User Reviews

Hit and run independent film financier Harry Alan Towers made his bid for the big time in 1965. Spending more money than he ever had (or would) again, scouting attractive international locations, hiring respected craftsmen and actors and launching a multi-million dollar publicity campaign to promote his pet project. "The Face of Fu Manchu", the unlikely recipient of all this attention, represents a plateau to which Towers would never aspire again.

After publicly purchasing the pulp adventure novels of Sax Rohmer, Towers signed horror film icon Christopher Lee to a six-picture deal as the title menace. As director, Towers hired Don Sharp, maker of numerous elegant, effective horror films and probably the most talented director to put his name on a Towers contract. Writing the script himself under his nom de cinema Peter Welbeck, Towers ignored the plots of all the Rohmer novels and concocted his own. The film wisely retains the period setting of early-twentieth century London (which required shooting in Dublin, for the sake of authenticity), but alters the deductive tone of the books in favor of action sequences in the style of the James Bond films, which were then in their first flush of international success.

The finished film is beautiful to see, filmed in technicolor and cinemascope, it truly looks more expensive than it is. Encouraged, Towers launched an expensive international publicity campaign whose most notable stunt was wallpapering election-year New York City with oversized "Fu Manchu For Mayor" posters

In the end, "Face" failed to return enough money to justify the huge outlay spent in making and promoting it. The film seemed to please no one: fans of the series were outraged by the James Bondian gunplay, fights and car chases, while Bond fans were alienated by the period trappings (1920s cars just don't go that fast!). More likely, this type of film just did not have the potential to reach the mainstream audience needed to make it a success.

Although Towers continued the series, the films would steadily decline in quality, from the high point of "Face" to the home-movie calibre of the final entry, "Castle of Fu Manchu".

Actually, This One Plays Better Today than it did in 1965. James Bond was Firmly in the Film-Goer's Mind and Hammer Horror had been Around for a Decade. So Although this was in Color, Starred Christopher Lee, and Featured an Iconic Pulp Character, the Movie Seemed Drab by Comparison.

Despite Numerous Fight Scenes, Location Changes, and an Attempted Period Setting for Flavor, it Just Didn't' Deliver the Thrills and Chills Expected. Competent, and Professionally Done with a Decent Budget and Good Lead Actors, Viewed Today with Less Expectation, and a Throwback Attitude it Can be Enjoyed in Saturday Matinée Template from a Bygone Era.

But Without a Matinée or Drive-In Flashback Attitude it Comes Across as Stiff and Plodding. Considered the Best of the Five Mid-Sixties Fu's Featuring Chris Lee, Although the Follow Up The Brides of Fu Man Chu (1966) is a Contender.

Since 1923, Sax Rohmer's arch-villain Fu Manchu had been brought from the novels to the screen again and again, the most famous interpretation probably created by Boris Karloff in 1932. Between 1965-68, Christopher Lee starred in 5 more Fu Manchu movies. The German co-producers often added stars from the Edgar Wallace series, such as Joachim Fuchsberger and Karin Dor when the new series opened with "The Face of Fu Manchu". Strangely enough, it begins as if it was a sequel to something, describing Fu Manchu faking his execution while Nayland Smith watches, although we are not told how they got into this situation. Anyway, Fu Manchu comes to London with a weapon of mass destruction, while Smith tries to stop him. Smith had a „feeling" from the beginning that he was cheated at the execution, but it was not completely reasonable for a man like him, since the first hints at new activities were vague. So I thought he might have been be a bit more surprised when he actually meets the criminal mastermind. The last third of the movie is a bit rushed, especially the scenes in Tibet. It is not a perfect movie because it has a few holes, but it was a good start for the new series. I voted 7/8/5/7/4 for the five movies.

