Although sinking deeper into mediocrity with each new instalment, some of the old patina still lingers on in #3 of the Harry Alan Towers' Fu Manchu franchise. Irish locations, for example, once again still standing in for blighty (which presumably explains the presence of Eddie Byrne in a very small part). But this also marks Towers' arrival (again doubling up as screenwriter 'Peter Welbeck') in Hong Kong, where he doubtless shot this instalment back to back with the ghastly 'Five Golden Dragons', (with which it shares director Jeremy Summers and leading lady Maria Rohm) and the silly 'Sumuru' (whose headquarters looks suspiciciously like Fu Manchu's castle here).
There are rather more German actors than usual this time round, including Peter Carsten playing a goodie, and Wolfgang Kieling as Dr. Lieberson, fresh from playing the ill-fated Gromek in 'Torn Curtain'. Although Tsai Chin has long been deeply ashamed of her participation in these films, she is at least genuinely Chinese, and her presence as Lin Tang remains one of their strongest features - cool, mean, a first-class henchbabe, and dressed to kill in a variety of sensational outfits that look as they consumed much of the film's budget.
There are rather more German actors than usual this time round, including Peter Carsten playing a goodie, and Wolfgang Kieling as Dr. Lieberson, fresh from playing the ill-fated Gromek in 'Torn Curtain'. Although Tsai Chin has long been deeply ashamed of her participation in these films, she is at least genuinely Chinese, and her presence as Lin Tang remains one of their strongest features - cool, mean, a first-class henchbabe, and dressed to kill in a variety of sensational outfits that look as they consumed much of the film's budget.