If the poison doesn't work, he has other ways!

mark.waltz

The evil Fu Manchu, once again played by Christopher lee, is back, and he has found the perfect way or so he thinks, to get rid of his enemies and get the world power that he feels he so richly deserves! With the aide of his equally evil daughter (Tsai Chin), he collects 10 of the most beautiful women in the world who will be his pawn in doing his bidding each of them, at a special time, are bitten by a tiny green snake which will give them the power to plant a kiss on one of Fu Manchu's enemy, killing them quickly but painfully.

Even though they tested with one of Fu Manchu's servants, it doesn't work on the ones he wants to dispose of, only blinding them, but leaving the girl dead. Fu Manchu does have the anecdote to the victim not eventually succumbing, and of course, he has a motive for not necessarily wanting them all to die. The goal is for the victims to lead Fu Manchu to Richard Greene, the ultimate source of what the master villain wants.

A silly adventure, if you are in the mood for such a thing, this is basically a series of different situations around the world where the chosen female strikes. Lee is decent, but after a while, you just feel the urge to rip that mustache off his face. Chin is certainly as evil as the similar Myrna Loy in the 1932 shocker "The Mask of Fu Manchu", and fortunately, this is more subtle with its stereotypes. But after a while, the silliness wears thin, and you long for the villains to be dispatched to where there will be no follow-up.

score 5/10

mark.waltz 11 February 2021

Reprint: https://www.imdb.com/review/rw6584367/