'The Face Of Fu Manchu' is the first in a series of five movies produced by the legendary Harry Allan Towers. Towers is probably best known for his collaborations with Jess Franco, indeed Franco directed the last two movies in the series, but this one is directed by Don Sharp ('Rasputin: The Mad Monk', 'Psychomania') and scripted by Towers himself. Horror legend Christopher Lee plays the fiendish Dr Fu Manchu, super criminal, and Nigel Green ('Zulu', 'Countess Dracula') plays his nemesis Sir Nayland Smith. Towers plays fast and loose with Sax Rohmer's original characters and stories with entertaining results. The main reason the movie works is because of the performances by Lee and especially Green, who is just terrific. The plot concerns the kidnapping of a German scientist (played by Joachim Fuchsberger) who Fu Manchu forces to develop a super weapon. The lovely Karin Dor ('You Only Live Twice') plays the scientist's daughter, Tsai Chin is Fu Manchu's evil daughter Lin Tang, and Howard Marion-Crawford is Nayland Smith's Watson-like sidekick Dr. Petrie. 'The Face Of Fu Manchu' isn't a great movie by any means but it's fun to watch, and a great way to spend a rainy afternoon.

There's a long winded list of Fu Manchu films going back to the 1920s up until 1980, but director Don Sharp and producer/writer Harry Alan Towers' 1965 matinée crime mystery adventure "The Face of Fu Manchu" starring Nigel Green and Christopher Lee in the title role happened to be my first encounter of the callous mastermind Fu Manchu. Quite a low-budget fare, but what makes it a fun outing is Sharp's precisely lean direction makes good use of the detailed location work and moves at a cracking pace (since the chase between nemesis's is a race against the clock) blending together the unpredictable nature of the unfolding narrative/tough action rather well, while upfront actor Nigel Green gives a stellar performance as the persistent detective Nayland Smith of Scotland Yard. Green breathes confidence, and the hearty script ably compels and allows for the strong performances. Lee fits in the calculative role of Manchu and the likes of Tsai Chin and Howard Marion Crawford are durable in their roles. The venturesome tone is bathed in a comic book frame, but I found the music score to be intrusively cued and the conclusion to be somewhat anticlimactic to the actual build-up.

The legendary Boris Karloff played the fiendish Dr. Fu Manchu back in 1932. Who else than Christopher Lee would be able to bring this notorious screen-villain back to life? Karloff and Lee both have an amazing charisma and disguised in many evil characters before…The Yellow Peril Dr. Fu Manchu surely is one that speaks most to the imagination. In this first film of the new series, Dr. Fu Manchu hypnotized a look-alike of his and this person was decapitated. While everybody initially believes Fu Manchu is dead, vicious events start to happen again. The clever archenemy of Fu Manchu, Scotland Yard's Nayland Smith, once again opens the hunt for this diabolical doctor.

The Face of Dr. Fu Manchu isn't a very suspenseful film and the script (written by the legendary producer Harry Alan Towers) hasn't got any compelling aspects to offer. Yet, it's enormous fun to see Lee act at his fiendish best and horror fans will enjoy watching all his terrific torturing-tricks! Director Don Sharp (also known for his brilliantly insane film `Psychomania') makes great use of the ominous locations and the scenery and all the rest is up to Lee and a surprisingly good performance by Nigel Green! The Face of Fu Manchu meant the start of a new series of film, all starring Lee as the abominable Dr. Four sequels followed, of which the last two were directed by Jess `Godfather of Sleaze' Franco. Every single film is worth watching only because they're so much fun! Don't ever expect a masterpiece, though! If you do desire to stumble upon a masterpiece, track down `The Mask of Fu Manchu' starring Boris Karloff.

I love action films based on over-the-top characters like the legendary Fu Manchu. If there's a character that screams larger than life, it's Fu Manchu. Unfortunately, THE FACE OF FU MANCHU is not a really satisfying action/fantasy movie. Compared to the vibrant, colorful, sexy and clearly over-the-top James Bond films made during the same time, THE FACE OF FU MANCHU looks cheap, stodgy and uninspired. In fact, at times, I thought I was watching a BBC radio show. So many old actors hamming away expository dialogue within dull sets. Poor production values and unconvincing fight scenes do not help in creating an exciting, exotic action film. Hard to believe this spawned several sequels.

