Please don't spend money on this.

The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

A clunky actioner with a handful of cool moments.

There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

The Mr. Moto series invites us into the world of one of the most complex and dangerous of men, the irrepressible Japanese investigator, played by Peter Lorre. In this, the second episode, he is on the hunt for some ancient scrolls that, when put together, reveal the location of the treasure of Genghis Kahn. Of course, such a treasure is sure to draw the worst of society. We find ourselves in China where imperialists are everywhere. Let's face it. These people, if one were to really think about it, are almost as bad as the signature bad guys. They treat the native people like dirt and run around in their fancy suits and opulence. Lorre finds himself in the middle of things as the bodies start to pile up. An attractive young woman and her suitor are around when a Chinese prince and his mother are assaulted by a group of dangerous characters. This leads to many twists and turns. I have recently watched the Charlie Chan canon and they can't hold a candle to these, mainly because of Peter Lorre.

This is the second of the Moto series based on J.P. Marquand's novels. Mild mannered Japanese investigator Mr. Moto(Lorre)comes into possession of an ancient Chinese scroll. Ruthless fortune hunters want to get their hands on the valuable scroll, because it is the missing piece of a seven scroll set that belongs to a royal Chinese family. The scrolls reveal the location of Genghis Khan's tomb and treasures. Lorre is outstanding in this 67 minute crime adventure. Philip Ahn is faultless as Prince Chung. Thomas Beck and Jayne Regan play a young couple who would like to have the scroll, but at first don't realize how important the piece of art is. This movie was released at Christmas 1937. Other players include: Pauline Frederick, Sidney Blackmer, Sig Ruman and John Carradine.

Exemplary Mr Moto entry is the darkest in the series and boasts a compelling emotional undertow that's as effective as it is unexpected. For once, the lame comic relief is expunged (studio execs, no doubt, forced its quick return) which allows Peter Lorre's wonderful characterization an extra bit of space to work in while following the procedural detective tropes and handling Moto's apt witticisms. (That's Lorre's stunt double handling the physical stuff.) The basic story involving some antique Chinese scrolls that make up a sort of treasure map was (atypically) based on a novel by Moto creator John P. Marquand and this may add to the tough, blunt tone hiding just below the surface. All the Moto films entertain, but this one sticks with you.

Treasure maps have always intrigued viewers. I remember seeing a lot of television shows when I was a kid where a hidden treasure was buried somewhere and people fought for the maps to find the treasure. The stories have run the gamut from Superman episodes to the big screen with "Long John Silver" and "Indiana Jones." Usually the stories are fun, and suspenseful.In this second-of-eight "Mr. Moto" movies, the treasure lies in the tomb of Madeline....er, Ghengis Kahn. I won't divulge too much of the story because what happens right at the beginning isn't fully revealed until the end but it ties the whole thing together.This is my second look at this series and one thing I really get a kick out of is the vocabulary of Mr. Moto, played by the great Peter Lorre. He has a great way with the English language and he's fun to hear. He doesn't crack jokes like Charlie Chan, but he's very well-spoken and very polite like his counterpart. He's also very physical when he needs to be. Unlike Charlie, Mr. Moto will stab you to death if need be, as he does several times in this film! Shocking! He also likes to literally jump through the air and attack his adversaries. Cool! This guy would be embraced by the WWF, if that wrestling federation had been around in the 1930s.There are plenty of surprises, so I'll leave it just at that. Fans of the series should enjoy the "Oriental intrigue" in here. I only wish - not for PC reasons but for credibility - they had Asian actors playing the roles. I actually laughed when I saw John Carradine playing an Asian! There is one "real one" in here: Philip Ahn as 'Prince Chung." Actually, he was Korean-American. Speaking of roles, Jayne Regan as "Eleanor Joyce" was a bit intriguing in the female. She had a nice wholesome, pretty look to her and Another interesting real-life story is Pauline Frederick who played "Madame Chung." A proper Bostonian, she looked anything but Asian but the sad story with this actress is that this was her last movie. She died at the young age of 55 the following year, of asthma.These Mr. Moto movies always have a lot of interesting facets to them, and have a good combination of intelligent and sometimes witty dialog (i.e. "Well, there's nothing like a murder to ruin a perfectly good evening,") along with an ample supply of action and intrigue.