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Mr. Wong, Detective (1938)
3 out of 3 people found the following comment useful :-
Plain-Looking But Interesting Mystery Feature With a Good Performance From Karloff, 13 June 2005
Author: Snow Leopard from Ohio
Although most of the production is pretty plain, the basic mystery story in "Mr. Wong, Detective" is rather interesting, and Boris Karloff's good performance as the detective also makes it worth seeing. Karloff brought a human touch to every role that he played, and even though this is an atypical part for him, he is a believable Mr. Wong. Most of the other characters are somewhat nondescript, except for Grant Withers's abrasive police officer, and aside from Karloff the cast is nothing special, but the story itself is enough to hold your interest.
In the story, the detective must patiently solve a mystery from the slightest of clues. Some of the developments strain credibility, but if you can accept the premise, it's an interesting idea and it makes decent use of the details. There are several places where it could have been written better or edited more effectively, but the pacing is pretty good, and as it proceeds, it often gives you what you need to know in order to try to anticipate what happens next.
The climactic sequence is one of the better ones that you'll see in this kind of B-movie. The production values are lower than a Karloff feature deserves, but with a solid story and Karloff in the lead, it's definitely worth seeing.
2 out of 2 people found the following comment useful :-
A delightful surprise for film buffs: Boris Karloff is Mr. Wong, Detective, 6 April 2003
Author: marxi from Louisville, Kentucky
This obscure little movie is a delightful surprise for film buffs. The surprise is Boris Karloff in the role of the well mannered oriental detective. Yes, this is the same Boris Karloff who was Frankenstein the monster! He manages the role as if it were a well worn and comfortable pair of houseshoes, and it becomes unimportant, quickly forgotten and insignificant that a nonoriental is Mr. Wong.
A business man gets involved with a deal involving poison gas. When he is inexplicably found dead in his office under suspicious circumstances, Detective Street (Grant Withers) is called in on the case. The sharp tongued detective Street looks for the blatant and obvious clues, while he often misses what is going on beneath the surface in this mysterious case. Mr. Wong, a well known detective who was acquainted with the victim, begins to notice clues that Detective Street overlooks. The body count begins to mount as the partners of the dead business man also begin to die under strange circumstances. Mr. Wong must keep his mind open in this thriller when the obvious suspect first seems guilty, then innocent as other suspects turn up including a sinister Baron and a Countess. Maxine Jennings is great as Detective Streets lady friend, Myra. Snappy dialogue and good actors move the story along at a good clip. There are a couple of scenes that are shot in poor lighting, but they don't hinder this very good entry in the 1930's detective genre of movies.
This will be an entertaining movie for film buffs. I give it an 8/10.
2 out of 2 people found the following comment useful :-
A good B/C movie with excellent sets., 31 May 2002
Author: NativeTexan from Georgia
As a fan, even connoisseur, of B and C movies, I think this one is very well done. The sets are especially impressive, and the detail -- especially the interiors -- are pretty amazing. Good story, good plot, even though the death weapon is a duplicate of "Charlie Chan in Egypt." Boris is enjoyable as Mr. Moto. The makeup artist is far less talented than the set designer; Boris' hair looks like it is lacquered to his skull. Still, you like him, and that's what counts. Grant Withers is too loud (vocally, that is) but gives an honest performance as a crabby, dim-witted police detective. John St.Polis is a standout as Roemer. Fun to watch and worth the time.
3 out of 4 people found the following comment useful :-
Ancient Chinese Secret, 13 June 2001
Author: BaronBl00d (baronbl00d@aol.com) from NC
Mr. Wong comes to the aid of a man who says his life is in danger. He was right, as he dies the morning Mr. Wong was to visit him. Boris Karloff makes his first appearance as the Collier's Magazine Oriental detective(in the same vein of Charlie Chan or Mr. Moto). Karloff is quite good in the role, and brings to it a good deal of class. Unfortunately, the rest of the cast does not play on his level, but everyone is adequate. Grant Withers as a hard-headed policeman easily gives the worst performance. The mystery in the film is(at least for me) somewhat easy to figure out, but the fun comes from Karloff's performance as the cunning Chinaman. Oriental prejudices abound, but this was the 30's. All in all, I found the film to be quite entertaining, although not on the same level of a good Chan or Moto film.
