Sen to Chihiro no kamikakushi (2001)

Wax Museum Murder...
1940's "Charlie Chan at the Wax Museum" was one of the very best of the many movies featuring the iconic detective from the Honolulu Police Department. Sidney Toler does the honors as Charlie Chan, ably assisted by Victor Chen Yeung as Number Two Son.

The premise is a closed house murder mystery inside a Wax Museum of Crime, where a local radio station hosts a debate over a controversial murder case. Charlie Chan, who believes the man convicted of the crime was innocent, will debate the scientist on whose circumstancial evidence the man was convicted.

The radio show, held at night during a rain storm, draws lots of visitors, both invited and uninvited. The museum director, Dr. Cream, is secretly a plastic surgeon for the mob who fears exposure. One of his most recent patients, the escaped killer Steve McBirney, is hanging around, hoping for a shot at Chan. A local radio station personality becomes unduly upset when the show is disrupted by the murder of one of the participants. A demented night watchman contributes to the confusion.

This atmospheric episode has its share of laughs from Number Two Son's pratfalls, and Charlie's laconic wisdom, but also generates some real suspense as the killer or killers pick off participants in the radio show. Charlie Chan and Number Two Son will have to think quickly to stay alive and reveal the identity of the real killer in a tense conclusion.

This outstanding Charlie Chan episode is very highy recommended to fans of the series.

Menacing Atmosphere, Old Scores to Settle, Dangerous Plans, and Hidden Identities
Charlie Chan at the Wax Museum is the most successful of the Sidney Toler films featuring Honolulu's most famous fictional detective. Although it's certainly not a big-budget extravaganza, the script, direction, and acting take good advantage of a constantly surprising location on a stormy night for murder.

Many will compare Charlie Chan at the Wax Museum to the Warner Oland film, Charlie Chan's Secret. Clearly, Wax Museum is an attempt at exploring the same formula in a different way. For my money, Wax Museum is the better film.

As the film opens, Steve McBirney is sentenced to prison in part on Charlie Chan's testimony. McBirney threatens Chan who shows no loss of composure. But as McBirney is being taken off to prison, he makes an escape and finds his way to the wax museum where the doctor and his assistant use plastic surgery to disguise fugitives.

To Charlie's surprise, the doctor makes a strong bid for Charlie to talk about an old case (Joe Rocke's conviction that Charlie thinks was a mistake) on the radio at the wax museum that night by approaching number two son, Jimmy. Charlie already suspects the doctor is helping criminals and agrees to go in order to see what he can observe.

McBirney has a dastardly plan in mind for Charlie. Will Charlie survive?

At the wax museum, things are seldom as they seem. The mix-ups add to the mystery and the humor with Charlie's law student son as the fall guy for many of the jokes. There's also an element of satire as the script puts in some pretty unexpected twists and turns (including a rare poison).

Before 64 suspenseful minutes end, you'll have a new respect for what can be done with a noir film to add humor and dark mysteries.

Another Locked Room Mystery
In a courtroom a convicted killer is sentenced to death. He tells Charlie Chan he won't forget him. As he is being led away he grabbed a guard's pistol and made an escape. Steve McBirney knows a place where he can lay low. Dr. Cream invites Chan and scientific expert Von Braun to a radio show to discuss a famous conviction. Chan knows of Dr. Cream's links to criminals and suspects something. The radio show will be broadcast from the Wax Museum, where many famous murderers are shown in effigy. Was the executed Joe Rock really innocent? Suspense comes from knowing what is really going on there. But there is a surprise, and an unexpected death.

Now Chan has to figure out who committed this murder. The people are in danger from an unknown murderer! They are all kept in one room. Things happen. Then Chan deduces who the unknown killer is, a surprise ending. Chan explains why he began to suspect this person.

This film is not as good as some earlier films because of its lower quality story and production values. But a branded character series will create a demand for such stories.