A Filha Diabólica de Fu Manchu

Lin Tang doesn't sit at the feet of Fu Manchu anymore - she got promoted and takes a throne at his side now. Can't say that the movie moves up a level, though, if I compare it to its predecessors. The 3rd one of the series was the first one not directed by Don Sharp, it was most likely not made with the same production time and budget, and the story is, mildly put, simple. Fu Manchu wants revenge on his personal enemy Nayland Smith, and afterwards achieve world domination, of course. Some unnecessary things are stretching the story to 80+ minutes, such as the tavern brawl with the sailors or the introduction of Horst Frank as an additional villain. Fu Manchu asks him to do the torturing for one day as if he thought he must give this character something to do. Peter Carsten gets a better role as a gangster who is joining the good guys after his downfall. Although it is impressive to see the impersonator of Nayland Smith become a murderer under Fu Manchu's command, showing absolutely no emotion and not saying a word during his trial, one can't help wondering why the judge and lawyers didn't think he might be hypnotized or something like that. Did they just think he must be the shy type of guy who doesn't talk much? The green misty hills of Ireland are posing successfully for China again, compliments for the choice of locations. Voted 7/8/5/7/4 for the five movies.

Fu Manchu and his daughter Lin Tang(Tsai Chin)return home to China.This time Fu Manchu kidnaps a Christian missionary working in China,who is also a surgeon.He is kidnapped to perform an operation on one of Fu's dacoits to make him look just like Nayland Smith.However he wants duplicates made of all the major police chiefs of the world,to discredit them as well.He calls Rudolph Moss(Horst Frank),the head of American syndicate,to join him.Christopher Lee is again amazing as a Fu Manchu-the film is pretty well-made and exciting.Followed by two euro-trash cheapies "The Blood of Fu Manchu" and "The Castle of Fu Manchu".

This is an exciting and suspenseful , though mediocre Fu Manchu movie , but still enjoyable . It's a little boring , but is better than following entries , the low-budgeted and lackluster Jess Frank movies : ¨Kiss of the dead¨ and ¨The castle of Fumanchu¨ which most critics felt were the weakest of the series .

The co-protagonist is Nyland Smith , finely played by Douglas Wilmer -character also interpreted by Nigel Green and Richard Greene- ; he's a good English actor , usually playing in secondary roles -El Cid- , here he is the starring and is very well . The baddies are Horst Frank , a German actor usually playing as the villain-role and Christopher Lee , as always acting as a magnificent evil-doer . As usual , there appears Howard Marion Crawford who is the assistant of Nyland Smith , a Watson-alike . And of course , the Fu Manchu's daughter , habitually played by T Sai Chin , acting perfectly as a nasty murderous.

In the film there are action , adventures , thriller , sadism and exotic outdoors filmed in China , because being produced by the Chinese Shaw Brothers and Harry Allan Towers (producer of the Fu Manchu's five movies) . The movie will appeal those have seen the different entries and Christopher Lee fans ; the best installments are directed by Don Sharp : ¨Face of Fu Manchu (1965)¨ and ¨Brides of Fu Manchu(1966)¨. Rating : Average but entertaining .

"The Vengeance of Fu Manchu" (1967), directed by Jeremy Summers, marks the third and final appearance of Christopher Lee as the infamous criminal mastermind in the 1960s Fu Manchu series. While the film attempts to breathe new life into the franchise, it ultimately falls short of its predecessors, offering a somewhat tepid conclusion to Lee's portrayal of the character.

Set against the backdrop of a globe-spanning criminal conspiracy, the film follows Fu Manchu's elaborate plot to discredit and destroy his nemesis, Nayland Smith, by creating an evil doppelganger. This premise, while intriguing, is not fully realized, often getting lost in a maze of subplots and poorly developed supporting characters.

Christopher Lee, as always, brings a commanding presence to the role of Fu Manchu. His performance remains the highlight of the film, infusing the character with a cold, calculating menace that elevates every scene he's in. Lee's ability to convey Fu Manchu's intelligence and cruelty with subtle facial expressions and measured delivery of dialogue is truly remarkable, especially considering the sometimes clunky script he's working with.

