Grimerlana Plenty to Like, Plenty to Dislike

Afouotos Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

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

Lollivan It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

JoeKarlosi The Mystery of Mr. Wong (1939)This is the second film in the Monogram series featuring Boris Karloff as the soft-spoken Chinese detective, James Lee Wong. Here he must unravel the reason behind the unexpected shooting death of a jealous husband at a party, and the secret surrounding a cursed sapphire that was smuggled out of China. Though not quite believable here as an Asian man, Karloff is still interesting to watch in an understated characterization, and this is possibly the best of the Mr. Wong offerings from a rather pedestrian collection. **1/2 out of ****

jonfrum2000 When compared to the typical genre mystery of it's time, this movie is quite good. Karloff raises the level with his measured acting, and the film is mercifully free of the comic relief clowning that was so common at the time.This is one of those 'house' mysteries. Most of the action occurs in one house - the house of a wealthy man, as always. And, as is so often true in the genre, the detective just happens to be on the scene when the murder occurs. Another plus for this film is that the policeman - Detective Street - is not a buffoon. Street is less a foil than an aid to Mr Wong, allowing us to take the story seriously - although we can't be too serious. There are obvious red herrings, and sudden reveals of facts we didn't have. For all that, the Wong series came after the clunkiness of the early talkies had been worked out, and the acting is much closer to what we would come to expect from classic studio products.Although I always struggle with Karloff as a Chinese - unlike the Chan series, for some reason - I have to say the role he played got the job done. This film is out of copyright, and is available online for free, and on at least one low-priced mystery collection. I found it at the library in a 5 CD Mystery and Murder set.

Michael O'Keefe This low budget Monogram film is not short on intrigue or mystery. The largest sapphire in the world, "Eye of the Daughter of the Moon", has been stolen from an antiques collector, Brandon Edwards(Morgan Wallace), at the same time of his murder. His wife(Dorothy Tree) and her lover(Craig Reynolds)are of course of great suspect. The renown Chinese sleuth Mr. Wong(Boris Karloff)is called on to solve both crimes; and the clues are leading to one culprit. Once again Wong calls on his friend Police Captain Sam Street(Grant Withers)to help in the investigation. A fine detective flick worth watching. Other players include: Ivan Lebedeff, Lotus Long and Joe Devlin.

classicsoncall 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.