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Charlie Chan in Reno

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The Chinese detective (Sidney Toler) solves the slayings of divorce-seekers at a Nevada hotel.

Critics Reviews

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Dennis Schwartz Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews This was an above-average Charlie Chan. Rated: B- May 5, 2003 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Audience Member Charlie heads to Nevada to figure out what is going on when a family friend is charged with the murder of a nasty socialite. Everyone in Reno is apparently there getting six-week "quickie" divorces (or working to support the industry) - except for the rare mining engineer or cowboy sheriff (Slim Summerville as comic relief). As usual, there are enough character actor red herrings to confuse the most observant viewer - but somehow with its mix of comedy (also thanks to number two son Jimmy played by Victor Sen Yung) and adventure (a trip to a ghost town), this Chan mystery ends up being more entertaining than average. Sidney Toler charms in one of his earlier turns as Charlie after Warner Oland's death. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/04/23 Full Review Audience Member Toler is fine, though the mystery itself is only so-so--Reno...city of divorce and murder!! Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/22/23 Full Review Audience Member 1.5: Hmm. I was prompted to watch these by an article in The New Yorker that I read a year or two ago. I wasn't expecting them to be outstanding, but I was expecting something better than this. I have now seen essentially every Charlie Chan film, or at least all that were made between 1931 and 1947 (29 films). What struck me most is that these really have more in common with a television show than a feature film. Each film is essentially the same except for the "location." I guess it makes sense as they serve essentially the same purpose. One can essentially watch every film on auto-pilot comfortable in the knowledge that one knows exactly which characters will pop up and that everything will be satisfactorily resolved in the end. They are "C" picture at best. Sidney Toler is pretty good; Warner Toland is somewhat acceptable; and the other two one picture no-names are either inconsequential or awful. It is rather ludicrous that they didn't allow an actual Asian actor to play the role, but the portrayal of African-American's is much more heinous. They certainly pale in comparison to just about every other detective picture/TV series I've ever seen. None of the films rate an individual review so this will have to suffice for all 29. Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 02/14/23 Full Review bill t I liked this one for the main reason that the mystery involves squabbling couples in Reno, which at that time was considered the Divorce capital of the world. because of it's looser laws. Anyways, a divorcee-to-be is murdered! Who did it? Was it her husband? His wife-to-be? Her Boyfriend? The cop?!? All sorts of syspects. This was a fun one actually. Not too hard to follow, and the location makes it novel. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review Audience Member Charlie Chan in Reno is another fun installment in the Charlie Chan series. This is a good story with many talented supporting actors to watch for. George Slim Summerville as Sheriff Tombstone Fletcher. His favorite thing to say is horse-feathers. Eddie Collins is hilarious as the scared cab driver who spit way too much. Ricardo Cortez as the handsome Dr. Ainsley. Unfortunately, Victor Sen Yung, as Jimmy, isn't onscreen much. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/21/23 Full Review Audience Member Yet another great entry in the Charlie Chan series, this one has Sidney Toler as Chan, and he does a great job. Light, with a fast pace and I never lost interest. A fun mystery and one of the best in the series.The supporting cast is particularly good. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/18/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Charlie Chan in Reno

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Cast & Crew

Movie Info

Synopsis The Chinese detective (Sidney Toler) solves the slayings of divorce-seekers at a Nevada hotel.
Director
Norman Foster
Producer
John Stone
Genre
Mystery & Thriller
Original Language
English
Release Date (DVD)
Feb 12, 2008
Runtime
1h 10m