PodBill Just what I expected

Platicsco Good story, Not enough for a whole film

Matialth Good concept, poorly executed.

Kaelan Mccaffrey Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

Djayesse It all started very well: Boris Karloff, Myrna Loy and Lewis Stone on the same movie! We could start dreaming. Boris Karloff is Fu Manchu: doctor in philosophy, Right and Mathematics. Rather an intellectual. Rightful heir of Lon Chaney, he has a magnificent head for a villain. Because Fu Manchu is the villain. He spent most of his life seeking a golden mask (the one in the title) and a great sword which belonged to Genghis Khan. Therefore, he'll be able to raise an army and throw out of his country all invaders (mostly English people). Myrna Loy is Fah Lo See, Fu Manchu's daughter. She is a beautiful Asian with light eyes (???). Like her father, she is as cruel as she is beautiful. Fu Manchu is the prototype of the Asian villain as we could imagine it in those days: slanted eyes, peaked eyebrows, with a long thin drooping mustache, long sharp nails, and wearing a magnificent shiny outfit. Last of those stereotypes: Fu Manchu has a sharp sadistic brain which aims to a certain refinement in cruelty. A distinguished villain: in his manners as in his cruelty. Opposite Fu Manchu, stands Lewis Stone as Naylan Smith of the British Secret Services. He is brave, dynamic and very strong. With him, we can see Sheila Barton (Karen Morley) and her fiancé Terry Granville (Charles Starrett), two other strong characters with strong minds (especially Sheila).It all starts with an exceptional expedition, just as in Lost World (Harry O. Hoyt, 1925), in which we could also see Lewis Stone. Here ends the comparison. The MGM had to produce horror and monster movies. But after Freaks (Tod Browning, 1932) which was a great flop, they asked Charles Brabin to try something else. Unfortunately, it did not work very well. Even if Boris Karloff is a great Fu Manchu, we expected something else, something better. There is something missing in this film which made Frankenstein and Dracula smashing hits. Maybe a certain unity in the story. There is one and only Tod Browning, or James Whale. So Charles Brabin sinks in the story like in a swamp, mixing elements with no great success: Fu Manchu, a great distinguished mind, is surrounded by a bunch of fanatics which seem to have escaped from Arabian Nights! Therefore, it is difficult for us to believe in this story. The settings too, reinforce the fact that it is not likely: we can see very classicist Oriental furniture and very modern rooms (as they thought them in 1932), with no teal link (Fu Manchu is not Dr No!). Moreover, the actors - especially Charles Starrett and Karen Morlay - do not always act very well. What a pity: the original idea of this story was good. And we can see great Chinese torture worth the shot : the bell, the crocodile scale, and the silver fingers are quite amazing. Spectators in 1932 have certainly been pleased with such scenes! But such tortures will not last when the Hays Code arrives. And these tortures cannot help with the story. Fu Manchu is a fantastic character, very well achieved (and his daughter too). But a good villain only does not make a great film. This villain needs a strong hero against him. Here, the heroes are too weak to stand a chance. Another reason why the movie is not as great as it should be: it "only" lasts sixty-eight minutes. It is too short for such a story. Too bad.

Leofwine_draca This is a highly entertaining film, filled with plenty of action and adventure and even torture. Boris Karloff dons monster makeup once again for his role as the fiendish Fu Manchu. He doesn't even attempt an accent - unlike Christopher Lee in his Fu Manchu films - but overall his villain is far colder, and more sneering. Karloff plays it for all he's worth, creating another memorable movie monster to his impressive collection.For those who think '30s films are boring, think again. There are some excellent ingredients in this film, mainly in the form of Manchu's torture equipment. One man is lowered into a pit of crocodiles, another is hung up and whipped, while yet another is tied underneath a gigantic bell which is then made to ring constantly (a variation on water torture). He then gets his hand cut off and the severed body part is unceremoniously thrown into his daughter's residence! There's also some spikes which threaten to impale a sweating doctor. One man gets drugged and becomes a mindless zombie. Another highlight is where an assassin chucks a knife at somebody through a window, it hits them in the back, then they stagger round and shoot the killer off his rope! Events heat up for the finale full of outlandish plot twists and violence. The camera cuts just as the ending hits, leaving us with a violent impression, although cleverly nothing is shown. The film is fast paced, dispensing with dialogue in favour of intrigue and action. Ignore the racist undertones ("you yellow fiend!") and you'll discover this as an excellent slice of early adventure. It's also superior to any of the Christopher Lee/Fu Manchu film that were made in the 1960s, apart from perhaps the first one, THE FACE OF FU MANCHU. If you're looking for a good time, check it out!

jadzia92 The Mask of Fu Manchu especially due to Boris Karloff as the title character. The movie is not to be taken too seriously as it should be viewed mainly for fun. Lewis Stone was not bad as Fu's adversary Nayland Smith and Karen Morley is not bad too look at. Saw The Mask of Fu Manchu on DVD and it had a commentary by film historian George Mank. Interesting commentary from Mank which included information about Lewis Stone and Karen Morley, two people I wasn't familiar with between prior to seeing The Mask of Fu Manchu. From this commentary it was tragic to learn how Stone died and interesting that at one time Morley made an unsuccessful run for the American Labor Party for Lieutenant Governor of California.

lim-onade This movie was awesome. I thought the heinously racist depictions of every non-white character in it were absolutely awesome. The absurdly ominous gong sounds every single time a Chinese character appeared? Awesome. China being portrayed as a land of whore houses and opium dens? Awesome. The impossible to understand "Eastern Races" being portrayed as half-naked, barbaric idiots who worship skeletons? Awesome. The fact that the only educated Chinese character was the source of seemingly every evil in the world? Awesome. The romantic face off between the dragon lady dominatrix China woman and the virginal white woman (who wins by the pure force of her unadulterated love)? Awesome. The way all the China men were struck down by the just and powerful white men wielding the electric powers of Zeus? Awesome. And how the Chinese servant (also made out to be a thoughtless, servile idiot) in the last scene is congratulated for being uneducated? Awesome! The list just goes on and on and on...