The Golden Eye

Instead of taking precautions to aid a man who is in grave danger, Charlie again waits to do anything. He is approached by an old friend who says that someone is trying to kill him. It has something to do with an old gold mine, The Golden Eye, that has begun producing after many lean years. The gang find themselves on a dude ranch where things aren't' as they should be. The old friend supposedly falls down a shaft and is left a broken man, fighting for his life. Once again, there are a couple bodies that need to be dealt with. Charlie pretends to be a jade merchant and exposes his identity to an old detective friend who seems to be aware of the goings on. The problem, as it often is in these poorly done old films, is the slipshod work of everyone as they do nothing to protect those in danger. It was good that this series slowly plodded to an end.

A gold defunct gold mine is mysteriously profitable. The owner of the mine thinks he is being targeted and soon to be dispatched. He thinks this is right up Charlie Chan's alley.

Charlie poses as a jade dealer and with help from his standard entourage, must sort out the dastardly doers and find out what it is they are doing. Can he save the mine owner in time or is it curtains? If the mine owner goes is his daughter next?

"Ain't that something? Good gracious of me. That's Mr. Chan allover. When you think it is, it ain't and when you think it ain't, that is just what it is." - Birmingham Brown (Mantan Morland).

Charlie Chan (Roland Winters) agrees to investigate the strange happenings at an Arizona (or is it New Mexico - I really can't be bothered to check) goldmine. Along for the ride are son Tommy (Victor Sen Yung) and chauffeur Birmingham Brown (Mantan Moreland).

I have seen all of the Sidney Toler and Warner Oland Chan films - most multiple times. But oddly enough, this is my first experience with Roland Winters. I'm not impressed. Maybe it's my personal bias, but he seems all wrong for the role. Instead of the measured, deliberate Chan played by both Toler and Oland, Winters is too quick in both speech and action. And, if it weren't for the yellow-face, I'd swear Winters was trying to pull off some kind of European, maybe Italian, accent. It was all so distracting.

As for the film itself, you know you're in trouble when the credits begin with the words Monogram Pictures and end with the name William Beaudine. That pretty much says all you need to know. Honestly, it's just a bad movie and not really worth dwelling on.

On a positive note, The Golden Eye doesn't feature an overdose of Tommy and Birmingham. Their comedy bits are limited. And thank goodness because as much as I like Moreland, his Birmingham Brown schtick gets old pretty quick.

Finally, there were two things that bothered me while watching The Golden Eye and both are related to Victor Sen Yung. First, why is he named Tommy in this movie? If you've seen any of his previous Chan films, you know he's Jimmy. Second, in 1948, he was 33 years old - way too old to be playing the bumbling son. In fact, he's way too old to be playing Winters' son. Winters would have been 44 when this movie was made - a difference of only 11 years.

3/10.

I watched it because it was available and also because I had never seen it before. But I don't crave for Charlie Chan series, or maybe the Twentieth Century Fox films, starring Warner Oland, far better than those produced by Monogram Pictures and starring Sidney Toler. I am not a specialist of this movie series, so I won't describe details seperating both productions, but this very one is so lousy, so lame, that the best way to appreciate it would be to make a fun of it. Unlike concerning the Twentieth Century Fox features, made with greaat more care in directing and story telling. If you crave to mystery thriller and involving investigation, so, maybe it is for you.

The story is set mostly in Arizona near an old gold mine. The owner is being threatened and wants Chan's help. It's a good premise but the story is dull and unconvincing. There are not enough suspects to make the puzzle interesting. The killer here is easier to figure out than in most Chan stories. There was one surprise toward the end but it only contributed to the story's implausibility.

Characters are shallow and generally uninteresting. Way too much time is spent on the drunk who stumbles around the swimming pool. This character isn't really needed anyway and my impression is that he functions mostly as filler; the film contains a lot of filler, despite the short runtime.

Outdoor visuals do not look much like Arizona. The mine-shafts add a spooky quality. But film lighting renders the tunnels too bright to be convincingly subterranean. Overall lighting is generally too dark. Production design is predictably minimal and cheap.

As bug-eyed Birmingham Brown, Mantan Moreland is always a welcome addition to the cast. But Victor Sen Yung doesn't add much as Number Two Son. And Roland Winters is dreadful as Charlie Chan. Winters just doesn't have the Chan persona that Warner Oland or Sidney Toler had.

With minimal mystery and suspense, few suspects, and a dull Charlie Chan actor, "The Golden Eye" is below average for this series. Only hard core Charlie Chan movie fans will find much appeal in this film.