Tuesday, August 06, 2013

Movie review - Chan#23 - "Charlie Chan in Panama" (1940) ***

A different sort of locale for Charlie to wind up in - Panama, which isn't often used as a setting for the movies, but World War Two had started and the canal's strategic importance had skyrocketed. Charlie Chan is being used as a sort of secret agent to investigate sabotage of the canal by unnamed foreign powers.

This is an enjoyable mystery - the spy/war angle gives it freshness, as does the fact it takes place in Panama; there's an entertaining collection of possible suspects, including a shady scientist, a spinster, a cigarette salesman, a singer. Lionel Atwill offers pleasing support and there's good pace.


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