The Vengeance of Fu Manchu ** (1967, Christopher Lee, Douglas Wilmer, Howard Marion-Crawford, Wolfgang Kieling, Tony Ferrer, Tsai Chin, Bert Kwouk) – Classic Movie Review 2944

Writer-producer Harry Alan Towers’s 1967 horror movie is number three in the Fu Manchu series of five films, with Christopher Lee continuing his welcome impersonation of the wicked oriental one – The Most Evil Man on Earth!

This time Fu plots to discredit and kill his nemesis, Scotland Yard Inspector Nayland Smith (Douglas Wilmer), and to do so creates an evil doppelganger for his arch rival after kidnapping a scientist (Wolfgang Kieling).

The Vengeance of Fu Manchu is all properly devilish and devious, but the screenplay stinks with its dreary characterisations and lame plot that is absurdly elaborate and fanciful. And the production is particularly poor and cheap-looking, throwing it all back onto the resources of the capable actors.

Again the movie is preposterous and dated, as well as less exciting than either of the first two outings. But again director Jeremy Summers keeps it a reasonably fast moving and fairly entertaining horror outing, greatly helped by the fine turns from Lee and Tsai Chin as his daughter, Lin Tang, as well as by Wilmer and Howard Marion-Crawford as Petrie. But it’s not enough to rescue it totally.

Also in the decent cast are Horst Frank, Maria Rohm, Tony Ferrer, Peter Carsten, Bert Kwouk, Eddie Byrne, Suzane Roquette, Noel Trevarthen and Mona Chong.

It was largely filmed in Hong Kong. Producer Towers uses Sax Rohmer’s characters to write the screenplay under his usual pseudonym of Peter Welbeck.

It was originally an X certificate, but now a PG. The Castle of Fu Manchu followed in 1967.

Douglas Wilmer died on 31 March 2016, aged 96. His films include Octopussy (1983), Patton (1970), Jason and the Argonauts ((1963), The Golden Voyage of Sinbad (1973), The Vampire Lovers, The Brides of Fu Manchu and The Vengeance of Fu Manchu (1967).

© Derek Winnert 2015 Classic Movie Review 2944

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