As a side note to the reviews, this movie has to feature the most inept "Burmese Dacoits" in the history of move villain sterotypes. For fun, count the number that Neyland Smith single-handedly beats, knocks out or disables without benefit of gun or knife. 6 to 1 odds? Dacoits with knives. No problem.

You have to wonder if this movie was responsible for the nation of Burma changing its name to Myanmar = out of shame.

In the light of its considerable reputation, this is a big disappointment. It's the old tale of Fu Manchu, the Yellow Peril, trying to take over the world. The racism of this is so self-evident it's probably not worth mentioning, although the blazing red whenever the Chinese are around, and the worker-like garb of Manchu's henchmen, suggest some sort of allegory of Communism - or is this story of a megalomaniacal, world-domination-lusting, Chinaman a parody of such portentousness?

I really wanted to like this film, but there's so much wrong with it. It's been called a spoof, but if so, the joke's on me. The 1920s setting is somewhat rudimentary - a few contemporary cars and hats in what looks like a very 1960s London (although the reviewer below suggests it is in fact Dublin). Far from camp, the plot is played so straight as to be unenjoyable. Every absurdity and implausibility, rather than hurtling us into the giddy realms of fantasy, rather lumbers us in a plot of cliched hackery.

The acting is abysmal - I've never gotten the point of Christopher Lee (he never had Peter Cushing's middle-aged anguish), although his plummy English tones in the supposed role of a fiendish Chinaman, offers some amusement, as does his daft moustache; worst of all is Nigel Green as the oaklike hero, Nayland Smith - a man so unexpressive and graceless should be funny, but here is dull, slowing down the film at every turn. Only FU Manchu's very sexy daughter, Tsai Chin, enthralls, her subservience to her father suggesting perverse depths of sado-masochism.

This is all the more frustrating in that the film has merit in abundance. The colour schemes, costumes, set-designs and compositions are frequently gorgeous, if sometimes let down by leaden direction; the afoementioned incestuous undertones in the relationship between Fu and daughter; a splendid ironising, despite the racism, of the noble West - Nayland Smith is quite clearly insane, and with his Chinese ladyservant, and death mask ornaments, seems more of a mirror image than a foil for Fu Manchu (there is also something wrong with chemists that research into a concoction that can wipe out whole peoples - there is a RIVER KWAI-like frisson in the plight of the Professor who ironically, and enthusiastically, aids his captor); there is a splendidly directed and designed car chase, reminiscent, as Tom Milne notes, of silent serials.

Best of all is the setting of this grotesque potboiler in placid England. This discrepancy gives the film an AVENGERS-like chill on occasion, especially the amazing scene where Fu Manchu first exercises his power, and wipes out an entire village - spinetingling, chilling, and much more frightening than a similar scene in GOLDFINGER.

...Death to Fu-Manchu!

And so begins this great movie! Well, maybe its not so great overall, but the opening sequence of this film rivals any other in intensity. After all, would you lay down face up for your own beheading? The fun thing about this movie is that every character, regardless of age or sex, avidly fist fights several times throughout the picture. Bottom line is... great fun to watch, just don't take it too seriously.

A 1965 Hammer film w/Christopher Lee as the title villain holding Britain hostage w/the promise of a chemical bomb to be released unless the populace bows to his will. Lee is believed to be dead, as evidenced by his execution in the film's opening salvo which isn't the case when a scientist goes missing which prompts his daughter's boyfriend & a police detective to mount a search for the missing scientist before he cracks the mystery of the black poppy seed which heated can be used for nefarious goals. More of an action adventure tale (ala Indiana Jones) which delivers good beats (especially during a prolonged car chase) w/Lee the perfect implacable foe who is so good you wish he'd succeed...almost. This was followed by a pair of sequels which I'm hoping to dive into.

I've recently read the first two Sax Rohmer Fu Manchu novels and rollicking reads they are indeed. I also more vaguely remember Christopher Lee in the part of the evil doctor in the mid-60's and so was pleased to get the opportunity to finally get the chance to see the first in what turned out to be a short series of film adaptations.

