I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

Wow! Such a good movie.

Excellent, a Must See

There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.

The first of five films starring Christopher Lee as the Chinese criminal mastermind created by Sax Rohmer, this is enormous fun from start to finish. I have to admit that I was slightly apprehensive before watching the film as Fu Manchu is the archetypal Chinese character of the Yellow Peril era but I need not have worried. Yes, the character is played by a man whose only remotely Chinese attribute is his surname but both Lee's performance and the strong script manage to prevent Fu Manchu from devolving into a racist caricature. The film is very well directed by Hammer veteran Don Sharp and there are some great action scenes and some very memorable visuals.Lee, one of my absolute favourite actors, is never less than completely compelling as Fu Manchu, who is such a frightening figure in part because he never raises his voice. The truly powerful do not need to shout and scream to have their way. He is an amoral genius who wishes to use the poisonous solution that can be obtained from the black hill poppy, which grows only in Tibet, to gain control of Britain and eventually the world. He is a great villain of the old mould. Nigel Green is excellent in the role of his arch-nemesis Denis Nayland Smith and it is a shame that he did not return for any of the sequels, being replaced by Douglas Wilmer in the second and third films and Richard Greene in the fourth and fifth.The film has a very strong supporting cast overall: Joachim Fuchsberger as Carl Jannsen, Karin Dor as Maria Muller, Walter Rilla (the father of "Village of the Damned" director Wolf Rilla) as her father Professor Muller, Tsai Chin as Fu Manchu's daughter Lin Tang, Howard Marion-Crawford as Dr. Petrie and James Robertson Justice as Sir Charles. Like Lee, Chin and Marion-Crawford appeared in all five films. Unlike Hammer's 1961 film "The Terror of the Tongs", there were several actors of Chinese descent who had speaking roles in the film and I appreciated that. Lee played a similar character in that film but I am glad to say that he toned down his performance on this occasion.It was filmed in Dublin and the neighbouring countryside and I recognised a few of the streets. I was on the lookout for street signs in Irish or other things that would give away that it was filmed in Ireland but I couldn't spot any, unfortunately. Unless, of course, you count the inclusion of Irish actors such as the great character actor Jim Norton in one of his first on screen roles and Joe Lynch, who is little known outside Ireland but is well known in the country for his role as Dinny in the long-running soap opera "Glenroe".Overall, this is a hugely enjoyable old fashioned thriller which I enjoyed far more than I expected.

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.

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).

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.