participant, an actor who plays a role in disguise. He fights. He thwarts the bad guys. In his normal persona, he's much more poised, more genteel. More schooled. Its the superiority of the man, not the race.These each are sides of Sherlock Holmes in the two variants of stories. Interesting to see how they were bifurcated during this period. They'd stay separated until now, each developing into its own genre.Ted's Evaluation -- 2 of 3: Has some interesting elements.

bensonmum2 It's interesting to me that it's the "B" films of the 30s and 40s that seem to be so popular today. I sincerely doubt that anyone involved in the making of these movies could have imagined or cared that there would be an audience for their work almost 70 years later. Mysterious Mr. Moto is an enjoyable "B" that features everything you could ask for in one of these movies – a nice mystery, good action, sets that far exceed the film's limited budgets, exotic and quirky characters, and a sense of fun about the whole thing.Peter Lorre is back as the mysterious Japanese detective, Mr. Moto. In this installment in the series, Mr. Moto has himself imprisoned on Devil's Island so that he might gain the trust of one of the other prisoners who happens to be involved with a gang of international murderers for hire. They escape and head to America. Acting as the other man's servant, Mr. Moto is in a perfect position to put a stop to the group's activities.Mysterious Mr. Moto will never be confused with a deep, meaningful example of film-making. But it's not supposed to. It's a fun romp. And even if identity of the leader of the gang of murderers is obvious early on, it hardly matters. It's just fun watching Moto get to the answer. Lorre is as good as billed and he has a cast of familiar faces backing him up. Fans will recognize Harold Huber, Leon Ames, and Erik Rhodes from their numerous roles in other 30s "B" films. Each does a nice job of adding a bit of fun to the film.