By this point, the Charlie Chan series seemed to be going on autopilot: neither the director nor the cast (save maybe for Mantan Moreland) were showing much enthusiasm for the proceedings. In "Golden Eye", about half of the "action" takes place inside a mine, which makes the film look even cheaper and more underlit than usual. It's a bargain-basement and sleep-inducing production, and there aren't even any memorable lines for Chan! There is, however, (precisely) one scene that I did like: Wanda McKay grabbing a fake "nun/nurse" from behind and struggling a gun away from her; such initiative from a woman in a 1940s movie is uncommon to see. *1/2 out of 4.

The story is set mostly in Arizona near an old gold mine. The owner is being threatened and wants Chan's help. It's a good premise but the story is dull and unconvincing. There are not enough suspects to make the puzzle interesting. The killer here is easier to figure out than in most Chan stories. There was one surprise toward the end but it only contributed to the story's implausibility.Characters are shallow and generally uninteresting. Way too much time is spent on the drunk who stumbles around the swimming pool. This character isn't really needed anyway and my impression is that he functions mostly as filler; the film contains a lot of filler, despite the short runtime.Outdoor visuals do not look much like Arizona. The mine-shafts add a spooky quality. But film lighting renders the tunnels too bright to be convincingly subterranean. Overall lighting is generally too dark. Production design is predictably minimal and cheap.As bug-eyed Birmingham Brown, Mantan Moreland is always a welcome addition to the cast. But Victor Sen Yung doesn't add much as Number Two Son. And Roland Winters is dreadful as Charlie Chan. Winters just doesn't have the Chan persona that Warner Oland or Sidney Toler had.With minimal mystery and suspense, few suspects, and a dull Charlie Chan actor, "The Golden Eye" is below average for this series. Only hard core Charlie Chan movie fans will find much appeal in this film.

Charlie Chan heads to Arizona to investigate a gold mine mystery. A typically cheap Monogram movie starring Roland Winters, the worst of all Charlie Chans. Mantan Moreland returns as unfunny comic relief character Birmingham Brown. Victor Sen Yung is back as Tommy Chan. The western locale allows both to dress like cowboys. So it's trying to be like a Bowery Boys comedy or something. Except the Bowery Boys were funny. The once-great Charlie Chan series had fallen pretty far by this time. Winters is absolutely terrible as Chan. Poorly written, directed, and acted -- it's a really a stinker of a movie. The one positive thing I will say about it is that actor Ralph Dunn, who plays the mine superintendent, has a pretty cool head of hair.

A formerly unproductive gold mine suddenly turns out to be highly profitable; it's owner Manning insists someone is out to murder him. He turns to Charlie Chan (Roland Winters) for help, and the Oriental detective and his two assistants, Number #2 Son Tommy (Victor Sen Yung) and driver Birmingham Brown (Mantan Moreland) embark on a pseudo Western adventure. The story is set in Arizona, and to downplay suspicion in their involvement, the Chan party heads off to the Lazy Y Dude Ranch, from where they can keep an eye on developments at the Golden Eye Mine. Sen Yung and Moreland make quite a sight in their Western attire, particularly Birmingham in his buffalo inspired jodhpurs. Tim Ryan is back in a reprise of his role as Lieutenant Mike Ruark (The Shanghai Chest), but this time he's undercover as teetering lush Vincent O'Brien at the Lazy Y. He's there independently, but it turns out his investigation runs parallel to Chan's, so they use the coincidence to hook up. It turns out that the Golden Eye is a pass through for a gold smuggling operation originating in Mexico. The obvious brains of the smuggling gang appears to be the mine's superintendent Driscoll, but as usual for a Chan mystery, the obvious is always done one better, in this case, the mastermind is the handsome local assayer Talbot Bartlett (Bruce Kellogg), who's only too happy to assist Chan in any way he can so that he can throw him off the mark. Bartlett is also busy courting Manning's daughter Evelyn (Wanda McKay) to be better positioned to remove the mine's owner from the picture."The Golden Eye" is an average Charlie Chan mystery, made somewhat more interesting with the comedic bits by Mantan Moreland and the quite effective interplay of Tim Ryan's drunken character O'Brien. If you're a Charlie Chan fan, you'll have to add this one to your list.