i can hardly believe i watch this again last night after more than 25 year . some time back and i watch 6 fu film in a row . boris karloff and and all 5 chris lee . the last 2 lee and both direct ( and i use that word loosely ) by jess franco and be abominable . at the time and i skip this one and remember that and in some way and it be even bad . well and i watch it . never again . you know what bad that an abominable film . a really well make piece of s. and that what fiendish plot be . it be a very good look movie . great production design and set and costume and music and photography and editing and mostly good cast and some decent acting . and absolutely and positively and one of the bad script in movie history . aaaugh . the first minute of the film be so deceptive . one might mistake this for a decent movie . and then they start sing happy birthday to fu . and it go downhill . have burt kwouk ( of whom his master say and your face be familiar . ) accidentally pour out fu elixir vitae to put out a fire and result in his be condemn to torture and burial and have one of his ear cut off and be the close thing to funny they have . it be like someone decide they want to do a campy film so ridiculous it would be funny . ridiculous and it be . funny . it aint . at all . it sad and because it clear in the first few minute that someone do a lot of research into the fu manchu series in order to get so much of it right . with a different script either a really funny one and or a dead serious one and they might have could have should have have a classic on their hand . a film that could have make one forget the horror of those jess franco atrocity . instead of make one want to dig them out a masterpiece and by comparison . there be a period in the late 70 when a whole slew of classic 30 character be revive in movie that be universally awful . buck rogers and flash gordon and tarzan and the lone ranger and charlie chan and even doc savage . i be not sure and this one may be the bad of the lot . it take great self control not to fast forward over whole section of it and especially any scene contain sid caesar ( fbi chief who be also al capone cousin you see what i mean . ) . it isn not just that the idea in the film aren not funny . they often make no sense whatsoever . like when they audition police officer to impersonate the king and queen and and we wind up see people audition dance hall routine like sing and dance and and rid a unicycle . how many drug do the writer of this thing have to take for any of this to make sense to them . a i say and a shame . and a real waste of all that talent and include that of peter seller ( who play both fu and nayland smith ) and burt kwouk ( who would be in a chris lee fu film in his time ) and helen mirren ( the police woman who shockingly fall in love with the villain and damn near steal the last half hour of the film . ) . i begin to wonder if anyone will ever make a proper fu manchu film and or if fan will have to settle for karloff be almost the only one .