Rainey Dawn This time Mr. Moto is after Fabian the Great! Fabian is an international agent posing in a traveling show as a ventriloquist along with his henchmen. Fabian and gang are trying to blow up the entrance to the Suez Canal and start an international war. The particular country Fabian is working for and the motives as to why are kept a secret, it's up to the viewer to guess because they never tell us - Mr. Moto may loose his job over it (you'll have to watch the film until the ending to get a full understanding of what I mean).The movie is fun to watch. It has it's moments of intensity, comedy and sometimes quite a bit of action. Worth your time watching if you like the other Mr. Moto films, Peter Lorre or mysteries in general.7.5/10

Cristi_Ciopron A story of espionage set in Port Said, with Kentaro Moto, who has a careless enjoyment of the job, which means he is resourceful in a fantasy, comic book world, where being a spy is mainly fun and mostly harmless, quietly enjoying his renown and skills, with an occasionally eerie playfulness, and the story is mildly suspenseful, more a task to be done while playing, which results in a certain blandness, and Moto is meant as a fairy tale character (more like Fu Manchu, than like Chan or Wong), the thing has charm, ease, fun and lightness; Lorre and Carradine show their class from the 1st moment they are on screen, Carradine is a British agent, and he brings another kind of acting, though Lorre's likely insouciant but shrewd character does have weird undertones.The action of such movies is not frustratingly forgettable, but enjoyably so.

dougdoepke Moto's first name "Kentaro" suggests he's meant to be Japanese instead of Chinese, and besides TCF already has a Chinese sleuth in Charlie Chan. Then too, when Chan is in a scene, he's always the center of attention. But not so with the recessive Moto. Note how he kind of lurks around the edges. Sometimes you even forget he's there. It's a really shrewd way to use the cagey Lorre since physically he's hardly a commanding presence. But he does convey a sly and calculating presence, such that when Moto chooses to pounce, he's very believable. It's a cleverly thought out character, a distinctive contrast to the many other sleuths of the period.Of course, Moto is not really a sleuth; instead, he's an agent of international intrigue. Sort of an unglamorous, non-gimmicky James Bond of the 1930's, skilled in what was then the exotic martial arts. The narrative contains no mystery, only the suspense of how Moto will foil an international plot to blow up French ships and start a war. What lifts this entry above standard series entries of the day are the production values. Notice the diving-bell sequence and how well done it is, both in detail and in concept. Cheaper productions could not have mounted this set-piece. Also, the sets are better furnished than normal, lending more atmosphere to the results. True, the action never leaves the back lot, but the attention to detail really helps. I also like the business going on in the background of the seedy saloon, where for example a drunk gets his nose plopped into a flagon of beer. It's colorful touches like this that raise a production above the routine.There's also the eerie business with the ventriloquist's dummy. I kept wondering if someone connected with that great British horror trilogy Dead of Night (1945) had seen this programmer. My only reservations are with the sometimes hard-to-follow screenplay and with George Sanders' awful French accent. Odd too, to find the imposing Sanders in such a secondary role—likely the result of being under contract. Anyway, it's a colorful little entry in the Moto series.

Michael_Elliott Mr. Moto's Last Warning (1939) *** (out of 4) Mr. Moto (Peter Lorre), believed dead, is assisted by an undercover British agent (John Carradine) as the two try to stop a couple international agents (Ricardo Cortez, George Sanders) from using the Suez Canal to blow up some French ships and blaming the British. This sixth entry in the series is a major step up from the previous two entries and one could say this one here was the best of the series. The story is a pretty good one but what really works here is the wonderful cast of character actors who really make this a must see. It's fun seeing Lorre's Moto up against various other actors who played famous roles themselves and that includes Perry Mason and Sam Spade (Cortez), The Saint (Sanders) and Dracula (Carradine) too. Seeing the four character actors share the same film makes for a lot of fun and the story itself also helps build some drama and that includes a wonderful underwater sequence that certainly won't be forgotten by anyone who sees it. The story is certainly a bit far fetched but it's made believable due to the actors all giving very good performances and Foster handles the material very well. The ending contains some great action with our hero kicking it into high gear to do major damage. The guys get to have a lot of fun but so does Virginia Fields in her small but fun role. Lorre is great as usual but it's actually Cortez who steals the film as the ruthless villain. Carradine also offers up an excellent performance and his scene at the bottom of the ocean is quite creepy and highly effective. Overall this here is certainly one of the best films in the series and one that even non-fans should be able to enjoy.