UnowPriceless hyped garbage

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

Philippa All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

Bob This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

Rainey Dawn This was a pretty fun Mr. Wong detective story. It has a few comical moments in it and the story was good. Mr. Wong is after a smuggling ring & unmasks a murderer.The Mr. Wong series is quite fun. If you like any of the Sherlock Holmes movies then it's possible you will like the Mr. Wong series starring Boris Karloff.What is interesting in this particular film, it features a wireless remote controlled radio. This radio was reality - it was not made up for the film. There is an article about the radio on CNet called "Back to the future: 1939 wireless remote control!" The article's subtitle reads: "Philco's Mystery Control (1939) was a battery-operated radio transmitter, so it didn't have to be in the same room as the radio it was controlling." Also, you can read more about this cool invention on Philco's website. That is a neat trivia fact I just learned about today.Yes this film is worth watching if you are a fan of detective stories or Boris Karloff.6/10

kai ringler didn't know what to make of this one,, Boris Karloff seems way out of place in this one, one thing i didn't get at all was the name of the movie, why is it called the fatal hour,, there are no references in the movie to any particular hour, i found this movie to be rather boring, didn't really have any excitement at all, don't know why it's classified as a horror pic,, it should be under crime drama or something,, i think that Boris Karloff should stick to monster movies,, that's what's he is the best at,, other than that i'm running out of things to say about this movie, other than it was boring, had no action whatsoever.

Scarecrow-88 Assigned to a smuggling detail, a cop is found in the bay of San Francisco, bullets in him, ankles bound with rope. San Francisco Police Captain Bill Street was close to Dan so in his melancholy he's bound and determined to find the person (or persons) responsible. Oriental investigator, Mr. Wong (Boris Karloff, in Oriental make-up, speaking with a smooth British voice, reprising the role for the fourth time for Monogram Pictures), also friendly with the murder victim, offers his services to Bill. In seaman's clothes, Wong realizes that Dan was under cover at the Waterfront—perhaps this will uncover who might want to silence the undercover cop before he spilled the beans on a secret smuggling operation maybe taking place there.A Chinese jade stone, a Club Neptune, a jewelry store, a forbidden marriage, a radio program, a remote control radio, a trick to fool a switchboard operator and more murders to those who "knew too much" and were threatening to squeal, all add up to a fun little Monogram mystery, helped considerably by Karloff's star power.The cast includes Marjorie Reynolds in the familiar role of spunky, nosy newsreporter, Roberta Logan (looking for the "big scoop" for the afternoon addition of the Herald, annoying Grant Withers' cantankerous Captain Street who wishes she would butt out of police business), Charles Trowbridge as the refined jewelry store "receiver", John T. Forbes (who might know more than he is willing to reveal), Frank Puglia as the crooked owner of Club Neptune, Harry "Hardway" Lockett (behind the smuggling from the Waterfront into his place), Craig Reynolds in the "wrong man" role, Frank Belden Jr ( interrogated harshly by Street because he was in the apartment around the time his fiancé, Tanya Serova (Lita Chevret), was found murdered as she was a part of Harry Lockett's smuggling operation), and Hooper Atchley as Frank Belden Sr, the second murder victim (who, against his better judgment, in order to save his jewelry business from failure, went in cahoots with Lockett, dead set against his son marrying Tanya who he considered no good). Jason Robards Sr. has a very small role as a radio actor who becomes another victim (actually murdered in the police station; the killer is bold!) because he might can report evidence against the time of murder. I actually kind of enjoy these Mr. Wong films I have watched, a series which allowed Karloff a chance to play against type as a heroic sleuth instead of a "boogeyman".

capkronos What will you find in and around an oceanside watering hole called The Neptune Club? A little jewel smuggling, a little multiple murder and a whole lot of red herrings. San Francisco policeman Bill Street (Grant Withers) teams up with Chinese super sleuth James Lee Wong (Boris Karloff) to get to the bottom of things. This involves weeding through an almost never-ending parade of suspects to find out which one is going around murdering those who threaten to expose a back room crime operation. And there may, or may not, be more to it than meets the eye. And you may, or may not, even be interested in even viewing this creaky old chestnut. The first ten/fifteen minutes don't exactly do an adequate job of reeling the viewer in, but the film does pick up speed and becomes more interesting (and entertaining) after awhile.Though listed as a horror-mystery, this is more of a mystery with a slightly higher body count than usual, a few shadowy horror movie-like touches (particularly a hand brandishing a pistol emerging from a dark corner of the bar) and, of course, the presence of horror legend Karloff. It's entirely set bound; I don't recall a single scene taking place outdoors, though there is frequent mention of a harbor, shipping docks and a secret passageway we never get to see. It's also incredibly talky, with very little on-screen action. There's no style, no visual flourishes and the camera-work itself is strictly of the point-and-shoot variety. However, the dialogue isn't too bad and neither are the characters. The film also has a sense of humor; namely Marjorie Reynolds as a plucky reporter who annoys the heck out of the fuzz by showing up at every crime scene unannounced but still manages to uncover many of the important clues.Withers' aggressive, reactionary, often-screaming policeman is almost perfectly balanced out by Karloff's smooth, observant and very patient oriental detective. The supporting cast is mostly decent; particularly Frank Puglia as the shady owner of the Neptune Club. Still, I wouldn't go out of my way to see this unless you're a Karloff completist or enjoy creaky lightweight rainy day murder mysteries. There are worse ways to pass an hour or your time. This was either the fourth or fifth entry in the Wong series; Karloff played the same character in MR. WONG, DETECTIVE (1938), MR. WONG IN CHINATOWN (1939), THE MYSTERIOUS MR. WONG (1939) and DOOMED TO DIE (1940).