Mr. Moto Takes a Chance

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Mr. Moto Takes a Chance
Directed by Norman Foster
Produced by Sol M. Wurtzel
Written by Lou Breslow (screenplay)
John Patrick (screenplay)
Willis Cooper (original story)
Norman Foster (original story)
John P. Marquand (character)
Starring Peter Lorre
Rochelle Hudson
Robert Kent
J. Edward Bromberg
Cinematography Virgil Miller
Edited by Nick DeMaggio
Distributed by Twentieth Century-Fox
Release dates
  • June 24, 1938 (1938-06-24)
Running time
63 minutes
Country United States
Language English

Mr. Moto Takes a Chance is the fourth in a series of eight films starring Peter Lorre as Mr. Moto. The film is based on the character of Mr. Moto created by John P. Marquand, and an original story by Norman Foster and Willis Cooper called Look Out, Mr. Moto.


Over the ruins of Angkor Wat in Cambodia we see the airplane Victoria Mason, aviatrix, flying around the globe. But her actual destination is the kingdom of Tong Moi in French Indochina. Already in Tong Moi, Mr. Moto is posing as an archeologist and newsreel cameramen, Marty Weston and Chick Davis are traveling up the river. Once she is overhead, Mason lights a flare and bails out of her smoking plane which crashes nearby. Rescued by Moto, Mason goes into the village with Bokor the head priest of Shiva. As Weston and Davis arrive at the crash site, Moto has discovered the flare that “caused” the accident.

While trying to film Mason and Tong Moi’s ruler, the Rajah Ali, Keema, the Rajah’s favorite wife mysteriously dies. Bokor claims that the foreigners and their camera caused her death and they are taken away for a trial. Meanwhile, Moto finds the true cause of Keema’s death, a poison dart.

At the temple of Shiva, Weston and Davis are pronounced guilty and are about to be thrown into a pit when an elderly guru appears. The guru impresses Bokor with his ability to charm a snake and to not be burned by a flaming poker. Bokor releases the foreigners at the orders of the guru.

The following day Moto offers to pay the cameramen for images of the interior of the temple. They agree, and return to the temple with Mason. The three are confronted by the elderly guru who tosses their camera down the well. Bokor, seeing this, asks the guru to kill the foreigner, Moto. The guru agrees and returns to the temple, there discovering a concealed ammunition cache. After disposing of a guard, the guru disappears into a secret passage way. There he reveals himself to be Mr. Moto, in disguise.

Moto writes a note saying that he discovered the ammunition and that Bokor is the leader of the revolt. He sends the message off by carrier pigeon but the Rajah kills the bird and intercepts the message. Later at a feast held in honor of the visitors, Moto is served the cooked bird on his plate and the Rajah reveals that he got the message.

In his cabin, Moto is markinging the secret ammunition cache on a map of the temple when one of Bokor’s men comes in to kill him. After killing the intruder, Moto disguises himself as the assassin and sneaks into the night. Bokor begins searching Moto’s cabin but is interrupted by Mason, who finds the hidden map.

Bokor and his men follow Mason to the temple and capture her. The guru appears and pretends to hypnotize the captive. Meanwhile, Weston followed Mason to the temple and tries unsuccessfully to rescue her. Bonfire signals are made and Capt. Zimmerman the gun-runner arrives with Davis, who is taken captive as well. Zimmerman has been selling weapons to Bokor so that Bokor can start a revolution and depose the Rajah Ali. Zimmerman is killed by Yao in “payment” for his services.

When Mason reveals Moto’s identity, a fight ensues. Yao is killed and Bokor escapes and rounds up Zimmerman’s men. The four inside the temple hold off the men with the weapons that were just delivered. Mason reveals that she is a British Secret Service agent and Moto reveals that he is also a spy. Rajah Ali arrives with his army and rounds up Bokor and his men. The Rajah’s plan is to use the weapons Bokor purchased to revolt against the French. As the Rajah prepares to have Moto and the two cameramen executed, Mason distracts him so Moto can threaten to blow up the ammunition cache. The Rajah falls into the cache and the four heroes escape down the secret passage as the temple explodes.

All ends well with Mason and Weston beginning a romance and Davis planning on becoming Moto’s assistant. Davis faints when Moto tells him that his next assignment is to capture a murderer living on a volcanic island as the guest of headhunters.


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