Mjeteconer
Just perfect...
Payno
I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.
Cassandra
Story: It's very simple but honestly that is fine.
bensonmum2
Mr. Moto is tracking a group of foreign spies intent on destroying the French fleet as it enters the Suez Canal. By doing so, the foreign powers hope to stir-up animosity between France and England.Mr. Moto's Last Warning is a decent enough entry in the Mr Moto series, but far from being the best. The biggest problem I have with it is the pacing. Moto films usually have more life and energy to them. This one sort of drags in spots. I can't put all the blame on director Norman Foster as I don't necessarily think this is the best script he was given to work with. The script doesn't seem to have as much "meat" to it. I don't have any proof, but there is probably more padding in Mr. Moto's Last Warning than the other Moto films.Still, this is Moto so it's still going to be a fun movie. Lorre is as good as always. I've typed this a couple of times recently, but I don't think he ever gives a bad performance. Mr. Moto's Last Warning has one of the best supporting casts you'll find in one of these films - Geogre Sanders, Ricardo Cortex, John Carradine, Robert Coote, Virginia Field, and E.E. Clive. What a cast! The rest of the movie is great. Technically, as with all the Moto films, it looks like an A-movie.One small thing that I've always enjoyed about Mr. Moto's Last Warning is the reference to the film Charlie Chan in Honolulu. I understand that this was done in part to pay tribute to Warner Oland who had recently passed away. Nice touch.
Jimmy L.
Although this is a short "B" programmer, there's a lot to like in this espionage thriller. Peter Lorre is joined by a great cast of recognizable character actors including George Sanders, John Carradine, E.E. Clive, and Ricardo Cortez as the villain. Robert Coote plays a hopelessly British tourist. There are some inspired (and intense) scenes, such as a fiendish murder involving a diving bell. Peter Lorre's Mr. Moto again proves to be a master of disguise, a cunning intellect, and an expert at judo. He's a deceptively great fighter and very resourceful, escaping numerous attempts on his life. The nefarious plot isn't too fleshed out, but it's fun watching Moto foil it.
winner55
The Mr. Moto films went out of circulation immediately after Pearl Harbor. As we can see in this film, they reflected a hope that circulated in John P. Marquand's England (and had some currency in the US) that a reasonably 'civilized' (in the European sense) Japan could be negotiated with over China and then used for political leverage against Russia and Germany. This film was released in early 1939; by September of that year, Germany was in Poland, and England and France were allied against it, so the basic premise of the film was made worthless. Shortly after, the Japanese kicked the British out of China, so the basic hope underlying the film became worthless. The film is thus best approached as a kind of fantasy.It is, specifically, a spy thriller, not a mystery at all; it's more closely related to the James Bond films (which are also largely fantasies) than to the Charlie Chan style 'oriental detective' movies of its own day.This is the only widely - and cheaply - available Moto film. I've only seen one other Mr. Moto film, a long time ago, and I don't remember it well. It was a fairly faithful adaptation from the original Marquand material, and seemed very complicated, much as the Marquand novels can be. This film, to the contrary, is an original story. It is streamlined and linear in plotting. It appears to have been made rather quickly on not a lot of money, but the film-making is strictly professional. The pacing avoids a lot of lags, and there are moments of real suspense and real surprise.Thus we have a well-made, enjoyable genre film here; but the main delight of the film is undoubtedly the performance of Peter Lorre. Lorre achieved some respect in Germany and England before coming to Hollywood - where, alas, he was not treated well, as the type for which he was usually cast - 'suspicious foreigner' - was very narrow. Mr. Moto here allows Lorre a star-turn, a hero's part, and surprisingly considerable latitude in interpretation. He is obviously having a grand time here, and delivers a wonderful performance.Overall, an excellent B-movie, very entertaining if taken on its own terms.
gftbiloxi
As originally created by author John P. Marquand, Moto was an icy and distinctly lethal Japanese agent; 20th Century Fox, which had earlier created the extremely popular Charlie Chan series, toned down his more deadly qualities, cast German actor Peter Lorre in the role, and between 1937 and 1939 made eight films featuring the character. Although they did not really challenge the Chan films, they were popular in their own right, and it was not until American sentiment began to turn against the Japanese that 20th Century Fox dropped the character.Made in 1939, MR. MOTO'S LAST WARNING is the sixth film in the series, and it finds Moto (Lorre) working to foil an attempt to set the English and French against each other by blowing up the French fleet as it enters an English-controlled canal in the middle east. Although the film has a slow start, it is graced with a gifted cast that includes George Sanders, John Carradine, and Ricardo Cortez, and it soon comes up a snappy pace and proves unexpectedly watchable.Over the years the Chan films have drawn considerable condemnation from Chinese Americans due to the fact that Chan was never played by an Asian actor; somewhat curiously, the Moto films have escaped the same degree of politically-correct derision. This is all the more odd because Lorre is even less of Japanse than Oland and Toler were Chinese. Even so, Lorre is always interesting to watch, and his unexpected physicality (Moto is a master of judo) drives the film remarkably well.MR. MOTO'S LAST WARNING is the only film in the series presently in public domain, a circumstance that seems more accidental than intentional. The Alpha release is very much in line with that: the picture is shaky, particularly in the opening segments, and the sound is quite weak. Fans of the series would do better to go with the series editions now in release through 20th Century Fox--but no matter which copy you lay hands on, you'll find the film an enjoyable bit of flyweight fun. Recommended to fans of 1930s mysteries, thrillers, and espionage movies.GFT, Amazon Reviewer
