It's about time, Mr. Moto!

Peter Lorre was the quintessential slimebag, whether playing the hideous child murderer in M (his first movie role) or Sidney Greenstreet’s highly perfumed partner in The Maltese Falcon. But I’ve always loved him just the same. So I’m delighted that his Mr. Moto movies from the late 1930s are finally coming to DVD. Only Mr. Moto’s Last Warning, late in the series of eight films, has ever been offered as any kind of video release until now. But come August 1, four others will be available in a boxed DVD set: Mr. Moto Takes a Chance; Mysterious Mr. Moto; Thank You, Mr. Moto; and Think Fast, Mr. Moto.

Believe it or not, Lorre’s Mr. Moto, based of a character created by John P. Marquand, was a good guy, but a very strange one. He was a charming but shadowy and ruthless spy, a master of disguise and a violent cold-blooded killer. Each film was set in an exotic location, and the movies make up, in my opinion, the most surreal, oddball “detective” series ever made. None of the Mr. Moto movies get much play on TV these days, but that won’t matter come August. It’ll be great to add this set to my DVD shelf.