Back home

Mr. Moto Takes a Chance

18 votes

Producing House

In the jungle near Angkor Wat in Cambodia, Mr. Moto poses as an ineffectual archaeologist and a venerable holy man with mystical powers to help foil two insurgencies against the government.

movie

Status: Released

Released Date: 1938-06-11

Runtime: 63 mins

Director: Norman Foster

Spoken language: English

Genres: Thriller, Crime, Mystery

Original title: Mr. Moto Takes a Chance

Production Companies: 20th Century Fox

Production Countries: United States of America

Reviews

G

Geronimo1967
Maybe not one of the more substantial of the "Moto" stories, this one, but Peter Lorre still has some fun as the eponymous detective. He is, ostensibly, working on an archaeological dig in the tiny kingdom of Tong Moi. Things all start to get mysterious when famed aviator "Victoria Mason" (the tomboy-ish Rochelle Hudson) sabotages her own flight (mid air) crashes near his workings before being presented to the local rajah "Ali" (J. Edward Bromberg) who takes quite a shine to her. There is a bit of friction from local high priest "Bokor" (George Regas) and we soon discover that he and his guru (guess who??) are plotting a regime change. Much like the Venetians did with the Parthenon, these would be revolutionaries are using the ancient temple, complete with secret passages and creepy statues, to store their munitions. There is an American newsreel crew in the locale too. They seem to be there to provide some comedic interludes, but the thing is all so light-hearted as to not really require their services, indeed they're actually a bit annoying. The dialogue is a bit on the stilted side, but Lorre does his best and Bromberg is quite fun too and the ending is quite action-packed. Not great, but not bad either.
2022-06-20

Recommendations

The Whistler
3

The Whistler

1944-03-30

A guilt-ridden man blames himself for his wife's death and secretly pays an assassin to kill him. Bu

The Thirteenth Hour
2.9

The Thirteenth Hour

1947-02-06

In this drama, a trucker's business is nearly destroyed after he is wrongfully accused of killing a

The Return of the Whistler
3

The Return of the Whistler

1948-03-18

When a woman goes missing on the eve of her wedding, her fiancee hires a detective to track her down

Mysterious Mr. Moto
3

Mysterious Mr. Moto

1938-09-17

The Japanese detective rounds up a league of assassins for Scotland Yard.

The Mark of the Whistler
3

The Mark of the Whistler

1944-10-09

A drifter claims the money in an old bank account. Soon he finds himself the target of two men who t

The Power of the Whistler
2.9

The Power of the Whistler

1945-04-19

A woman uses a deck of cards to predict death within 24 hours for a stranger sitting at a bar, then

Voice of the Whistler
2.9

Voice of the Whistler

1945-10-30

A dying millionaire marries his nurse for companionship, only to experience a miracle cure.

Mr. Moto's Last Warning
2.8

Mr. Moto's Last Warning

1939-01-20

A Japanese man claiming to be Mr. Moto, of the International Police, is abducted and murdered soon a

Calling Dr. Death
3.2

Calling Dr. Death

1943-12-17

Losing his memories of the last few days, neurologist Dr. Steele is told that his wife has been brut

Mysterious Intruder
3

Mysterious Intruder

1946-04-11

A private detective is hired to find a young heiress but finds himself accused of murder.

The Secret of the Whistler
3

The Secret of the Whistler

1946-11-07

A deranged artist who may have murdered his wife is investigated by the Whistler.

The Shadow
3

The Shadow

1994-07-01

Based on the 1930s comic strip, The Shadow is put up against his archenemy Shiwan Khan, who plans to

Just Before Dawn
3.1

Just Before Dawn

1946-03-07

In the 7th film of the "Crime Doctor" series based on the radio program, Dr. Robert Ordway is summon

Think Fast, Mr. Moto
3

Think Fast, Mr. Moto

1937-07-23

When his import/export business infiltrated by international diamond smugglers, Mr. Moto must follow

Thank You, Mr. Moto
3

Thank You, Mr. Moto

1937-12-24

Mr. Moto Heads to China on a quest for seven ancient scrolls that reveal the location of Genghis Kha

Mr. Moto's Gamble
3.1

Mr. Moto's Gamble

1938-04-07

Celebrated as supersleuth, Mr. Moto comes out fighting when a brutal boxing match turns into cold-bl

Mr. Moto Takes a Vacation
3.3

Mr. Moto Takes a Vacation

1939-07-07

Mr. Moto is in Egypt to thwart a criminal mastermind determined to steal the priceless crown of the

The Return of Mr. Moto
2

The Return of Mr. Moto

1965-12-01

Mr. Moto goes undercover to find out who has been blowing up oil wells and trying to gain total cont

The Crime Doctor's Warning
2.9

The Crime Doctor's Warning

1945-09-27

A criminal psychologist treats an artist whose blackouts coincide with a series of murders.

Dead Man's Eyes
3.3

Dead Man's Eyes

1944-11-10

Artist David Stuart is blinded by a jealous model whose portrait he is painting. His fiance's father