Movies Like Mr. Wong, Detective (1938)

Mr. Wong, Detective is a 1938 crime, mystery, thriller film from William Nigh with a MovieMagicScore of 5.5/10. Here are 20 similar films, ranked by real viewer ratings — starting with The Mystery of Mr. Wong and Mr. Wong in Chinatown.

Crime Mystery Thriller

The Mystery of Mr. Wong

1939

Detective James Lee Wong must find the "Eye of the Daughter of the Moon," a priceless but cursed sapphire stolen in China and smuggled to America. His search takes him into the heart of Chinatown and to the dreaded "House of Hate" to find the deadly gem before it can kill again.

5.7

MagicScore

Mr. Wong in Chinatown

1939

A pretty Chinese woman, seeking help from San Francisco detective James Lee Wong, is killed by a poisoned dart in his front hall, having time only to scrawl "Captain J" on a sheet of paper. She proves to be Princess Lin Hwa, on a secret military mission for Chinese forces fighting the Japanese invasion. Mr. Wong finds two captains with the intial J in the case, neither being quite what he seems; there's fog on the waterfront and someone still has that poison-dart gun...

5.3

MagicScore

The Fatal Hour

1940

When a police officer is murdered, Captain Street looks to Mr. Wong to catch the killer. Prime Suspect: Frank Belden Jr., whose father is a businessman well known for both his success and dishonesty. Mr. Wong faces increasing danger and is nearly executed himself as the investigation develops in treachery and complexity. As Mr. Wong follows the trail of dead bodies, he uncovers a jewel smuggling ring on the San Francisco waterfront and a case much larger than the death of a police officer.

5.6

MagicScore

Doomed to Die

1940

Shipping magnate Cyrus Wentworth, downcast over a disaster to his ocean liner 'Wentworth Castle' (carrying, oddly enough, an illicit shipment of Chinese bonds) is shot in his office at the very moment of kicking out his daughter's fiance Dick Fleming. Of course, Captain Street arrests Dick, but reporter Bobbie Logan, the attractive thorn in Street's side, is so convinced he's wrong that she enlists the help of detective James Lee Wong to find the real killer.

5.5

MagicScore

Here

2024

Stefan, a migrant construction worker living in Brussels, is planning a trip home to his mother in Romania. In preparing for his voyage, he reconnects with local family members over gifted bowls of homemade soup, interacts with strangers, and discovers a revivifying commune with nature. This leads him to an unexpected connection with Shuxiu, a Chinese-Belgian bryologist studying the local moss.

5.9

MagicScore

Eternity

2025

In an afterlife where souls have one week to decide where to spend eternity, Joan is faced with the impossible choice between the man she spent her life with and her first love, who died young and has waited decades for her to arrive.

7.0

MagicScore

The Body

2012

A woman’s body disappears mysteriously from the morgue without a trace. Police inspector Jaime Peña investigates the strange occurrence with the help of Álex Ulloa, the widower of the missing woman.

7.5

MagicScore

Fallen Angels

1995

An assassin goes through obstacles as he attempts to escape his violent lifestyle despite the opposition of his partner, who is secretly attracted to him.

7.7

MagicScore

Marley & Me

2008

A newly married couple, in the process of starting a family, learn many of life's important lessons from their trouble-loving retriever, Marley. Packed with plenty of laughs to lighten the load, the film explores the highs and lows of marriage, maturity and confronting one's own mortality, as seen through the lens of family life with a dog.

7.2

MagicScore

#10

The Catcher Was a Spy

2018

Former major league baseball player Moe Berg lives a double life working for the Office of Strategic Services in World War II Europe.

6.2

MagicScore

#11

Black Holes: The Edge of All We Know

2020

Black holes stand at the limit of what we can know. To explore that edge of knowledge, the Event Horizon Telescope links observatories across the world to simulate an earth-sized instrument. With this tool the team pursues the first-ever picture of a black hole, resulting in an image seen by billions of people in April 2019. Meanwhile, Hawking and his team attack the black hole paradox at the heart of theoretical physics—Do predictive laws still function, even in these massive distortions of space and time? Weaving them together is a third strand, philosophical and exploratory using expressive animation. “Edge” is about practicing science at the highest level, a film where observation, theory, and philosophy combine to grasp these most mysterious objects.

