Plot: After his Court-Martial for theft, former Army officer Rick Leland (Bogart) boards a Japanese ship for the Orient in late 1941. Also on board is Japanophile Doctor Lorenz (Greenstreet), his Nisei Sidekick (Victor Sen Yung), and globe-trotter Alberta Marlow (Mary Astor). But is everyone what they pretend to be?
Stars: Bogart, Sidney Greenstreet, Mary Astor, Victor Sen Yung
A follow-up to the popular "Maltese Falcon"; ATP reunites Astor, Greenstreet, and Bogart. Sen Yung stands in for Peter Lorre. All have wonderful chemistry with each other, and Astor shows the her flair for comedy (see also "Palm Beach Story"). Sen Yung is good as the phony "Joe College" Totsuiko . Sadly, the thin standard story keeps it from being anymore than an enjoyable 97 minutes.
The movie seems to have attracted a large number of dubious stories including (i) Astor claiming the production has hurried to completion before the Japanese-American actors were interned (unlikely since all the Asian actors were of Chinese-American) (ii) Houston claiming that - as a prank - he set up an impossible to film ending and then left for the the Army (unlikely given how WB micro-managed film production or (iii) the film was originally about a plot to attack Pearl Harbor (hence the title "Across the Pacific") but had to be changed after December 7th, 1941 (possible).
Best Quote: Leland: "Ah, there's a Canadian for you! Let them take their clothes off, and they're happy."
Summary: An enjoyable Bogie movie with a thin story, wonderful chemistry between the main actors, and some good one-liners. Not first-tier Bogart, but still good. Rating ***
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