The Mr. Moto Collection: Volume One

Once again dipping into its extensive vaults, 20th Century Fox brings forth another popular series from Hollywood's Golden Age. Based on several bestselling novels by John P. Marquand, the Mr. Moto films starred Hungarian-born Peter Lorre as the diminutive Japanese secret agent (originally an import/export businessman) whose missions took him to far-flung regions of the globe. Of course, the Mr. Moto films were strictly “B”-grade, so Lorre and his fellow actors never actually traveled any further than Fox's copious back lot, which had standing streets representing many diverse locales. The quartet of films in this boxed set include the first, Think Fast, Mr. Moto (1937), which pits this unusual—and unusually lethal—hero against diamond smugglers operating out of San Francisco and Shanghai. Thank You, Mr. Moto (also 1937), roundly acclaimed as the best of the eight-film series, begins in the Gobi Desert with the search for seven ancient scrolls upon which is printed the location of Genghis Khan's long-lost tomb. The Cambodian jungle supplies the setting of Mr. Moto Takes a Chance (1938), which finds our hero disrupting a planned uprising against the local potentate. Mysterious Mr. Moto (also 1938)—the weakest entry here—finds Moto orchestrating the escape of a ruthless murderer from Devil's Island in the hopes that he'll be led to the man's boss. Lorre is terrific in his first top-billed role, and he's backed by topnotch supporting players and sturdy production values here that belie the films' modest budgets. DVD extras include four featurettes profiling the creators of the Mr. Moto films—star Lorre, producer Sol Wurtzel, director Norman Foster, and stunt double Harvey Parry. Recommended. (E. Hulse)