Watching the Detectives: Peter Lorre is Kentaro Moto in Thank You, Mr. Moto
Peter Lorre’s Kentaro Moto is part Sherlock Holmes (detective extraordinaire, master of disguise) part James Bond (snappy dresser, more than willing to mix it up with the bad guys). Ten minutes into this second Moto feature and he’s already displayed all of those abilities and that’s one of the big pluses about these films - they may be low budget and formulaic but they waste no time getting down to the good stuff.
Peter Lorre plays the part with conviction and, while we’re never fooled into believing he’s really Japanese, he shows a level of respect for the part that’s admirable. This is no cartoonish parody of an Asian, so often seen in the Hollywood of the times. Moto is (almost) always one step ahead of anyone else in the film and displays a wonderful sense of humour, albeit a touch black.
Here he’s out to foil some nefarious antique smugglers’ attempts to find the lost tome of Genghis Khan, along the way befriending Prince Chung, played by Philip Ahn, probably most famous as Master Kan in ‘70s TV series Kung Fu. Also on hand is John Carradine as a Spanish antique dealer, his first of two appearances in the Moto series.
This isn’t high art but it is a fun way to spend an hour or so and if you’re a Peter Lorre fan so much the better.
