The first Mr. Moto film set entirely in the United States, this third entry finds Peter Lorre’s character investigating a murder that occurred during a boxing match.  There are a number of suspects and Mr. Moto spends most of the movie waiting for the culprit to reveal himself.  Comic relief comes often from Charlie Chan’s son (Keye Luke), one of Mr. Moto’s pupils in a criminology class, and an ex-boxer (Max “Slapsie Maxie” Rosenbloom).

The film began life as a Charlie Chan film, a fact that explains Luke’s and Harold Huber’s (always annoying) presence.  The differences between the series come out starkly.  This is more of a mystery and seems slow compared to the action-packed pace of the first two Moto films.  Lorre’s character acts as much as he thinks, but here he mostly looks at dead bodies, teaches classes, and waits.  The humor, dull plot, and general lifelessness make for a drab experience and a real let down after the first two films of the series.  ✰.

MJM  01-07-2012