"The Black Camel" must be one of the best entries in the long-running Charlie Chan series. Although current prints are not exactly in a pristine condition, you can still tell it is well-filmed, with a surprising number of exterior shots for a 1931 production. It is also solidly plotted: there are really only two scenes establishing the killer(s) and their motivations, but they are enough; any more would make them obvious, any less would make them unsatisfying. Charlie Chan must be the wittiest of all film sleuths, and Warner Oland has plenty of very funny lines in this film, which he delivers perfectly (my favorites: "assault and battery not permitted without license from boxing commission" and "you need a lie detector. An invention that detects instantly when someone is telling a lie" - "oh, you mean a wife. Already have one!"). Bela Lugosi is also fine in a rare (relatively) non-hammy role. *** out of 4.
Review of The Black Camel
