Victor Mature

Ona Munson

Gene Tierney

Walter Huston

Phyllis Brooks

Albert Bassermann

Maria Ouspenskaya

Eric Blore

Ivan Lebedeff

Mike Mazurki

Clyde Fillmore

Grayce Hampton

Rex Evans

Mikhail Rasumny

Michael Dalmatoff

Marcel Dalio

John Abbott

Josef von Sternberg

John Colton

Arnold Pressburger

Richard Hageman

Paul Ivano

Sam Winston

Geza Herczeg

Jules Furthman

James M. Cain

Karl Vollmöller

Albert de Courville

Boris Leven

John London

Drama

The Shanghai Gesture

Arnold Pressburger Films

United Artists

United States of America

CinemaSerf

"Sir Guy Charteris" (Walter Huston) is an entrepreneurial British developer who has his eyes on the gin-palace of "Mother Gin Sling" (Ona Munson). The latter woman is running her successful den of iniquity and has no intention of acquiescing to the venal aspirations of her new nemesis. Determined to fight back, she enlists the help of the rather unscrupulous "Dr. Omar" (a rather mis-cast Victor Mature) to ensure that "Poppy" (Gene Tierney) - the daughter of "Charteris" - is introduced to the delightful effects of opium! The story becomes further complicated when it transpires that there is a personal history between the millionaire and the casino owner - and soon a plan is afoot to bring down retribution on his head. This has the look of an older "Charlie Chan" film to it, one without the charisma of Warner Oland or Sydney Toler. The scenarios are all very predictable and there is far too much dialogue as the tale meanders along for an over-long ninety minutes before a rather underwhelming, melodramatic, conclusion. Despite her relatively lowly billing, the films belongs to Munson when she appears, otherwise it's all pretty procedural daytime fayre.