Betrayal from the East
Director: William
Berke
Year:
1945
Rating: 6.0
It strikes me as odd that RKO would release this
virulently anti-Japanese film so late in the war, with Hiroshima only a few
months away. Particulatly because its plot takes place right before Pearl
Harbor. Japanese agents in America are planning the destruction of infrastructure
as well as the takeover of the Panama Canal. By both Japanese and Japanese-
Americans. The irony of course is that all the Japanese characters are portrayed
by Chinese or Korean actors. That is because all the Japanese-American actors
were in internment camps. Not mind you, the German-Americans who were enlisted
in the pro-Nazi Bund organizations. This film tries to justify that by making
the Japanese total swines. It is surprisingly brutal with two torture scenes
with the Japanese relishing every moment of it.
The film is introduced by Drew Pearson,
a very famous columnist at the time. He tells the audience that the story
is true. Maybe. The Japanese are looking for an American fall guy that they
can employ to spy and then kill. Kato (Philip Ahn) says he has a friend who
will do anything for money, Eddie Carter (Lee Tracy). Carter has a
tent at a fair ground with four lovelies as employees. The gimmick is to
let men photograph them inside. He bites on Kato's offer. Till he realizes
what it means. Then contacts US Intelligence (Regis Toomey) and tells them
everything. Should I play along? If you want to likely be killed. Sure. Richard
Loo is the main baddie.
The one good Japanese is played by our old
friend, Victor Sen Yung, son of Charlie Chan. What happens to him isn't nice.
The least believable aspect of the film is the woman who falls in love with
Eddie played by Nancy Kelly. Lee Tracy is one of the more annoying actors
in the period, always playing a fast talking wise guy who never shuts up
and always has an angle This obviously played much better in 1945 than it
does now, but it is a fast moving espionage film that doesn't pull its punches.