1 out of 1 people found the following comment useful :-
Slow, but clever., 10 June 2003
Author: gridoon
Considering its age (almost 65 years old), this movie has held up reasonably well. Granted, it is a bit slow and dull (it runs only 69 minutes but it feels MUCH longer), and Boris Karloff is not convincing, of course, as an Oriental. However, he does capture the Oriental philosophy of his character, and the plotting itself (particularly the killing method) is ingenious, worthy of a fine crime novel. (**1/2)
1 out of 1 people found the following comment useful :-
A delightful surprise for film buffs: Boris Karloff is Mr. Wong, Detective, 6 April 2003
Author: marxi from Louisville, Kentucky
This obscure little movie is a delightful surprise for film buffs. The surprise is Boris Karloff in the role of the well mannered oriental detective. Yes, this is the same Boris Karloff who was Frankenstein the monster! He manages the role as if it were a well worn and comfortable pair of houseshoes, and it becomes unimportant, quickly forgotten and insignificant that a nonoriental is Mr. Wong.
A business man gets involved with a deal involving poison gas. When he is inexplicably found dead in his office under suspicious circumstances, Detective Street (Grant Withers) is called in on the case. The sharp tongued detective Street looks for the blatant and obvious clues, while he often misses what is going on beneath the surface in this mysterious case. Mr. Wong, a well known detective who was acquainted with the victim, begins to notice clues that Detective Street overlooks. The body count begins to mount as the partners of the dead business man also begin to die under strange circumstances. Mr. Wong must keep his mind open in this thriller when the obvious suspect first seems guilty, then innocent as other suspects turn up including a sinister Baron and a Countess. Maxine Jennings is great as Detective Streets lady friend, Myra. Snappy dialogue and good actors move the story along at a good clip. There are a couple of scenes that are shot in poor lighting, but they don't hinder this very good entry in the 1930's detective genre of movies.
This will be an entertaining movie for film buffs. I give it an 8/10.
Mr. Wong, Detective (1938) **, 28 April 2008
Author: JoeKarlosi from U.S.A.
This was the first of a modest series of Monogram films to star horror heavyweight Boris Karloff as an Asian sleuth, most likely to try and capitalize off the highly successful Charlie Chan saga from Fox.
As a Karloff fan myself, he was my sole reason to take the plunge with this series and this film is pretty much an average affair. The British Boris doesn't seem authentic at playing a Chinese detective, and I had a difficult time buying into him as such with his blackened, slicked-back hair-comb. The plot itself is intriguing enough, with Mr. Wong trying to find out how a poison gas is killing people, and who's the mastermind behind it.
I've read that MR. WONG, DETECTIVE is the "best" of this bunch, which leaves me concerned as to what may lie ahead.
Dull and dumb, 14 January 2008
Author: dbborroughs from Glen Cove, New York
First of the Boris Karloff Mr Wong Films.
Karloff is hired by the head of a chemical company to protect him and find out who is following him. However before he can actually take the job his client is killed in a locked room.
Better than most of the films in the series, its kind of like saying pneumonia is better than double pneumonia. Slow dull and incredibly dumb, this is the sort of film that has dumb characters who create complications so that the plot goes one for the allotted running time. Examples include Wong sending his client home after an attempt on his life and the hounding of "suspects" who couldn't possibly have done it. Karloff is actually pretty good as Wong, Monograms attempt at a Charlie Chan style detective, unfortunately the script and the direction let him down. This film runs 70 minutes but feels three times that. Its the sort of thing that will put you to sleep in much the same way that watching paint dry will.
3 out of 10
More Polished than the Others, 4 October 2006
Author: Hitchcoc from United States
Having seen the others of the Wong canon earlier, and this being the first, I believe it to be superior to those. Karloff appeared to take the role seriously. The plot to use the poison gas is clever. The potential for a terrorist act is always there. There are also lots of dynamics at work. Wong is so under control. He bides his time and lets the young police detective make a fool of himself, using heavy handed tactics on those he is interrogating. What's interesting is that Wong seems to have respect for this guy who knows nothing and acts so irrationally. Wong eventually moves in and gets the information he needs in a gentle manner. While much of this strains the limits of believability, it shows Karloff to be a pretty good actor. These series things are really throwaways and yet he seems to care how his character comes across. Whenever there is a closeup, it's hard to imagine him being Asian, but there was a lot of that going around in those days.
Boris Karloff is Chinese!!!, 4 August 2006
Author: sergio choren (psychoren2002@yahoo.com.ar) from Argentina
In the great tradition of Chinese detectives as Charlie Chan and Mr. Moto, Boris Karloff's Mr. Wong was a solid addition to that venerable kind of films. Is really difficult to think in Karloff as a Chinese person, but the British actor delivers a solid performance, if you can dig his weird accent. The plot is simple, the strange murders are against logic, but Mr. Wong's patience and intelligence can solve the mystery. The other actors are far below Karloff, but the overall fell of the movie is candid and likable. Another completely different Mr. Wong was played before by Bela Lugosi, a villain, but this detective deserves your interest if you are a fan of the genre.
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