Alicia I love this movie so much

WasAnnon Slow pace in the most part of the movie.

Vashirdfel Simply A Masterpiece

Voxitype Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

JohnHowardReid Charlie Chan in City in Darkness (1939) certainly ranks as one of the oddest movies in the series. Although it was palmed off on the public as "Charlie Chan in City in Darkness" and sold as a mystery thriller, this entry is actually a knockabout comedy. Chan is a subsidiary character whose principle job is to feed lines and bits of business to Harold Huber, who not only has more lines than Toler (and more than twice as many words) but more scenes including that delightful episode in which Harry Fleischmann picks him up and then throws his double down the stairs, not once but twice! Chan is not only forced to stand on the sidelines while Huber runs rings around him, but is up-staged by three comic thieves as well. True, Chan has a few timely words, does a bit of detecting and even foolishly dispenses with Huber's assistance for a scene in which he is nearly killed by Leo G. Carroll and Lon Chaney. All the same, Charlie Chan in City in Darkness will certainly disappoint Chan fans.

gridoon2018 This ambitious Charlie Chan outing takes place in a darkened Paris, on the brink of World War II. In addition to its political topicality, it has a well-plotted murder mystery, with more suspects than you can shake a stick at, and a surprising outcome. Most of the supporting cast is top-notch, with a particularly confident performance by Dorothy Tree as an enemy agent. There is really only one major problem with the movie, and that's the unfunny Harold Huber, with his overdone pre-Inspector Clouseau French accent and his idiotic antics. Sidney Toler's expert deadpan comic delivery makes Huber look even worse. Take Huber out of the equation, and you have one of the better Chan mysteries here. "Wise man question self, fool question others". **1/2 out of 4.

darkcollins I really like Harold Huber, I really do. He was one of the best character actors of the 1930s until his passing in the 1950s. He was even really good and great in his previous Chan roles and also in the Mr. Moto films in supporting roles. But here...WOW. Director Herbert I. Leeds also previously helmed the Mr. Moto entry "Danger Island" the same year. The buddy relationship in that film with Peter Lorre and Warren Hymer worked there perfectly because the movie never lost focus that MOTO was the main character and the chemistry between Lorre and Hymer clicked beautifully. It seems like Leeds was attempting the same for Sidney Toler and Harold Huber but Huber's comedy is overbearing, really unfunny and completely out of place. Huber is basically the main character of the film and is given free rein to go wild while Toler is left to clean up the mess (bless you for being a trooper with this, Mr. Toler). And the absence of Victor Sen-Yung in favor of Huber's bumbling annoyance is another mark against this one. Another problem is that the murder victim isn't that interesting, nor are a good amount of the suspects who have their own sneaky self- interests to hide. Whenever the Chan films emphasized espionage rather than the basic murder mystery, the results were a largely mixed bag but here, it's a real slog to sit through. Not even Lon Chaney Jr's brief presence was enough to enjoy. The historical aspect of the rising European tensions on the eve of World War Two make this film interesting from that perspective but the potential to make the usual fun popcorn Chan movie went down the drain with Huber being pushed to the forefront. Avoid this one.

ccthemovieman-1 This is the only Charlie Chan film I never finished. I usually love his films, whether Sidney Toler or Warner Oland starred in them and/or which of Charlie's kids were in the film.However, in this movie the French police "Inspector Spivak," played by Harold Huber, was hogging all the scenes and was difficult to understand. He made me lose interest. This guy was just plain super annoying and had the top role in the story. I am glad a few other reviewers here had the same reaction as I did.Perhaps with a DVD treatment and English subtitles available, I could give this a second chance and enjoy it, but I doubt it. I watch Chan films to see Charlie, not some idiot in the starring role.