Fantastic!

Did you people see the same film I saw?

Amateur movie with Big budget

One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

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.

1910. A wicked and dangerous gang known as the Red Dragon Tong dabble in opium dealing and white slavery in Hong Kong. Stalwart sea captain Jackson Sale (a solid performance by Geoffrey Toone) puts himself in considerable jeopardy by actively seeking out the Tong after they kill his daughter. Capably directed by Anthony Bushell, with a steady pace that rarely lets up for a minute, an absorbing script by Jimmy Sangster, startling outbursts of bloody'n'brutal violence, truly hateful and nasty villains (the Tong are a genuinely scary and vicious bunch), crisp cinematography by Arthur Grant, a flavorsome period atmosphere, a shivery and spirited score by James Bernard, a serious tone, some rousing rough'n'tumble fisticuffs, and a lively and stirring climax that's capped off by a surprise downbeat ending, this movie sizes up as an immensely entertaining romp. Kudos are also in order for the bang-up acting from the able cast: the always terrific Christopher Lee excels as evil and cunning Tong leader Chung King, the lovely Yvonne Monlaur delivers a charming portrayal of fiery and loyal Oriental slave girl Lee, plus there are nifty turns by Brian Worth as the corrupt Distict Commissioner Harcourt, Ewen Solon as mean brute Tang How, Marne Maitland as a shrewd and grubby beggar who's plotting to overthrow the Tong, Marie Burke as the helpful Maya, Charles Lloyd Pack as deadly assassin Dr. Fu Chao, and Burt Kwouk as ill-fated businessman Mr. Ming. A very enjoyable flick.

I recently saw TERROR OF THE TONGS as well as STRANGLERS OF BOMBAY, as they were both on the same DVD. The reason I watched the films was because Christopher Lee was in TERROR but was surprised to see that the other film was vastly superior despite having a cast of unknowns. The bottom line is that despite Lee and pretty color film, TERROR seems like a remake (of sorts) of the earlier film and STRANGLERS was just much better written and directed. Plus, TERROR really had major casting problems--so much that today's audiences would probably laugh at the choices.TERROR OF THE TONGS is about Chinese gangs in Hong Kong that used assassinations (usually with a hatchet) in order to further the power of the Tong (which was similar to the Mafia or Yakuza). Despite being evil and ruthless, the locals don't want to do anything to try to stop them because of fear of reprisals. A ship's captain runs afoul of the Tong and his daughter is killed. He dedicates the rest of the movie to its destruction.While there is plenty of action and excitement, the film has one huge strike against it. Despite being set in Hong Kong, the film looks amazingly non-Chinese--with Caucasian actors in almost all the main roles. Seeing 6 foot 7 inch Christopher Lee with his very aquiline nose playing the leader of the Tong seemed really silly. Despite the studio makeup artists giving him Asian-style eyelids, he looked about as Asian as Brad Pitt! And, to make things worse, the rest of the "Chinese" characters looked even less Chinese!! This didn't so much offend me (especially since I bristle at the notion of political correctness), but just seemed dumb---really, really dumb.The reason, I assume, they picked Lee for such a ridiculous role was because he was available and affordable. Otherwise, it's quite the bizarre choice. However, despite him being so inappropriate for the role, a very, very similar character was reprised by Lee in the Fu Manchu pictures of the mid to late-1960s. The films are exciting but also suffer from too many main Chinese characters being Brits.Overall, the film is exciting and watchable so it's a good film for adventure fans or as a time-passer. Just don't expect a lot of magic or high quality in this production.

In 1910 Hong Kong Christopher Lee plays Chung King, an evil leader of tongs who will kill anyone who stands in their way of their slave and opium trade.A sea captain (Geoffrey Toone) battles them when his daughter is murdered. Violence follows and then bodies begin piling up.Unusual Hammer film--not really a horror movie--more like a violent action film. Lee is having a whale of a time playing King and Toone is OK in his role. Everyone else is pretty terrible--especially pretty Yvonne Monlaur and all the Asian actors. The low budget does show and the script is sort of scattershot.I'm giving it a 7 because it's no longer than it needs to be (79 minutes), Lee is very good, there's some beautiful color photography and some pretty strong bloody violence for 1961--but then this IS a Hammer film.Worth seeing on a slow day.