It was great to see Keye Luke replacing Boris Karloff in this 6th installment of the Mr. Wong series, and together with Lotus Long, challenging a few of the assumptions white filmgoers had (and continue to have) about Asian-Americans. When the police captain derisively asks her if she had chop suey for lunch, he's told she had apple pie and coffee, the same as every day (get it, she's as American as apple pie, and wow, great lunch!). When some of the archaeologists explain they've got the sarcophagus of a Ming emperor, Luke deadpans "They tell me that a Chinese archaeological expedition is digging up the body of George Washington in exchange," providing a fantastic perspective shift. He also points out his sympathies for China given his heritage, but that he's an American. The Asian characters in this film are intelligent and reasonable, and most (but not all) speak English perfectly well.
Unfortunately, the film has a rather bland and muddled plot which wasn't all that interesting, at least to me. On top of that Luke lacks screen presence, and while his character is the brain behind figuring out the mystery, his performance is so polite as to be nearly emasculated (though he does have a nice moment near the end). Meanwhile he's paired with an oafish police captain (Grant Withers), and Lotus Long doesn't get nearly enough screen time. It's too bad there wasn't more verve here, but at least the film only goes for 62 minutes. Watch it for the casting choice, the nice bits of dialogue, and the small step forward in progress it represented.
Unfortunately, the film has a rather bland and muddled plot which wasn't all that interesting, at least to me. On top of that Luke lacks screen presence, and while his character is the brain behind figuring out the mystery, his performance is so polite as to be nearly emasculated (though he does have a nice moment near the end). Meanwhile he's paired with an oafish police captain (Grant Withers), and Lotus Long doesn't get nearly enough screen time. It's too bad there wasn't more verve here, but at least the film only goes for 62 minutes. Watch it for the casting choice, the nice bits of dialogue, and the small step forward in progress it represented.