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Charlie Chan (Sidney Toler) and son Jimmy (Victor Sen Yung) travel to Rio to arrest a woman accused of a murder in Hawaii--but before the killer is taken into custody she becomes the victim of foul play herself. Chan films frequently ask the viewer to suspend disbelief re various plot devices, but this particular episode requires one to accept a particularly unrealistic plot device and as such seems more than a little silly; fans will find it mildly enjoyable, but RIO is not the film I would use to introduce a newcomer to the series.

Although the Charlie Chan films are sometimes accused of perpetuating racial stereotypes, they were in fact no more stereotypical than other serial-style films (Blondie and Dr. Kildare come to mind) of the era--and as the series progressed the patronization found in the earliest films was rapidly discarded. Regretfully, many of the best Chan films are not available on video, much less DVD, and fans of the series who want to see such classics as CHARLIE CHAN AT TREASURE ISLAND or CHARLIE CHAN AT RENO(my own favorites) must hope for a showing on television.

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1941's "Charlie Chan in Rio" is a solid mystery thriller in the Charlie Chan movie series, featuring Sidney Toler as the famous Honolulu Detective, here assisted by Sen Yung as enthusiastic Number Two Son Jimmy.

The story opens with some exterior shots of Rio and proceeds to the floor show of a Brazilian nightclub. Charlie Chan and his son are present, along with the local Chief of Police, to arrest Lola Dean, a singer in the nightclub, for murder. We are quickly introduced to the cast of people who will figure in the story. Lola Dean leaves the nightclub after being proposed to by her boyfriend. Her brief stop at the home of a Indian mystic brings an involuntary confession under drugs to the murder Charlie Chan is investigating. By the time Miss Dean reaches her home, she has decided to elope with her fiancee. By the time Charlie Chan and the Police Chief arrive, she has been murdered.

Charlie and the Police Chief consider the clues and question the suspects, while Jimmy jumps from one wrong conclusion to the next. The fatal shooting of Lola Dean's butler as he was about to reveal the name of the killer adds a second murder to be investigated. The lack of clues drives Charlie Chan to play a long shot in order to trap the killer or killers into a confession.

The number of potential suspects with a motive will have viewers puzzling over the murder mystery when they are not laughing at the antics of Jimmy, who ardently courts Miss Dean's Chinese housemaid when he isn't bumbling through the investigation. A subtle reminder of the times is the arrival of Jimmy's draft notice at the end of the movie.

This movie is highly recommended to fans of the Charlie Chan series as a much better than average entry.

Best Deals for Charlie Chan in Rio (1941)

The film begin at the Carioca Casino in Rio. Charlie Chan and his son are watching the floor show. We see romantic rivalry between two women over the affections of a wealthy heir. Chan is there to arrest Lola Dean, who expects to announce her wedding engagement to Clark Denton, the wealthy heir. Lola visits the Continental Hotel to meet a mystic; but she is drugged and confesses to a murder in Honolulu! [Note the recording method of that day.] After Lola returns home she is found stabbed to death. [No blood spatter?] Chan begins to question the servants. Lola's jewels were stolen! The other guests are questioned. A tipsy Joan Reynolds accuses a woman of the murder. Another suspect is brought in for questioning; he is Lola's former husband. Murano the mystic brings new information, and uses coffee and an herbal cigarette to extract the truth from a volunteer. Like other murder mysteries of that time all the suspects are gathered together in one room for dramatic questioning.

Chan deduces a possible clue in the murderer's shoe. When one suspect begins to talk, the lights go out and a shot is fired; the suspect will tell no tales. The remaining suspects are gathered around the dining room table. Chan begins to question one suspect with coffee and a herbal cigarette, then another. There is a new clue when Chan himself tries the coffee and herbal cigarette for its effects. Then the murderer confesses for a surprise ending, and explains why it happened. Edmond Locard said a criminal always leaves something at the scene of the crime and takes away something from the crime scene.

Note how a successful series will repeat stories from earlier films, whether Charlie Chan or James Bond.

Honest reviews on Charlie Chan in Rio (1941)

Enjoyed seeing the movie again. The product arrived in good time. The product arrived in good shape.

I have enjoyed these old movies over and over again.

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First Impressions:

Although controversial for its day (and still so, today!), the Charlie Chan films with Sydney Toler as the inimitable Chinese detective and his "sidekick", Number Two son Jimmy Chan, made several films for Fox and Monogram Productions. Some criticize the films as racist stereotypes while others point out that the original author of these stories, Earl Biggers, wanted a positive role model rather than the then-current "evil" Chinese that had been going on in the 1920s.

I watched the two-sided DVD titled Charlie Chan in Rio and the other, Charlie Chan & Dead Men Talk. Both were fun to watch, and Charlie was a respected member of law enforcement in both films. In both, his son Jimmy makes for some silly and at times cheesy comedy, as we hunt down the killers.

Dead Men's Chest!

Charlie Chan and Dead Men Talk about a woman with a weak heart, superstitious about her ancestry, being related to pirates, such as Captain Bluebeard (or something like that!) and most of the scenes taking place on a boat or on the dock. We meet several of the crew who are going on to participate in a treasure hunt. But someone wants the treasure map badly enough to kill for it.

What's really fun is the appearance of George Reeves, which classic film fans will recognize as Superman in the Superman series of films and television in the 1950s. The story is never clear as to why the Reeves' character is on board. We learn he's an escaped criminal but why was he killed? The red herrings of the piece were obvious and Charlie's wit was fun to watch.

Go to Rio!

Charlie Chan in Rio took on a more musical interpretation with some singing and cha-cha dancing in a nightclub. We meet a drunk blonde, a few jealous women and a woman who is not who she seems. We find out the power of hypnotism (through coffee and herbal cigarettes!) and there is quite a fight scene of two men tussling around in an apartment. Jimmy is less funny than he is in trying to help his dad solve the murder in Rio. Fun film, but a bit slow in development.

Bottom Line:

These films are an entertaining watch. I think the viewer needs to take these films in the spirit in which they were first made, and understanding film history and racial stereotypes of the time, will come to at least understand these films. Charlie Chan is great, lots of silly expressions and a calm manner. Recommended!

Other Chan Films with Sydney Toler:

The Charlie Chan Chanthology (The Secret Service / The Chinese Cat / The Jade Mask / Meeting at Midnight / The Scarlet Clue / The Shanghai Cobra)

Charlie Chan Collection, Vol. 5 (Charlie Chan At The Wax Museum/Murder Over New York/Dead Men Tell/Charlie Chan In Rio/Charlie Chan In Panama/Murder Cruise/Castle in the Desert)