Charlie Chan's Murder Cruise (1940)

A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

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

This is a dark and sometimes deeply uncomfortable drama

Based on the last quarter of an actual Earl Derr Biggers' novel, namely "Charlie Chan Carries On", this re-make, Charlie Chan's Murder Cruise (1940), very capably directed by Eugene Forde, is also a delight, particularly in its 76-minutes Australian release version which Fox has now made available to American viewers for the first time ever. The movie was cut to 70 minutes for both its original USA release and its American TV airings. Oddly, the cuts were made in the dramatic scenes. All the comedy remained intact, with the result that the film's cleverly engineered pacing was destroyed. Virgil Miller's atmospheric low-key photography is a stand-out as usual, and the support cast includes such favorites as Lionel Atwill, Leo G. Carroll and Kay Linaker. To judge from the surviving Spanish version, this is a much more exciting film than the original Charlie Chan Carries On (1931), even though it is missing two of that film's best scenes.

Charlie Chan hustles a whole passel of suspects aboard their cruise ship, knowing one of them is a murderer. He risks his life by staying aboard himself. At least that's what suspect Leo G. Carroll tells him—to which Chan replies, "Life has been risked for jewels far less valuable than friendship."An old friend has been murdered right in Lieutenant Chan's office, and Chan takes it as a personal challenge. The clues all point to some member of a round-the-world cruise as the murderer…but which one?A great assortment of the usual suspects keeps this Chan mystery moving along nicely. Besides archaeologist Leo Carroll, there's Cora Witherspoon, a dizzy rich lady; Marjorie Reynolds, her secretary; Robert Lowery, handsome and suddenly wealthy nephew of a second murder victim; and Charles Middleton and Claire Du Brey as a weird couple who do séances. Cruise leader Lionel Atwill wants the whole story kept out of the papers—and how suspicious a character is he? Mr. Chan is assisted in his investigation by number two son Jimmy Chan, played with energy and style by Sen Yung, who gets a couple of laughs but plays it mostly straight. Sidney Toler is excellent as Mr. Chan; very much at the center of the action, his confidence and timing are superb. The suspects snap at Mr. Chan, bite at each other, make their noise…and Chan just keeps that little smile on his face, polite, slightly mocking, letting them have their say, waiting for someone to make a mistake…. An exciting and clever climax tops this one off and clinches it as a top notch series entry.

This is a tight little entry in the Charlie Chan series concerning the tracking down of a serial killer on a cruise ship. Sidney Toler and Sen Yung are in good form as Charlie and his impetuous son, Jimmy. The supporting cast would be outstanding for an A film. With Lionel Atwill on-board as (I kid you not) cruise director you know you're in for a good, scary time. The Chan series was at its peak when this one got made. Warner Oland, whose dour presence had put Charlie on the map, so to speak, was but a memory by 1940. Toler was a more jovial Chan, and his good humor set the tone for the rest of the series. The actors in the film, which include Charles Middleton and Claire Du Brey, as a stuffy religious couple, do their deadpan best to keep the story afloat and suspenseful, adding just a touch of the diabolical. There's a festive air in this one, and a neat game of shuffleboard with Don Beddoe.

in this well rounded mystery.An early Toler film, which should be seen by all Chan fans. A fine cast including Leo G. "Topper" Carroll as Prof.Gordon. A familiar formula, but well done in all aspects.The antics of Jimmy Chan (Victor Sen Young) work well here as usual.Although Toler moves through the movie sounding like he's suffering from a cold, he does one of his finest jobs here as Charlie Chan. A must see.