Tokyo Joe (1949).

Tokyo Joe (1949). Directed by Stuart Heisler from a story by Steve Fisher, adapted by Walter Doniger. Cast:Humphrey Bogart, Florence Marly and Sessue Hayakawa. This was Heisler's first of two features starring Bogart, the other was, Chain Lightning (1950).

The story begins when, Joe Barrett, returns to Tokyo after the war, to re-open his club. Unfortunately, it is now illegal to run a gambling club in Japan. Joe goes to see his old Japanese partner, Ito, who tells Joe that Trina, his Russian wife, is still alive with a 7 year old daughter. Joe soon learns that she divorced him and is now married to American lawyer, Mark Landis.

Joe, wants to win her back and applies for an airline franchise, which allows him to stay in Japan after his visa expires. Ito, introduces him to Baron Kimura, a gangster, who forces Joe into piloting war criminals by informing him that during the war Trina made treasonous broadcasts.

The American authorities soon find out and then explains to Joe that "Kamikazi," his Japanese pilot, is an American agent who has learned that Kimura plans to smuggle Japanese war criminals back into the country. The authorities now ask Joe, to risk his life and deliver the criminals to them.

TCM gave this film only two stars, so I really wasn't expecting much. But... I have to say..Humphrey Bogart, does a superb job as always as is the rest of the cast. The plot is very well written, a must see for, Humphrey Bogart and suspense fans.

Czech-born actress Florence Marly, became interested in becoming an opera singer. At age 18, she was discovered by French director Pierre Chenal, while a student of art and literature at the Sorbonne. He put her into his film L'alibi (1937). They married the following year and she continued to perform in his films: The Lafarge Case (1937), Sirocco (1938) , The Last Turn (1939), The Postman Always Rings Twice (1939), The Idol (1952) and Confession at Dawn (1953). In 1942, she left Paris before the Nazi occupation and spent her war years in Argentina where she performed in a couple of films. She returned to France in the post-war years and was nominated for a Cannes Film Festival award for Les Maudits (1947)(The Damned), then decided to travel to Hollywood and Paramount Studios in 1948. When not performing in the intrigue and espionage movies expected of her opposite such stars as Ray Milland in, Sealed Verdict (1948) and Humphrey Bogart in Tokyo Joe (1949), she entertained American troops in Korea.