6.6

MagicScore

#12

Laura

1944

A police detective falls in love with the woman whose murder he's investigating.

7.6

MagicScore

#13

The Card Counter

2021

William Tell just wants to play cards. His spartan existence on the casino trail is shattered when he is approached by Cirk, a vulnerable and angry young man seeking help to execute his plan for revenge on a military colonel. Tell sees a chance at redemption through his relationship with Cirk. But keeping Cirk on the straight-and-narrow proves impossible, dragging Tell back into the darkness of his past.

6.1

MagicScore

#14

Wind River

2017

An FBI agent teams with the town's veteran game tracker to investigate a murder that occurred on a Native American reservation.

7.4

MagicScore

#15

The Big Sleep

1946

Private Investigator Philip Marlowe is hired by wealthy General Sternwood regarding a matter involving his youngest daughter Carmen. Before the complex case is over, Marlowe sees murder, blackmail, deception, and what might be love.

7.6

MagicScore

#16

Ivy

1947

When Ivy, an Edwardian belle, begins to like Miles, a wealthy gentleman, she is unsure of what to do with her husband, Jervis, or her lover, Dr. Roger. She then hatches a plan to get rid of them both.

6.6

MagicScore

#17

The Skeleton of Mrs. Morales

1960

A taxidermist decides to murder his wife after having to put up with her after twenty years of hellish marriage.

8.0

MagicScore

#18

Foul Play

1978

A shy San Francisco librarian and a bumbling cop fall in love as they solve a crime involving albinos, dwarves, and the Catholic Church.

6.3

MagicScore

#19

Sneakers

1992

When shadowy U.S. intelligence agents blackmail a reformed computer hacker and his eccentric team of security experts into stealing a code-breaking 'black box' from a Soviet-funded genius, they uncover a bigger conspiracy. Now, he and his 'sneakers' must save themselves and the world economy by retrieving the box from their blackmailers.

6.9

MagicScore

#20

Arcadian

2024

In the near future, on a decimated Earth, Paul and his twin sons face terror at night when ferocious creatures awaken. When Paul is nearly killed, the boys come up with a plan for survival, using everything their father taught them to keep him alive.

6.1

MagicScore

Frequently asked

What are the best movies like Mr. Wong, Detective?

The top films similar to Mr. Wong, Detective by MovieMagicScore are The Mystery of Mr. Wong (5.7), Mr. Wong in Chinatown (5.3), The Fatal Hour (5.6). Each shares crime/mystery/thriller themes and is ranked by real viewer ratings, not critics or studios.

Is Mr. Wong, Detective worth watching?

Mr. Wong, Detective holds a MovieMagicScore of 5.5/10 from 29 viewer ratings.

What kind of movie is Mr. Wong, Detective?

Mr. Wong, Detective (1938) is a crime, mystery, thriller film directed by William Nigh, starring Boris Karloff, Grant Withers, Maxine Jennings.

Where can I find more recommendations like Mr. Wong, Detective?

Browse the full ranked list above, or explore more crime recommendations on MovieMagicScore, where every list is ordered by genuine viewer ratings.

Keep exploring

Movies like The Mystery of Mr. Wong Movies like Mr. Wong in Chinatown Movies like The Fatal Hour Movies like Doomed to Die Movies like Here Movies like Eternity

About movies like Mr. Wong, Detective

This ranked list pairs Mr. Wong, Detective (1938), a crime and mystery and thriller film from William Nigh, with similar titles by genre, theme and cast overlap (fans of Boris Karloff take note). Unlike critic-driven sites, every position here is ordered by MovieMagicScore — a rating built only from real viewers, with no studio marketing or paid placement. Scores update as more people rate, so the list stays current.

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