The Hatchet Man

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User Ratings: 112

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Movie Info

San Francisco Tong hatchet man Wong must execute his boyhood friend Sun. Sun knew his time was up and wrote out his will just prior to Wong showing up at his door. When Sun realizes Wong is there to kill me he tries to set his friend's mind at ease by telling him he is the beneficiary of all Sun's worldly possessions and convinces Wong to promise to take care of Sun's young daughter, Toya San who Sun has bequeathed to become his wife. Years later, when she becomes of age, she marries Wong, now a powerful figure, though she loves evil Harry. When Wong learns Toya will be happier with Harry he allows them to leave. Still later Wong learns that Harry has been deported and since Toya could not prove she was married to someone else she too was deported to China. When Wong learns of this, he goes after them.

Rating:

NR
Genre:

Drama, Special Interest
Directed By:

William Wellman
In Theaters:

Feb 6, 1932 wide
Runtime:

74 minutes

Cast

Edward G. Robinson

Loretta Young

Dudley Digges

Leslie Fenton

Edmund Breese

Critic Reviews for The Hatchet Man

All Critics (2)

White actors playing Chinese characters, who are about as convincing as a fortune cookie reading.

Oct 2, 2014 | Rating: C+ | Full Review…

Dennis Schwartz
Ozus' World Movie Reviews
A variation of the hitman role to serve the studio's taste for gangsters ... Robinson sticks to his own persona and thus embraces realism over caricature.

Feb 6, 2014 | Rating: 10/10 | Full Review…

Matthew Sorrento
Film International

View All Critic Reviews (2)

Audience Reviews for The Hatchet Man

Sep 27, 2014

Just awful especially coming from a talent like Wellman. Miscasting doesn't even begin to cover the ridiculous sight of Eddie Robinson and Loretta Young as orientals especially against some true Asians in the cast. Robinson although never believable for an instant at least attempts some depth in his characterization but Young is wretched. She's heavily made up but she lets the makeup do whatever acting she even puts forth. She could just as well be at the sock hop as an opium den for all the shading she gives her role. I suppose they were trying for something unusual but if they really wanted to do that they would have cast Sessue Hayakawa an Anna May Wong in the Robinson and Young parts. As it is their complete unsuitability continually distracts from the story.

jay n Super Reviewer