Michael_Elliott Chinatown After Dark (1931)* 1/2 (out of 4)Jim Bonner (Rex Lease) is in possession of a priceless Asian dagger, which gets him into some hot water and especially when the evil Madame Ying Su (Carmel Myers) wants it.CHINATOWN AFTER DARK is yet another low-budget crime movie that features evil Asian characters working the dark streets of Chinatown. These types of movies were quite popular since they were constantly being made. Obviously the success of the early Fu Manchu movies played into this and it should be noted that this was released a year before Boris Karloff's marvelous turn in THE MASK OF FU MANCHU.With that said, this film is in no way, shape or form close to that classic and for the most part there's really nothing here worth recommending the film for. If you're a die-hard fan of these crime films then you might want to check it out if you've seen everything else but the action is pretty light and there's really no drama or mystery. The bad performances really stand out including Myers who isn't all that believable playing an Asian character.

mmipyle I watched "Chinatown After Dark" (1931) with Carmel Myers, Barbara Kent, Rex Lease, Edmund Breese, Frank Mayo, and Billy Gilbert. Wow!! Utterly unbelievable! Gilbert as a sneezing cop - in a half-way serious role, although it's a light part - is simply over-the-top for modern audiences. Would possibly have played better 90 years ago. But it's up against a group of Chinese in America (all played by American Caucasians!) who are bad, bad, bad. Except for Lotus, played by beautiful Barbara Kent, who turns out to be white (her father died and only a Chinese man played by Edmund Breese would take her in and raise her - yeah, right...)... Story concerns a dagger that happens to contain a very large and beautiful - and extremely valuable - stone...hidden inside the dagger, of course...Rex Lease not playing a cowboy is something of a wonder in and of itself. His brother, played by Frank Mayo, has about as much energy as molasses dried on a plate. Carmel Myers, as a Chinese gang leader, is about as realistic as me being Chinese. Edmund Breese played Chinese several times - I've got him in several of these performances - and he's actually fairly good, although his part doesn't last very long.This not only was shot on the cheap, but it screams the fact to the viewer. In fact, the scream is so loud it may remind someone of insanity where a scream inside the head won't go away!! Some of the acting is so bad as to be laughable. The film, I must admit, however, is still fun to watch. I'm not sure why. But I could actually recommend this to early film lovers of the transition period from silent to sound. This one has most of the technical faults, and it's a good study piece for that reason. Otherwise, be warned. I'll leave it at that.

MartinHafer This is a low-budget B movie with a mostly unknown cast (other than Billy Gilbert in a small comic relief role). It begins with a man trying to buy a dagger from a man who has agreed to take this to Lee Fong. Although it seems of minor value, the man offers $1000 for it but is refused—after all the other man can't sell something that isn't his. But when he refuses, the guy tries to kill him and take it! Apparently this is SOME dagger! In fact, several more attempts are made on his life but somehow he is able to escape with his life. When the dagger finally is brought to Fong, the reason it's so desired is now apparent. However, at that moment, Fong is killed and the secret is stolen.Of special note is the character of Madam Ling Soo who might just be the worst character played by a Westerner imitating an Asian—and that's saying a lot. It is probably worse than John Wayne's impersonation of Genghis Khan or Katherine Hepburn as a Chinese peasant—mostly because her accent and acting are so utterly bad and ridiculous. Also, while I usually like Gilbert in films, here he plays a person so stupid and one-dimensional that he is a serious detriment to the movie—not that it was a great film to begin with, by the way.Overall, bad acting and a bad script make for a bad picture. This film is in the public domain and I can easily see why no one bothered to renew the copyright!

vandino1 This is just another one of the incompetently acted and written C-grade films put out by gone-and-forgotten Action Pictures (one of many early-sound era independent feature film companies that came and went by the mid-thirties). At least there are a few Chinese actors and extras used to add ethnic authenticity, but you still have the woefully inept Carmel Myers as Madame Ying Su and Barbara Kent as Lotus. Billy Gilbert is the comedy relief as a flustered cop named Dooley. He's also the only decent actor in the bunch; the rest fumbling with their dialogue, including hero Rex Lease. It's all in an effort to tell the cliché story of the murderous desire for an oriental dagger that contains a valuable ring inside it. Rex Lease jumps into the case to help out his brother. Gilbert is cop hot on Lease's trail, thinking he's a killer. Most of Gilbert's "comedy" is sneezing loudly whenever he's in contact with a flower. Like Gilbert's allergy, this dull thriller should be kept out of contact from viewers.