Film Review - The Face of Fu Manchu (1965)

I distinctly remember watching the Fu Manchu films as a boy on school day evenings at about 6pm on BBC2 and when I saw that it was available to record, whilst doing my weekly search of anything decent to watch on TV amongst all the usual crap, I jumped at the chance.

Starring Christopher Lee as Fu Manchu (what a tremendous and memorable actor), Nigel Green as Nayland Smith of Scotland Yard (pleased to spot Major Dalby from my favourite film of all time - The Ipcress File) and amongst others, James Robertson Justice (mentioned purely for having one of the best names ever).

I don't think it's a spoiler to mention that Fu Manchu is seemingly executed in the opening scene but the transpiring events cast doubt on whether it was really him! (I also don't think it's a spoiler because you need a film watching audience to spoil their future film enjoyment - I'm aiming low in the blog charts!) A caper (not in a comedic way although it does make me wonder if there was a missed comedy version opportunity with Alec Guinness opposite his old chum Lee) unfolds of Fu's attempts to unlock the poisonous secret of a Tibetan seed for world domination whilst being pursued and thwarted by Smith at various Thames-side locations (and Tibet!). 

Watchable certainly and more so for me as a blast from my past. Fu Manchu is a cruel on-screen villain; drowning an unfortunate minion and actually carrying out a megalomaniac's threat in part by killing 3000 poor Essex villagers and soldiers stationed there. You've got to love a villain who declares that he is "all powerful"! And I liked to ferocious fight scene between Smith and Jannsen which destroyed the lab they were in but ended in a very civilised manner with them dusting themselves down and declaring that switching the light on might have saved the bother! Despite this first film outing for Fu Manchu resulting in defeat for the villain he ominously calls out to Smith that the "World shall hear from me again".

Verdict. Watch it. (I'll refine my thoroughly thought out rating system in due course! But I will stick with the ultimate low rating option of "Dedicate your life to discovering the secrets of time travel so that you can go back in time and warn yourself not to watch this" which I will need for Coming 2 America - but that's another story!)

As an aside I will try to hunt out Christopher Lee's autobiography and see what Lord Summerisle, Dracula and Scaramanga were like in real life!