Those old enough to remember fondly the Charlie Chan movies of the Thirties and Forties should avoid this made-for-TV murder mystery, which was the pilot film to a series that was never made. Ignoring the fact that the story about a murder on a luxury yacht is unnecessarily complicated, this doesn't work on a number of other levels. The once inscrutable, dapper and reserved Chan here wears Hawaiian shirts and rides in a beach buggy and the whole production has a shiny, shallow feel. Ross Martin stars as the wily Chinese detective and therin lies another problem. Even when this was made (1979), having a Caucasian playing an oriental would not have been seen as very politically correct. Imagine the furore had the same actor 'blacked up' to play a black character! You could forgive this film these faults if it were well made and written, but sadly it's not. Even spotting Leslie Neilsen won't make you smile, as this was made before he discovered that comedy was his forte.

©ipc tx. Film content from TVTimes