Panama Patrol (1939)

I don't have all the words right now but this film is a work of art.

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

"Panama Patrol" is a low budgeted B-movie...and as such my expectations were relatively low. So imagine my surprise when it turned out to be a pretty good action and adventure film!When the film begins, Major Waring (Leon Ames) and Helen Lane (Charlotte Wynters) are about to get married. However, an emergency phone call interrupts their plans...some very big espionage ciphers MUST be decoded NOW and their wedding will have to wait. Little do they know that soon they'll both be caught up in a life and death struggle with Asian agents! And, little do they know that one of their own people is actually working for these evil no-goodnicks!In some ways, this movie plays like a movie serial because there is a lot of action and something always seems to be happening. But it generally works well and the acting is good for this sort of nonsense. My only reservations are WHO these Asians were...the film never tells us, though they would appear to be Chinese--which is odd since the Chinese were essentially friendly with the US at the time. Also, the scene where Miss Lane gets captured is a bit lame...she did seem a tad silly to let this happen so easily.

Overloaded with Asian stereotypes and clichéd flowery dialog between two of the Asian couples, this pre World War II espionage thriller is enjoyable for its tense action, but offensive in modern sensibilities. It concerns federal agent Leon Ames uncovering a plot against the Panama Canal and his ingenious ways of uncovering it and breaking it. He is aided by his brave secretary/fiancée Charlotte Wynters who is willing to risk her own life by confronting the villain (Richard Loo) and his very Caucasian looking Asian assistant (Adrienne Ames). There are some very interesting details, particularly the uncrypting of code and how everything is exposed. Enjoyable in spite of the bad elements, it has to be looked at as a product of its time and make us happy that we've moved past these insensitivity's.

The Cipher Bureau is a government agency in charge of decoding messages traded between enemy nations of America. Code decipher Major Philip Waring(Leon Ames)stationed at the Washington bureau is about to marry his secretary(Charlotte Wynters), when he is put into action tracking down a nest of Oriental spies. Destruction of the Panama Canal is subject to be destroyed for whatever reason. An Army Intelligence interpreter(Abner Biberman)puts Waring on the trail of a female operative of the Oriental spy ring. The decipher team must beat the clock to solve the codes of a very clever enemy to save the canal's important activities.Other players: Adrienne Ames, Philip Ahn, Hugh McArthur, Richard Loo and Sidney Miller.

Based on a series of books about a code breaker, this film begins as our hero is trying to get a license to get married. Called back to the office before he can actually get the piece of paper he dives into work on breaking a diplomatic code that may have something to do with an Asian power. Things heat up as a suspicious Asian is seen coming out of a government car. Soon bodies begin to pile up and it isn't long before it looks like our hero will end up dead before he can tie the knot. Okay program drama is more a time killer then something that one will put on for enjoyment. The film isn't bad, its just not exciting enough or compelling enough to be much of anything thing. I was half way into this hour long film and all I could think was with all the movies I own I was stuck watching this. I liked it to a point, but at the same time there are so many other better movies one could be watching. I'd take a pass if given a choice