Perhaps it might have helped if I actually hadn't read the books as even with Lee's presence, the film doesn't quite match up to their page-turning excitement. It's also not helped by the less than dynamic playing of the Nayland Smith and Dr Petrie characters as Manchu's pursuers.

You just never really get the impression that anyone's in real danger and while the movie rattled along from location to location, there's not enough exciting action or dread threat displayed to really hold the viewer. I know it was the mid 60's when comic book colour was all the rage but I believe this film could have worked better if it had been darker in tone.

As for the playing Lee unsurprisingly comes off best even if he's lost some of his moustache somewhere, the rest of the cast however appear somewhat lightweight which again for me affected the balance of the film.

Still it was colourful and reasonably fast-moving but in the end I'd have to say, to coin a literary analogy, that it was more potboiler than best-seller.

Undoubtedly the best of the series of Fu Manchu films produced in the late 60s, well cast and well directed by Don Sharp, who commendably eschewed camp 'Boys Own' heroics to produce a gripping adventure-thriller. Christopher Lee (as one would expect) is suitably menacing and inscrutable as Fu Manchu, even though the emphasis on his hypnotic eyes is an obvious reference to his role as Dracula. The ever-reliable Nigel Green (Zulu)turns in a solid 'Holmes-ian' performance as Fu Manchu's nemesis Nayland Smith, while James Robertson Justice has a memorable cameo as an irascible museum curator.

The highpoint of the film is undoubtedly the chilling sequence set in a English village, where all the inhabitants have been killed by poisoned gas. It still sends a shiver up the spine. The first sequel, Brides of Fu Manchu, with Douglas Wilmer as Nayland Smith, is watchable, even though it is basically a retread of the first movie, but the films which followed (especially the two directed by the notorious Jess Franco)are absolutely dire.

All reference sources cite this as the best of Christopher Lee's Fu Manchu movies. The movie begins with a well-executed (no pun intended) beheading scene, but the rest was very disappointing for me. For one thing, the Fu Manchu character in this movie is not cruel enough, the only instance of cruelty he inflicts on his prisoners is drowning a girl in a tank. Yes, the movie overall has a lavish look to it, but it lacks guts.

Christopher Lee is Fu Manchu, an oriental megalomaniac searching for a poison made from the black hill poppy grown in Tibet, in this drama (not a comedy, like the namesakes with Peter Sellers) set in prewar Britain.

Its an adaption of a series of cheap newspaper stand novels of the "yellow peril" variety written before WW2, which were themselves, like the similar "Sexton Blake" novels, inspired by a Sherlock Holmes story by Conan Doyle.

There's a nice vintage car chase, although in an early scene contemporary postwar vehicles (including an Austin A30) are shown in a street. A scientist, apparently wealthy and owning a telephone, lives in what looks like a very shabby and derelict house – possibly a house due for demolition used by the film crew. The mistakes seem odd, as the car chase appears quite expensive and despite being a "second movie at the drive-in" its been made into colour (although by a rather poor process with a lack of blue).

I've only heard of the "Fu Manchu" movies by reputation, never actually been able to sit down to actually watch any of them. Not before now, at least, here in 2021. I had the chance to sit down to watch the 1965 "The Face of Fu Manchu", so of course I did so.

First of all, this movie wouldn't pass today, if it was made today. I mean, you have Christopher Lee, a white actor, portraying a Chinese character, that would just spark an uproar of epic proportions. But, needless to say, that it hardly mattered to me, as this was a movie, and it was made in 1965, so...

The movie was watchable, but I hadn't really been missing out on a grand cinematic masterpiece. The storyline in the movie was entertaining, but it wasn't an outstanding experience.

The acting in the movie was good enough, and it was interesting to watch Christopher Lee as a very tranquil, yet deadly, villain in the movie. There is just something about his charm and his voice that works so well for villainous characters.

"The Face of Fu Manchu" had a nice enough flow to the storyline, and there was a steady and good progression of events and pacing of the flow, so it was a good enough movie to sit through. But, it just wasn't outstanding for me, so this 1965 movie is hardly one that I will be returning to watch again.

