Good concept, poorly executed.

Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.

There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

The storyline feels a little thin and moth-eaten in parts but this sequel is plenty of fun.

From Fang to want...er, sorry, Wong, Boris Karloff tries to underact in this Chinese set political thriller where rebel general Karloff holds a group of Americans hostage. Karloff ends up turning into a character from a George Arliss film as he interferes in a romantic triangle while dealing with his political agenda. Ricardo Cortez, separated from wife Beverly Roberts, must deal with the fact that Karloff seemingly is willing to kill him so Roberts can marry Gordon Oliver. With each declaration of "I am Fang", Karloff's subtlety goes out the window, becoming more aggravating than John Malkovich's repeating of "Beyond my Control" in "Dangerous Liasons". With only minimal focus on the Chinese military's efforts to put an end to Karloff's reign of terror, this is an extremely dull programmer, only coming to life through some wisecracks from supporting characters Sheila Bromley and the minimal action and tension towards the end. The mixture of obvious non Asian actors and real Asians is laughably absurd. Still, production design is good, and in spite of the torrid script, decently directed.

Enjoyable programmer from Warner Bros. about some Americans going to a Chinese village to negotiate oil drilling rights from another American and finding themselves "guests" of a ruthless Chinese warlord named Fang (Boris Karloff). Fang's not all bad, though. One of the oilmen (Gordon Oliver) saved Fang's life before he rose to power and the warlord tries to help him out, in love and business. It's a routine adventure flick from the period when 'the mysterious Orient' was all the rage. Certain elements, such as the yellowface makeup, will offend some today. So gird your loins if you're a sensitive type. Karloff is the primary reason to see this. He's always fun to watch and here he manages to imbue a somewhat villainous character with sympathy and humor. Ricardo Cortez plays the real villain of the piece, a total slimeball. For his part, Gordon Oliver is the hero, albeit a banal one. Beverly Roberts plays Cortez's estranged wife who's in love with Oliver now. Sheila Bromley plays the only other female part and gets several funny lines. Vladimir Sokoloff appears all-too-briefly as a rival to Karloff. The rest of the cast includes Chester Gan, Richard Loo, and Gordon Hart. It's nothing special but a good way to kill an hour. Definitely more fun for Karloff fans than anyone else.

Attention All Fans Of Boris Karloff: if you have not yet watched this delightful Boris performance, you are missing a real treat! Sporting an effective Asian makeup, Karloff portrays robber General Wu Yen Fang, a dangerous tyrant in northern China with an endearing sense of humor. Fang seizes command and holds several visiting Americans prisoners, and it's a real pleasure watching the colorful general toying with them. Among the cast members is Ricardo Cortez, but the one to watch and who steals the show is Karloff himself. I would easily rank this role among his best ever; he played Asian parts a few times in his career, but this is the only time he's ever sold me completely on such a character, speaking in broken English and managing to disguise most of his own British accent here. Some of the most humorous scenes involve Fang's charming communication through his always-present trusty interpreter, trying to understand and shoot back some common Americanisms. In no time, Karloff makes us actually like and feel for this murderous criminal. At the time this movie was made, the production of the usual horror movies which Boris Karloff was so well known for were temporarily halted. I think that WEST OF SHANGHAI proves beyond a shadow of any doubt that Boris had no problem holding his own in non-scary character parts and would have gone on to succeed in other dramatic roles, had the ban on horror movies not ultimately been lifted. *** out of ****

Fans of Boris Karloff should enjoy this B feature not because it is a great example of 1930's horror, but because it isn't. Made at a time when Hollywood had set a self-imposed moratorium on monster movies, "West of Shanghai" proves that Karloff could survive as a character star, delivering a well-conceived interpretation of a likable but mercenary Chinese warlord. He is a joy to watch, engaging his American captives in sardonic broken English, doling out his own brand of makeshift justice, and, at least in his own mind, exercising nobility as he faces execution. The rest of the cast is standard, except for Ricardo Cortez, who registers very well (as he did in Karloff's "The Walking Dead") as an attractive, well-polished heel. Director John Farrow sets a crisp pace and doesn't allow the film to drag. "West of Shanghai" may not be one of the best Karloff films, but his presence certainly makes it more than noteworthy.