The Face of Fu Manchu (1965)

Excellent, a Must See

Excellent but underrated film

This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.

This is a gorgeous movie made by a gorgeous spirit.

Christopher Lee portrays Fu Manchu, the "world's most evil man" for the first time in director Don Sharp's fast-paced thriller. Executed before the film's opening credits, the criminal mastermind reappears in London much to the dismay of his relentless pursuer Nayland Smith (Nigel Green). He's out to destroy mankind in order to secure a formula that will keep him eternally young. He's aided by his equally nasty daughter (Tsai Chin). Lee is excellent in what has become one of his seminal roles and Green is every inch his equal. Sharp, who was not a particularly inventive director nevertheless puts together a fun movie. Excellent cinematography and art direction bring the 1930s setting to life. The great James Robertson Justice pops up briefly as Sir Charles. Followed by THE BRIDES OF FU MANCHU.

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.

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.

Bought this film for 5 bucks so I was expecting to be disappointed. Pleasantly surprised however!! I recommend that if you watch this film you should view Fu Manchu as the hero and Smith the villain, they're both as mad as hatters anyway! And Manchu as the hero makes the film much more entertaining and watchable! You'll find yourself rooting for him! Don't believe me? Try it!! Christopher Lee is a weird choice to play a Chinese criminal mastermind (or is he a genius?) but considering the era the film was made, who else could they have cast? An actual Chinese? Not bloody likely!!! We're British!!!