One standout scene involves Fu Manchu's meticulous preparation of his Nayland Smith duplicate. The sequence effectively showcases the villain's attention to detail and scientific prowess, while also highlighting the film's makeup and special effects, which are quite impressive for the time. This scene encapsulates the film's potential, blending suspense, horror, and science fiction elements in a way that, unfortunately, the rest of the movie struggles to maintain.

Director Jeremy Summers seems to struggle with the material, failing to capture the exotic atmosphere and tension that marked the better entries in the series. The pacing is often uneven, with long stretches of exposition interspersed with action sequences that lack true excitement or innovation. The globe-trotting nature of the plot, which should have added to the film's scope and excitement, instead feels disjointed and poorly integrated.

The supporting cast is a mixed bag. Douglas Wilmer, returning as Nayland Smith, gives a solid if unremarkable performance, while Tsai Chin once again shines as Fu Manchu's daughter Lin Tang, providing a worthy foil to Lee's calculated villainy. However, many of the other characters feel underdeveloped, serving more as plot devices than fully realized individuals.

The film's production design and cinematography are adequate but fail to capture the lush exoticism of the earlier entries in the series. The budget constraints are often apparent, particularly in some of the more ambitious set pieces that fall flat due to unconvincing effects or lackluster execution.

Thematically, "The Vengeance of Fu Manchu" attempts to explore ideas of identity and the nature of evil, particularly through the doppelganger plot. However, these potentially interesting concepts are never fully developed, lost in the shuffle of convoluted plotting and action set pieces.

It's worth noting that, like its predecessors, the film is a product of its time and contains problematic portrayals of non-Western cultures and stereotypical depictions that modern viewers will likely find offensive. While this was unfortunately common in the genre and era, it does detract from the film's appeal to contemporary audiences.

"The Vengeance of Fu Manchu" is a film that will likely appeal primarily to completists and die-hard fans of the series or Christopher Lee's work.

While it offers some entertaining moments and the always-welcome presence of Lee as the titular villain, it ultimately fails to live up to the potential of its premise or the better entries in the Fu Manchu series. The film serves as a somewhat disappointing conclusion to Lee's portrayal of the character, hinting at what might have been with a stronger script and more assured direction.

For those interested in 1960s pulp adventure cinema or the evolution of the Fu Manchu character on screen, "The Vengeance of Fu Manchu" may be worth a watch. However, casual viewers or those new to the series would be better served by starting with earlier, stronger entries in the franchise.

Try, try, try again. That should be evil super mastermind Fu Manchu's motto. After one failed attempt after another that pretty much ends up in his hideout / palace spectacularly exploding, for his credit he always returned on his quest for world domination. As each scheming plot being more diabolical than the last, but the quality of these features were also on the slide. Same formula, but well-worn. Despite Christopher Lee returning dressed up in make-up as Fu Manchu, his presence seemed lacking with a script that didn't really offer him all that much to do. "The Vengeance of Fu Manchu" would be the third film internationally produced by Harry Alan Towers, but director Don Sharp of the previous two films is replaced and it shows in the final product. "Vengeance" isn't all that bad, but it's bounded by feeble writing and lackadaisical direction for most part making it quite an uninterestingly limited and convoluted venture. The story follows Fu Manchu and his daughter return to China to his isolated palace hideaway in the hills where he plots his vengeance against his arch rival commissioner Neyland Smith of Scotland Yard, while hosting a criminal diplomat for gaining support to lead the world's criminals. While this had two sub-plots within the narrative, neither one projected much excitement with its elaborate developments and the location work felt rather stagy with less adventure and scope. The local Hong Kong locations were done through Shaw Brother studios. Director Jeremy Summers brought a crisply polished tinge, but the execution is drably projected with a less than speedy pace. Too few hardy set-pieces, but its misogynistic edge is still evident in some torture sequences. The performances are decent. Douglas Wilmer admirably acquits himself as Neyland Smith and Howard Marion-Crawford gives a fine-tuned performance as his friend Dr. Petrie. A methodical Lee is given small opportunities and so is and effective Tsai Chin's, maybe even more so minor as Manchu's sadistic daughter. Horst Frank venomously overdoes Lee in the evil stakes and a beautiful Maria Rohm flaunts around. Patchy serial comic-strip entertainment.