The Mystery of Mr. Wong (1939)

Strong and Moving!

Good movie, but best of all time? Hardly . . .

everything you have heard about this movie is true.

There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.

This second entry in the "Mr. Wong" series has a classic mystery setup: a game of charades at a party turns deadly when a gun supposedly loaded with blanks actually kills someone. Or is that really what happens? Luckily (or unluckily, for the murderer), the eminent detective Mr. Wong is among the guests, and is more than willing to help the police solve the murder. The sinister suspects, red herrings and other traditions of the genre are all present and accounted for, and while the direction may not be fanciful, it is efficient. Boris Karloff is very good as the calm, polite, observant, analytical Mr. Wong, helping you ignore the "wrong ethnicity" barrier. What is harder to ignore is that, in order to get to its admittedly unpredictable resolution, the script withholds vital information about the motive of the murderer; we never suspect him/her because we are given absolutely no reason to! Even with that reservation, I think most mystery buffs will find enough to enjoy in this film. **1/2 out of 4.

What's interesting about 30's mysteries is their variety. The business in partnership with viewers were working out the few modes that would survive. Today we are stuck with only a few of the possibilities; everything else feels wrong because of the expectations we bring to them.Its not important that this detective is yet another well known white actor in Chinese makeup. What's important is how complex is the mystery, how much we learn as viewers before the detective does (nothing), and how the solution is unrolled at the end.The notable thing here is how complex the plot is. It is every bit as complex as the Perry Mason things that would come only a little later. But it is ever so much more difficult for us because they've experimented with hiding critical details. If you watch this with modern sensibilities, you'll be baffled.The setup is a great one, folded of course: the murder happens during a game of charades where the actors are acting out a mystery, and the audience is guessing but has no clue.Sweet, that. But otherwise, watch this only if you are a student.Ted's Evaluation -- 1 of 3: You can find something better to do with this part of your life.

Boris Karloff follows up his 1938 film "Mr. Wong, Detective", with this clever whodunit about the murder of a rare gem collector, who just the day before he comes into it's possession, receives a sinister written message - "The possessor of the Eye of the Daughter of the Moon rides swiftly to his death." Brandon Edwards (Morgan Wallace) suspects who is out to murder him, and seals his secret in an envelope to be opened in the event of his death, entrusting this knowledge to the Oriental Detective.In the film, we learn that Mr. James Lee Wong is an authority on ancient Oriental art and literature, and a graduate of Heidelberg and Oxford Universities. As such, he recognizes the danger Edwards finds himself in, since the Chinese gem purportedly carries a death curse on anyone who possesses it.In the tradition of the best Charlie Chan films of the same era, "The Mystery of Mr. Wong" cleverly plants various suspects who may have it in for Edwards. Edwards' death itself is uniquely staged, as he takes a gunshot to the chest while participating in a parlor game with a roomful of party guests as witnesses, with no one the wiser until it's time to credit the players.Wong is assisted in the investigation once again by Police Captain Sam Street (Grant Withers); this time around Withers plays it much straighter than the over the top, brash portrayal he gave in "Mr. Wong, Detective". Nevertheless, it's Mr. Wong all the way in solving the caper. In a clever ruse, Wong suggests that he will soon be in possession of Edwards' letter naming the killer, hoping to flush out the culprit. As the parties gather, Wong names the murderer and reveals the mistakes the killer made that led him to his conclusion. The killer is impressed, and even shakes hands with Wong before the police take him away! In a fitting finale, the real letter finally arrives, but the confident Mr. Wong no longer has need of it, and tears it up without even opening the envelope.

Yes, Mr. Wong is on hand when a murder of a friend takes place. He could not prevent it but works with Capt. Sam Street of the police to solve it. The means of death is not complicated or ingenious - shooting with a silencer. But there are a number of suspects. Ballistics prove that the bullet came from a high angle. Quickly, half of the suspects are off the hook and the film becomes a relatively easy whodunit. Elementary for Mr. Wong, but of course the police are on the wrong track. Good film to see late at night when the "little gray cells" need a rest or if complicated sleuthing is not your "expertise."