Customer Reviews
A happy return to the days of hunting Fu Manchu... - By: Matthew Mercy, 02 Sep 2008 
Easily the best film adapted from Sax Rohmer's stories of intrigue & adventure, The Face Of Fu Manchu is the kind of well-made thriller that British studios seemed to produce so well in the 1960s. In one of his best performances, Christopher Lee portrays the fiendish Oriental villain with grace & impassive menace, & he is aided by the skillful, economic direction of Don Sharp (surely one of the most underrated directors of the era). The chintzy sets, art direction, & classy music go down a treat, & best of alll is the script, written by producer Harry Allan Towers under the pseudonym Peter Welbeck. Deftly using the most effective aspects of the Fu Manchu books, his story manages to jetison the more unsavoury aspects of Rohmer's writing (ie, the blatant racism & casual sexism), fashioning Fu as more of an international crime boss than the government-sponsored 'agent provocateur' of the earliest novels. Also amongst the cast, both Nigel Green & Howard Marion Crawford are good value as Nayland Smith & Dr. Petrie, with Green in particular giving a far subtler & more likeable interpretation of the Smith character than Rohmer's stories could usuallly manage. Following in the wake of this film came four depressingly inferior sequels, & though Lee stayed on board throughout, he was not aided by the quality of the scripts, the increasingly shoddy production values, & the far inferior takes on the Nayland Smith character by the actors who replaced Green in the part. For the next two, the substitute was Douglas Wilmer, who played Smith scrictly to type, as a carbon-copy of Sherlock Holmes, & thus the character seemed identical to Wilmer's own, dull take on the Great Detective (he played the part for the BBC during the 1960s); for the final two movies, one-time Hollywood 'matinee idol' Richard Greene took over the role, but as befits these two atrocious Jess Franco-directed films (which are widely regarded as two of the worst movies ever made), his performance is totallly forgettable in every respect.
Entertaining if nothing else to watch. - By: Eye Can, 16 Oct 2007 
Loved this when saw it as child hoping I was going to enjoy again alas not so much.
Was hoping family would have enjoyed as much as I had done...no
Prehaps jaded with computer generated effects.They didn't give it a chance.
Acting still hammy Mr Lee still over the top.
I like the Victorian melodrama of it alll just wish a bit more
best fu manchu by far. - By: Mr. A. E. Ward Davies, 07 Aug 2006 
this film has remained one of my favourites since i first saw it nearly 20 years.
christopher lee makes for quite an imposing fu manchu & is good at it. the setting of 1920s london has been detailed brilliantly. a good cast bring an imaginative script to life, plus there is some great action along the way.
there has never been a better interpretation of nayland smith than portrayed here by nigel green. the authority & conviction that he brings to the character, makes him the best actor in the film without a doubt. i can remember feeling extremely disappointed that nigel green didn't come back for the second film "the brides of fu manchu." i feel it affects the continuity of the fu manchu series to have three different actors in total playing the same character.
still, a hugely entertaining film that is by far the best compared with the increasing rubbish that followed until it alll finished in 1970.
The World Shall Hear From Him No More. - By: William Lewis, 11 Mar 2006 This is very much a boy's own adventure but stands up as an exciting alll action movie, the car chase is particularly good. Apart from Chris Lee, it has the superb Nigel Green as Neyland Smith, one of our great British stalwarts. It's a shame he didn't do the rest of the series as he brought a dignified quality to the role. It's an even bigger tragedy that he only had another seven years to entertain us.
The best in the Fu Manchu series - By: Darren Harrison, 13 Dec 2004 So far only available on VHS in Region 1, I picked up the Region 2 DVD release of `Face of Fu Manchu' recently & blessed my region-free DVD player for every wonderful fun-filled moment of this enjoyable fantasy romp.
Based on the character originallly 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 & Smith is sturdy in his belief that Fu Manchu survived & 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 & 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 & 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 & colorful enough to keep the fun factor umpped up to the ultimate degree. It's a visual feast & the movie is also helped by a tight script & some well drawn characters. I grew up watching these movies on British television & 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 & a soda in the other, alll the while reveling in every outlandish moment.