I think that a movie like "The Face of Fu Manchu", from writer Harry Alan Towers and director Don Sharp is one that doesn't appeal to just everybody in the audience.

Ultimately, while I did manage to sit through the entire movie, I have to settle for a mediocre five out of ten stars for "The Face of Fu Manchu".

So far only available on VHS in Region 1, I picked up the Region 2 DVD release of 'Face of Fu Manchu' recently and blessed my region-free DVD player for every wonderful fun-filled moment of this enjoyable fantasy romp. Based on the character originally envisioned by British author Sax Rohmer, Christopher Lee made a total of five appearances in the 1960s as arch villain Fu Manchu. This entry (the first in the series) is by far the best, closely followed by the second 'Brides of Fu Manchu' (another Region 2 only DVD release). What makes this entry so enjoyable is the wonderful Nigel Green as Fu Manchu's greatest nemesis - Nayland Smith of Scotland Yard. In fact it is in the opening minutes of this movie that we see Smith invited by the Chinese government to witness the execution of Fu Manchu. Fast forward a couple of months and Smith is sturdy in his belief that Fu Manchu survived and is behind a series of grisly crimes in western Europe. Then when a professors servant is found murdered in the same manner in which Fu Manchu's followers had practiced, Smith becomes even more convinced that he is up against the evil genius. Through a series of machinations Smith learns that the professor has been kidnapped by Fu Manchu and is being forced to make a toxin that could wipe out most of the western world. Of course (in a plot device also used in the following 'Brides of Fu Manchu') the professors daughter has also been captured and is being used to comply the professor to complete his task. Directed with skill by Don Sharp this movie is fast-paced enough to overlook the plot holes and colorful enough to keep the fun factor umped up to the ultimate degree. It's a visual feast and the movie is also helped by a tight script and some well drawn characters. I grew up watching these movies on British television and my memories did not disappoint me. Also notable is the inclusion of one-time Bond girl Karin (You Only Live Twice) Dor ho turns in a strong performance as the professors daughter. This is an ultimate Saturday afternoon movie to be watched relaxed in a recliner with a bag of popcorn in one hand and a soda in the other, all the while reveling in every outlandish moment.

"The Face of Fu Manchu" is based on stories by Sax Rohmer and begins with the beheading of Fu Manchu for his many infamous crimes. Now, considering this happens in the first five minutes AND there are sequels, it can safely be assumed that this master criminal is in fact NOT dead.

After Fu Manchu appears to show he isn't dead and you assume one of his insanely devoted followers took his place at the execution. He then reveals his plan...to use the distillate of the Black Hills Poppy to kill tens of thousands or more unless his extortion money is paid. But first this means kidnapping the one man who knows how to do the distillation process and then kidnapping his daughter to force his participation. The only one who seems capable of stopping him is Neyland Smith of Scotland Yard...which is odd as Smith seems to work either on his own or with one or two folks accompanying him. Where is the rest of Scotland Yard? Are they on vacation or one some picnic?!

This is by far the best of the series of five movies...which isn't really saying that much. A few problems are having Fu Manchu and many of his 'Asian' henchmen played by Brits who look about as Asian as a taco, an incredibly limp performance by Lee (it gets worse in subsequent films), and baddies who just seem dumb instead of being a group of the most fiendish villains on the planet. Having Christopher Lee (Fu Manchu) show more energy and scene-chewing would have helped, as you don't want a super-villain to be this low-key.

Overall, the best film in the series but, sadly, they just get worse after this one. A promising series that is amazingly limp and forgettable.

Bunch of largely white dudes dressed as chinese. Oh mamaloushun would this get the cancel culture treatment today.

Surprised the crazed left isnt calling for it's banning.

It's one of the Hammer films with good production values. Too bad what happened to Hammer. They had a good run putting our decent B pictures for youth like me.

Lee is in the first scene and then disappears for quite a lengthy period of time, although that's sort of part of the storyline.

He's actually not in it all that much. Wonder why.

Anyway it's decent. Not the greatest of Hammer. For me they excelled in Dracula and the other vampires as well as Frankenstein.