Delicious old black & white crime mystery - one of the many similar produced in relatively short period of time, when Monogram Pictures enjoyed success with these kind of inexpensive, low budgeted little crime stories. Decidedly non-Asian looking, towering and gaunt Boris Karloff is again Chinese detective helping his good pals to solve the murder case, as previously we have very much the same team of policeman Grant Withers and pretty blonde journalist Marjorie Reynolds who is very much comic relief and gets pushed around and ordered to "scram". Because character of Mr.Wong is basically so serious and dignified, this time we actually get more kick from following Reynolds as she unwittingly puts herself in dangerous situations, insist to phone her newspaper and faints in the most inappropriate situations - her character is actually so entertaining that its a wonder nobody thought about making her focus of her own series. It is a sign of the times that Reynolds being a woman could not seriously compete with guys and she was constantly portrayed as good natured but brainless blonde bimbo - another woman in the movie is Lita Chevret whose main function is to be attractive, mysterious dame involved with crime underworld and therefore tarnished by association. As much as Karloff is delight in main role, this is the first Mr.Wong mystery where all sorts of small roles have entertaining little scenes - the whole pleasure of these old, low budgeted movies is exactly in the ways how director William Nigh created something with such limited resources.
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