Dead Men Tell (1941)

What a waste of my time!!!

Nice effects though.

Best movie ever!

Entertaining from beginning to end, it maintains the spirit of the franchise while establishing it's own seal with a fun cast

Fortunately, director Harry Lachman's interest in the Charlie Chan series was revived by "Dead Men Tell". Lachman had considerable input into designing the elaborate sets. Alas, although his work is wonderfully eerie, not a great deal of it is actually visible on the screen because, when actual filming began, he encouraged photographer Charles G. Clarke to shoot the picture mostly with spooky close-ups. However, it must be admitted that this ploy is highly successful and that all the players acquit themselves well.In fact, there are fans who regard this entry with all its noir effects and intriguing plot, as actually the very best of the whole series.

***SPOILERS*** Our hero Charlie Chan, Sidney Toler, gets involved in this murder case when his bumbling #2 Son Jimmy, Sen Young, gets himself involved in a treasure hunt by sneaking on the ship "Suva Star" that's taking a group of passengers to far off Cocos Island in the Caribbean. It's there at Cocos where 60 million in gold has been buried by pirate Black Hook Nodbury in the 18th century for safe keeping. Black Hook's descendant Patience Nodbury, Ethel Griffies, who's financing the treasure hunt had cut the map leading to the treasure into four pieces and sent it to the four persons who on on the trip. That so that none of then can have an advantage in finding it unless the four decide to put the pieces together like a jigsaw puzzle. As for #2 Son Jimmy he's determined to find the treasure himself even though he wasn't invited on the cruse.Right for the start things go wrong before the ship "Suva Star" sets out to sea. With Mrs. Nodbury dropping dead from fright when she sees the long dead Black Hook Nodbury show up at her cabin waving his hook at her. Charlie who's only looking for his #2 son Jimmy ends up getting involved in solving Mrs. Nodbury's death as well as one of the passengers escaped murderer posing as a newspaper man Bill Lydig's, Gerorge Reeves, murder after he was found suffocated in a diving bell. ***SPOILERS**** With all the evidence now pointing to passengers psychoanalyst Dr. Anne Bonny, Lenita Lane, and her ultra neurotic patient Gene La Farge, Milton Parsons, who had earlier tried to get #2 Son Jimmy to walk blindfolded off the plank something else, out of left field, pops up to make to plot more interesting: Revenge!. Charlie finds out that the skipper of the "Suva Star" Capt. Kane, had taken advantage of the treasure hunt not to find the treasure but the person who some 20 years earlier tried to kill him and left him stranded on Cocos Island to die of starvation. Now with him in charge of the treasure hunt and his intended victim not knowing who he is Capt.Kane plans to pay back in spades!P.S As for #2 Son Jimmy he spent so many times falling or diving into the water that with all that experience he can easily qualify for the US Olympic diving team!

"Number Two Son" Jimmy Chan (Victor Sen Yung) sneaks aboard a ship about to embark on a treasure hunt. Charlie Chan (Sidney Toler) comes looking for him and finds a murder to investigate with a boatload of suspects.Exemplary entry in the Toler Chan series. Eerie, moody atmosphere with some of the best cinematography and direction of any of the Chan films. Lots of close-ups. Nice cast includes George Reeves, Milton Parsons, and pretty Kay Aldridge. Jimmy Chan is on screen a lot in this one, so if you're not a fan be prepared. I happen to like Jimmy and I didn't think his comic relief here was too much, as some have said. Treasure maps, pirates, talking parrots, and even a future Superman -- what's not to love?

This is a rather strange film, as the plot is amazingly unusual. While this doesn't mean the plot is great, at least it deserves kudos for being different! The film begins with Charlie coming to the docks to look for his incredibly stupid son, Tommy. In the process, however, naturally he stumbles into a murder--something he does practically all the time!! This time, however, the setting on board an old fashion sailing ship (circa 1800) and the story of a vengeful pirate ghost and a treasure map make this a weird tale indeed! As I said, it isn't a great plot--mostly because it was so contrived and tough to believe. However, it still managed to be fun.The star of this film wasn't actually the actors but the set design and cinematography. The director had quite an artistic eye and it has to be the prettiest and best filmed Chan movie of all time. With fascinating angles, a Film Noir-like look and a creepy locale, this is a breathtaking film for film students. Just because the Chan films were relatively low budget, this time there was just a little something extra.About the only negative, and it's a minor one, is the running gag of having Tommy fall into the harbor. Once or twice is funny--four times is simply too much.Overall, a pretty but average Twentieth-Century Fox Charlie Chan film.