20th Century Fox
Mr. Moto Collection
Mr. Moto Takes a Chance
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.
- Original title
- Mr. Moto Takes a Chance
- Language
- EN
- Country
- US
- Budget
- —
- Revenue
- —
CinemaSerf
Jun 20, 2022 · via TMDB
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.
User reviews courtesy of TMDB.
Peter Lorre
Mr. Moto
Rochelle Hudson
Victoria 'Vicki' Mason
Robert Kent
Marty Weston
J. Edward Bromberg
Raja Ali
Chick Chandler
Chick Davis
George Regas
Bokor
Frederick Vogeding
Zimmerman
H.W. Gim
—
Al Kikume
—
James B. Leong
—
Victor Sen Yung
Soldier
Virgil Miller
Director of Photography
Norman Foster
Director
Sol M. Wurtzel
Executive Producer
John P. Marquand
Characters
Norman Foster
Original Story
Just Before Dawn
Pillow of Death
Dead Man's Eyes
Mr. Moto Takes a Vacation
The Crime Doctor's Warning
Calling Dr. Death
Mr. Moto's Gamble
Confessions of Boston Blackie
The Frozen Ghost
Thank You, Mr. Moto
The Mark of the Whistler
Think Fast, Mr. Moto
Boston Blackie's Chinese Venture
The Shadow
The Whistler
After Midnight with Boston Blackie
The Power of the Whistler
The Millerson Case
Mr. Moto's Last Warning
The Return of Mr. Moto
Remember
The Sign of Four
The Naked City
LaRoy, Texas
The Glass Key
The Parts You Lose
The Pelican Brief
Balibo
Fallen Angel
The Seven-Ups
The Drowning Pool
The Organization
The Late Show
Night Watch
Quicksand
The Stranger
Islands
Overdrive
Five Minutes of Heaven
Thick as Thieves
Jun 11, 1938
New York City, New York
Jun 24, 1938
