A hatchet man is ordered to kill his close friend for the sake of Tong.A hatchet man is ordered to kill his close friend for the sake of Tong.A hatchet man is ordered to kill his close friend for the sake of Tong.
J. Carrol Naish
- Sun Yat Ming
- (as J. Carroll Naish)
Edward Peil Sr.
- Bing Foo
- (as Eddie Piel)
Anna Chang
- Sing Girl
- (uncredited)
Blanche Friderici
- Madame Si-Si
- (uncredited)
Willie Fung
- Notary Fung Loo
- (uncredited)
- …
Anne Howard
- Young Girl
- (uncredited)
Ralph Ince
- 'Big Jim' Malone
- (uncredited)
Otto Lederer
- Pawnbroker
- (uncredited)
James B. Leong
- Tong Member
- (uncredited)
Gladys Lloyd
- Fan Yi
- (uncredited)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaEdward G. Robinson's wife at the time, Gladys Lloyd, appears uncredited as "Fan Yi". They were married from 1927 to 1956 and she would appear in five films with him from 1931-32.
- GoofsWhen Wong Low Get displays the scar on his left arm to the Tong; he places his right arm palm down over his left and pulls back the sleeve. But on the next immediate cut which is a close-up of the arm; he now has his right arm palm up under the left arm.
- Quotes
Wong Low Get: Sometimes it is better that the eye should not see what the hand is doing.
- ConnectionsEdited into Torchy Blane in Chinatown (1939)
Featured review
Good Stuff
Hatchet Man, The (1932)
*** (out of 4)
Entertaining crime picture has Edward G. Robinson playing the title character, a hit man for a tong gang in Chinatown who must murder his best friend. Before the murder the man gives his daughter to Robinson so that he can marry her when she gets older. Years pass and Robinson and the girl (Loretta Young) are about to be married when another tong war breaks out. Director Wellman knows how to handle this material and does so very well and the film moves very fast and is over before you can blink. The fact that whites are playing all the Asian roles might bother some but nothing ever gets too offensive. Robinson gives a very good, quiet performance even though he's never believable as an Asian. He speaks with his normal voice so there's really never an attempt to come off Asian. Young is also very good in her role, although she isn't given a whole lot to do. I'm not sure if this is wrong or not but in her Asian make up she comes off as one of the most attractive Asian women I've seen. The supporting cast are all fine in their roles with J. Carrol Naish having a bit part. The story is pretty light weight but it remains entertaining through its 74-minutes.
*** (out of 4)
Entertaining crime picture has Edward G. Robinson playing the title character, a hit man for a tong gang in Chinatown who must murder his best friend. Before the murder the man gives his daughter to Robinson so that he can marry her when she gets older. Years pass and Robinson and the girl (Loretta Young) are about to be married when another tong war breaks out. Director Wellman knows how to handle this material and does so very well and the film moves very fast and is over before you can blink. The fact that whites are playing all the Asian roles might bother some but nothing ever gets too offensive. Robinson gives a very good, quiet performance even though he's never believable as an Asian. He speaks with his normal voice so there's really never an attempt to come off Asian. Young is also very good in her role, although she isn't given a whole lot to do. I'm not sure if this is wrong or not but in her Asian make up she comes off as one of the most attractive Asian women I've seen. The supporting cast are all fine in their roles with J. Carrol Naish having a bit part. The story is pretty light weight but it remains entertaining through its 74-minutes.
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- Michael_Elliott
- Feb 28, 2008
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Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Languages
- Also known as
- The Honorable Mr. Wong
- Filming locations
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime1 hour 14 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1
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