Leofwine_draca Christopher Lee's first outing as the Oriental villain is probably the best of the bunch and serves as another memorable role for his huge CV. Taking over the mantle from Boris Karloff - who had played Manchu in the 1930s - Lee's Manchu films would always be cheaper, less entertaining affairs, but still served up enough action and twists in the plot to keep things moving along nicely.All of the staples of the adventure genre are there: people being tied up to chairs and freeing themselves, people being whipped, glass tanks filling with water and drowning people, and most of all the heroes fighting off villains. I loved the fight scenes in these films. Nayland Smith attacks one of his friends and fights in a laboratory, for what seems like an eternity. After the little scrap neither men are bleeding! Of course, Chinese people are the ones getting beaten up and stabbed (in a variety of PG certificate ways) along the way, which does make the film seem a little racist in today's society. Nigel Green is memorably stern-faced and proud in his one-off role as Manchu's chief adversary, Nayland Smith, while Tsai Chin is also wickedly evil as Manchu's daughter. She would return in later entries in the series. Lee, however carries the film on his shoulders and is excellent as the soft-spoken super villain with the long moustache and funny costume. Very typical of the FLASH GORDON-type serials of the '30s, with the emphasis on plot twists, explosions, kidnapping and escape, and fighting, THE FACE OF FU MANCHU is a hugely enjoyable yarn to be enjoyed by old and new alike. As Lee himself says "the world shall hear from me again".

fwdixon This first picture of the Fu Manchu series with Christopher Lee starts off in China with Fu being beheaded! Later on, events transpire that lead Nayland Smith to surmise that Fu is still alive. And Fu, of course, is up to his old tricks and trying to conquer the world. In London, he kidnaps a scientist & his daughter to force him to brew a powerful poison made from the seeds of a rare Tibetan flower. Along the way there is more than the usual mayhem - an entire village is poisoned just so the world will take Fu seriously! The chase leads Smith thru the lost tunnels of London and back to Tibet, where, in a fiery explosion rigged by Smith, Fu meets his end (or does he!?!?!) I liked this picture almost as much as "Brides of Fu Manchu". Lee is excellent and the supporting cast is good. My "B" Movie Meter: 71/2* out of 10*

lost-in-limbo There's a long winded list of Fu Manchu films going back to the 1920s up until 1980, but director Don Sharp and producer/writer Harry Alan Towers' 1965 matinée crime mystery adventure "The Face of Fu Manchu" starring Nigel Green and Christopher Lee in the title role happened to be my first encounter of the callous mastermind Fu Manchu. Quite a low-budget fare, but what makes it a fun outing is Sharp's precisely lean direction makes good use of the detailed location work and moves at a cracking pace (since the chase between nemesis's is a race against the clock) blending together the unpredictable nature of the unfolding narrative/tough action rather well, while upfront actor Nigel Green gives a stellar performance as the persistent detective Nayland Smith of Scotland Yard. Green breathes confidence, and the hearty script ably compels and allows for the strong performances. Lee fits in the calculative role of Manchu and the likes of Tsai Chin and Howard Marion Crawford are durable in their roles. The venturesome tone is bathed in a comic book frame, but I found the music score to be intrusively cued and the conclusion to be somewhat anticlimactic to the actual build-up.

DLibrasnow So far only available on VHS in Region 1, I picked up the Region 2 DVD release of 'Face of Fu Manchu' recently and blessed my region-free DVD player for every wonderful fun-filled moment of this enjoyable fantasy romp. Based on the character originally envisioned by British author Sax Rohmer, Christopher Lee made a total of five appearances in the 1960s as arch villain Fu Manchu. This entry (the first in the series) is by far the best, closely followed by the second 'Brides of Fu Manchu' (another Region 2 only DVD release). What makes this entry so enjoyable is the wonderful Nigel Green as Fu Manchu's greatest nemesis - Nayland Smith of Scotland Yard. In fact it is in the opening minutes of this movie that we see Smith invited by the Chinese government to witness the execution of Fu Manchu. Fast forward a couple of months and Smith is sturdy in his belief that Fu Manchu survived and is behind a series of grisly crimes in western Europe. Then when a professors servant is found murdered in the same manner in which Fu Manchu's followers had practiced, Smith becomes even more convinced that he is up against the evil genius. Through a series of machinations Smith learns that the professor has been kidnapped by Fu Manchu and is being forced to make a toxin that could wipe out most of the western world. Of course (in a plot device also used in the following 'Brides of Fu Manchu') the professors daughter has also been captured and is being used to comply the professor to complete his task. Directed with skill by Don Sharp this movie is fast-paced enough to overlook the plot holes and colorful enough to keep the fun factor umped up to the ultimate degree. It's a visual feast and the movie is also helped by a tight script and some well drawn characters. I grew up watching these movies on British television and my memories did not disappoint me. Also notable is the inclusion of one-time Bond girl Karin (You Only Live Twice) Dor ho turns in a strong performance as the professors daughter. This is an ultimate Saturday afternoon movie to be watched relaxed in a recliner with a bag of popcorn in one hand and a soda in the other, all the while reveling in every outlandish moment.