Il terrore dei Tongs

I fondly remember this film as it was the first X certificate film I ever saw.I was 14 at the time and I saw it in a double bill with Forgo at the ABC Golders Green.This is a Hammer film but not a horror film.It is set in a very studio bound Hong Kong.Nearly all of the main oriental characters are played by European actors.Christopher Lee plays the black hearted tong leader.He has a secret ally in the Hong Kong establishment.There is some violence,a torture scene which seems as if the torturer is an expert in acupuncture.There is also a great deal of Axe throwing.It is difficult at this distance in time to understand why the film was awarded an X certificate.The writer,the ubiquitous Jimmy Sangster,seems to included many plot elements from Charlie Chan and Fu Manchu films.

Geoffrey Toone, as the hero in Hammer's THE TERROR OF THE TONGS, is an extremely passive one, and displays extremely sparse emotion, even after his daughter's killed by the titular menace played by an "Asianized" Christopher Lee, who also does surprisingly little except for - like many all-controlling-heavies - sitting in a large chair giving orders...

It's Marne Maitland's undercover Beggar... providing Toone's British captain in Hong Kong expository information of what to do and when... working the hardest. That's if you don't count the also British-turned-Asian Yvonne Monlaur, who headlined Hammer's previous years' BRIDES OF DRACULA and becomes Toone's faithful, lovely yet equally tough/resilient Geisha girl; and future NIGHT CREATURES bald giant Milton Reid as a precursor to the James Bond GOLDFINGER henchman Oddjob...

In fact, there's a Bond vibe a year before Bond movies existed, but with Toone's sophisticated aura it's more Moore than Connery and, despite the flaws, TERROR is a worthwhile action-packed experience, lacking the thriller-style of the non-horror Hammer entries, replacing suspense with a myriad of fist fights...

With little downtime, our intrepid dandy wanders throughout Hong Kong, avoiding various murder attempts from Lee's Tong henchmen while showcasing the terrific looking sets that bring the Asian port-town to splendid reality, the same way Hammer made Victorian-era Europe it's own colorful, timeless playground.

It is still much better than nowadays films. I love these classics. I laughed a lot. Especially the fights scenes. Don't get it to seriously.

Hammer Studios once again proves that they knew no bounds when it came to film making. Here we see a tale of corruption, torture, murder and revenge and it actually works very well for a studio renowned for it's horror films. Christopher Lee plays the leader of, *The Red Dragon Tong* in Hong Kong at the beginning of the 20th century, this organization used torture and murder to keep the people of the city under it's rule and when they kill an English sea Captain's daughter in an attempt to keep information from being brought before the authorities, the film becomes a story of revenge with scenes of torture and murder. Hammer Studios did a great job with this film and if you're a Hammer fan, this is definitely a film you'll want to see.

Terror of the Tongs is a largely unknown Hammer film and, as such, isn't one the great studio's best films. It is, however, a more than decent entry in Hammer's oeuvre, and is well worth seeking out for Hammer fans. The film takes place in Hong Kong, and director Anthony Bushell does a fairly good job of capitalising on the mystery of the eastern culture. The most prominent thing about this film is no doubt the fact that it stars the great Christopher Lee - as the Chinese head of 'The Tongs'! It's a hilarious performance, and while Lee doesn't exactly convince the audience that he's Chinese, it brilliantly shows off his charisma and ability to hold the audience's attention. The plot focuses on a secret Hong Kong society known as 'The Red Dragon Tong'. They kidnap the captain of a ship in Hong Kong harbour while he's trying to restrain the people who kidnapped his daughter. We then follow the attempt to free him from the Tong; but this isn't a group of amateurs, as the society is big and powerful and freeing the captain isn't easy.

The film actually isn't a lot like what I've come to expect from Hammer, as it's all played out rather seriously and there's not a hint of anything even resembling supernatural activity. The film doesn't reflect particularly well on the Chinese people - as despite being set in Hong Kong, there's hardly any natives on the cast list and the Chinese characters don't get to much that has any bearing on the plot. The atmosphere is nothing to write home about, although director Anthony Bushell manages to create just about enough tension to keep things ticking over. The acting is generally below average, with only Christopher Lee coming out of the film with any credibility - which is amazing considering the nature of his role. The film doesn't have a great deal of bite - in spite of a torture sequence and numerous scenes of drug use - although it mostly isn't boring. Overall, I can't say that The Terror of the Tongs is even near to being Hammer's finest hour, but it's a decent little rarity and worth tracking down for Hammer fans.