“Dangerous Money” is another entry in the “Charlie Chan” series. These movies were considered fun detective flicks back in the day but are now often deemed to be politically incorrect. I found this film to be reasonably enjoyable with some amusing moments here and there.

Charlie Chan (Sidney Toler “Charlie Chan In Panama”, “Murder Over New York”) is on a cruise ship across the Pacific Ocean where he meets a treasury agent. The agent is on the trail of counterfeit money and it seems somebody wants him dead. Charlie Chan must uncover the identity of the villains aboard and help expose the counterfeit money operation.

Several actors have played Charlie Chan over the years. I have seen Warner Oland (“Charlie Chan’s Secret”) and I think I prefer him to Sidney Toler. At least Oland attempts the Chinese accent. Still, he’s not bad and enjoy the character regardless. Victor Sen Yung (“Across The Pacific”) is relatively funny as Charlie’s bumbling son, Jimmy. He’s easily the best character besides Charlie in the whole movie. The other characters are okay but none of them are exactly great. It’s not exactly an issue though as the focus as always, is on Charlie Chan as he tirelessly carries out his investigation.

“Dangerous Money” is a charming picture. I guess I have a soft spot for these old detective films. This one has some rather pleasant Pacific island music playing throughout. The mystery was relatively captivating and the Charlie Chan character is very entertaining to watch. Maybe they could have made better use of the cruise ship setting but that’s a minor complaint. If you want something with a fast pace or you think you are likely to be offended by the bad Asian make-up on Sidney Toler then I’m afraid you will have to look elsewhere.