Artivels Undescribable Perfection

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

Mandeep Tyson The acting in this movie is really good.

Kinley This movie feels like it was made purely to piss off people who want good shows

kai ringler didn't know what to make of this one,, Boris Karloff seems way out of place in this one, one thing i didn't get at all was the name of the movie, why is it called the fatal hour,, there are no references in the movie to any particular hour, i found this movie to be rather boring, didn't really have any excitement at all, don't know why it's classified as a horror pic,, it should be under crime drama or something,, i think that Boris Karloff should stick to monster movies,, that's what's he is the best at,, other than that i'm running out of things to say about this movie, other than it was boring, had no action whatsoever.

gridoon2018 Unlike a few others reviewers, I don't have much of an objection to Boris Karloff playing a Chinese detective in these "Mr. Wong" movies. His ethnicity may be wrong, but his calmness, his politeness, his acute observation powers, his gentle humor, just about every other aspect of the character seem to be just right. "The Fatal Hour" is very low-budget and very slow-moving, but the script does have some innovative ideas in its mystery, and Marjorie Reynolds is cute as the nosy-but-resourceful reporter. Her relationship with the gruff, loud, but deep down inside loving police captain is actually very similar to the relationship between Torchy Blane and Steve McBride in the Glenda Farrell series which ran from 1936 to 1939. ** out of 4.

Scarecrow-88 Assigned to a smuggling detail, a cop is found in the bay of San Francisco, bullets in him, ankles bound with rope. San Francisco Police Captain Bill Street was close to Dan so in his melancholy he's bound and determined to find the person (or persons) responsible. Oriental investigator, Mr. Wong (Boris Karloff, in Oriental make-up, speaking with a smooth British voice, reprising the role for the fourth time for Monogram Pictures), also friendly with the murder victim, offers his services to Bill. In seaman's clothes, Wong realizes that Dan was under cover at the Waterfront—perhaps this will uncover who might want to silence the undercover cop before he spilled the beans on a secret smuggling operation maybe taking place there.A Chinese jade stone, a Club Neptune, a jewelry store, a forbidden marriage, a radio program, a remote control radio, a trick to fool a switchboard operator and more murders to those who "knew too much" and were threatening to squeal, all add up to a fun little Monogram mystery, helped considerably by Karloff's star power.The cast includes Marjorie Reynolds in the familiar role of spunky, nosy newsreporter, Roberta Logan (looking for the "big scoop" for the afternoon addition of the Herald, annoying Grant Withers' cantankerous Captain Street who wishes she would butt out of police business), Charles Trowbridge as the refined jewelry store "receiver", John T. Forbes (who might know more than he is willing to reveal), Frank Puglia as the crooked owner of Club Neptune, Harry "Hardway" Lockett (behind the smuggling from the Waterfront into his place), Craig Reynolds in the "wrong man" role, Frank Belden Jr ( interrogated harshly by Street because he was in the apartment around the time his fiancé, Tanya Serova (Lita Chevret), was found murdered as she was a part of Harry Lockett's smuggling operation), and Hooper Atchley as Frank Belden Sr, the second murder victim (who, against his better judgment, in order to save his jewelry business from failure, went in cahoots with Lockett, dead set against his son marrying Tanya who he considered no good). Jason Robards Sr. has a very small role as a radio actor who becomes another victim (actually murdered in the police station; the killer is bold!) because he might can report evidence against the time of murder. I actually kind of enjoy these Mr. Wong films I have watched, a series which allowed Karloff a chance to play against type as a heroic sleuth instead of a "boogeyman".

Coventry Although not as legendary or eloquent as his contemporary British colleague Sherlock Holmes, Oriental detective Mr. Wong successfully solved quite a lot of difficult cases as well, with his splendid observation talents and marvelous deduction skills. "The Fatal Hour" is the fourth film in a series of six, all but one starring the unequaled master-actor Boris Karloff in the role James Lee Wong. Police Captain Bill Street always calls him upon for help whenever there's a complex murder case with connections to the oriental community of San Francisco. In "The Fatal Hour", Street's colleague and long time friend Dan O'Grady has been murdered during his investigation of an extended oriental jewelry smuggling network. The owner of the dubious Neptune bar near the harbor – where all the smuggling import and export takes place - is the obvious suspect, but there are a lot more people involved. This isn't a very sensational film in terms of violent bloodshed or wild car chases, but the plot is quite compelling and the dialogues are fluently written. There are a couple of ingenious red herrings and I liked the realistic aspect that Wong isn't a superhero who prevents further murders from happening and thus has to face several more dead bodies during his investigation. Even though pretty much performing on automatic pilot, Karloff is terrific and he receives good feedback from the supportive cast. Particularly Marjorie Reynolds is likable as the obtrusive yet helpful gossip reporter Bobby Logan. Recommended in case you have 70 minutes to spare.