I was turned onto the Fu Manchu movies by the seminal Marvel comic Master of Kung Fu, which used characters from the Fu Manchu novels, as well as original ones. That series was Bruce Lee-meets-James Bond and was filled with atmosphere, intrigue, action, and some humor. So, I was expecting more of the same, since artist Paul Gulacy used Christopher Lee as his model (though he made Fu more Asian). Well, that's not quite what I got here, but it was still pretty entertaining.
Nigel Green makes for an excellent Nayland Smith, who was essentially cut from the Sherlock Holmes pattern and Green plays him as such. Howard Marion-Crawford made for a suitable Watson-esque Petrie, though with a bit more assertiveness than Nigel Bruce. Lee, of course, was great, even though the film required him to be a bit subdued, though at least he didn't play a complete stereotype.
The films exist in a weird 1920s/1960s hybrid. The male fashions and the cars suggest the 20s, but the women are pure 60s. There is enough mystery and action to keep things from slowing down too much, though the film does drag in parts. Fu's plot is evil enough to propel things, with murdered villages and drowned Si Fan to add a bit of grisly horror, though these films didn't have the budget to portray the horrors of the books. It was never going to win awards, but it is diverting enough on a quiet Sunday afternoon.
This series and the German Mabuse films are guilty pleasures of master criminals and evil schemes, with neither particularly well made (except for the Lang Mabuse films), but still providing just enough entertainment to justify their existence. This is by far the highpoint of the Fu Manchu series, as things would steadily decline later (as rightly skewered by MST3K).
If you like a bit of pulp mystery and adventure, this film (and a few of the others) is worth a look, but keep a forgiving eye on the production. It does feature a first rate cast and a decent plot, which makes up for a lot.
Nigel Green makes for an excellent Nayland Smith, who was essentially cut from the Sherlock Holmes pattern and Green plays him as such. Howard Marion-Crawford made for a suitable Watson-esque Petrie, though with a bit more assertiveness than Nigel Bruce. Lee, of course, was great, even though the film required him to be a bit subdued, though at least he didn't play a complete stereotype.
The films exist in a weird 1920s/1960s hybrid. The male fashions and the cars suggest the 20s, but the women are pure 60s. There is enough mystery and action to keep things from slowing down too much, though the film does drag in parts. Fu's plot is evil enough to propel things, with murdered villages and drowned Si Fan to add a bit of grisly horror, though these films didn't have the budget to portray the horrors of the books. It was never going to win awards, but it is diverting enough on a quiet Sunday afternoon.
This series and the German Mabuse films are guilty pleasures of master criminals and evil schemes, with neither particularly well made (except for the Lang Mabuse films), but still providing just enough entertainment to justify their existence. This is by far the highpoint of the Fu Manchu series, as things would steadily decline later (as rightly skewered by MST3K).
If you like a bit of pulp mystery and adventure, this film (and a few of the others) is worth a look, but keep a forgiving eye on the production. It does feature a first rate cast and a decent plot, which makes up for a lot.