King Of Chinatown (1939)

 In the Chinatown section of an unnamed major city, a ruthless crime kingpin (Akim Tamiroff) runs Chinatown. Meanwhile, a surgeon (Anna May Wong) and an attorney (Philip Ahn) do their best to put a stop to the violence and corruption that poisons their city. Directed by Nick Grinde (HITLER: DEAD OR ALIVE), this B programmer that barely runs an hour is quite entertaining. Although it still has a Caucasian (Sidney Toler) playing Asian, its two Asian leads (Wong and Ahn) don't play subservient characters but have professional careers, Wong's doctor and Ahn's lawyer. Its short running time prevents the movie from wearing out its welcome and director Grinde pushes the story along at a nice pace. The acting is good and Wong's captivating presence adds an extra bit of star power. With Anthony Quinn, J. Carrol Naish, Richard Denning and Roscoe Karns.