Target Hong Kong (1953) User Reviews

An early Cold War film

[gordonl56 · 7/10 · 29 May 2016]

TARGET HONG KONG 1953

This low budget Cold War quickie was released by Columbia Pictures for independent producer Sam Katzman's Clover Productions.

The film stars Richard Denning, Richard Loo, Philip Ahn, Nancy Gates, Michael Pate, Henry Kulky, Soo Yong and Ben Aster.

The film is about soldier of fortune type Denning getting mixed up in a Red Chinese plot to invade Hong Kong. The Reds, led by Ben Aster and Richard Loo are bankrolling their plan with a spot of blackmail. They are forcing Chinese civilians to ask family in America for cash to ensure their safety.

Aster and Loo are then funnelling the money to a triad operator, Soo Yong, in Hong Kong. Soo Yong is loyal to the Nationalist cause and believes that Aster and Soo are Nationalist agents. The money is being used to buy arms and pay for mercenaries.

The Red plan is to fool Yong and the mercenaries into attacking Hong Kong. Then the Red Chinese will occupy Hong Kong and say that they are there to stop Nationalist aggression. (Far-fetched, but so what) Denning gets involved when he loses all his cash in a gambling club. He is offered a job working for a legitimate Nationalist spy cell. The cell is led by Philip Ahn. Also in the mix are several pals of Denning from the late war, Michael Pate and Henry Kulky.

Denning is wired up with the latest in miniature two way radios gear, and sent back to the gambling den. (The radio stuff is worth the price of admission)It seems that the Commie Loo is often at the den passing money to owner, Yong.

Of course a pretty girl, Nancy Gates, needs to be thrown into the story. Miss Gates happens to be the adopted daughter of the triad leader and club owner, Soo Yong. As all this is going on, the Reds have moved plenty of weapons and explosives into a series of tunnels running under Hong Kong. They plan on setting off a large bomb under Hong Kong Police headquarters.

Now there is a whole series of fights and gun battles needed in order to throw the old monkey wrench into the Red plans. (There is plenty of stock footage from earlier Columbia productions used here) The Reds hash is finally settled with Denning filling Red leader, Aster, with a lead overdose. Of course Denning gets the girl, Gates, and Hong Kong is saved.

This one is not as bad as I might be making it out to be. It rockets along with any plot holes nicely covered by the capable hand of b-film whiz, Fred C Sears. Between 1949 and 1958, Sears directed 50 lower end feature films. These include several well done works like, WORLD WITHOUT END, UTAH BLAINE, RUMBLE ON THE DOCKS, THE 49th MAN, CELL 2455 DEATH ROW and CHICAGO SYNDICATE.

Fast-Paced Programmer

[boblipton · 5/10 · 11 November 2019]

Richard Denning is a mercenary busy losing the last of $25,000 in a Hong Kong gambling den when he's picked up and offered a job by the Nationalist Chinese. It turns out that there are lots of good Chinese getting ready to invade Red China.... only it's all a plot by the evil Red Chinese to take over Hong Kong. There are some interesting two-way radios, Nancy Gates as the Eurasian daughter of pirate Soo Yong and lots of Evil Warlord tropes that should have gone out of style in the 1940s under the direction of the indefatigable but overworked Fred Sears.

The highlight visually are the scenes when the Communists are running trucks through the streets, shooting people seemingly at random. They look like they were pulled from earlier, better-shot movies. This one is fast-paced piffle that's entertaining enough if you don't think about it.

The Chinese do read more than just Confucious, you know.

[mark.waltz · 6/10 · 24 August 2022]

That's a possibly paraphrased quote from this B spy thriller, one of many anti-communists made in the 1950's. Philip Ahn says that to the American Richard Denning when he tries to guess the source of a philosophy Ahn orates, finding out that the quote was actually by an American poet. Denning blushes with humor at his gaff, and Ahn smiles, having won a little victory in a debate over assumptions of the Chinese thought process. This film gives a good try at minimizing stereotypes about the Chinese, with a nice mixture of good and bad, with the good vowing to win their freedom and the bad certain of their justification in preventing it.

The film surrounds the smuggling of funds into Hong Kong to start a revolution, pirated through the shop of the severe looking Soo Yong whom the viewer believes to be a cliched dragon lady, especially with her harsh looking hairstyle and cold but glamorous wardrobe. She has an adopted daughter (Nancy Gates) who gets caught up in the intrigue which is being craftily plotted by the malevolent Ben Astar.

Richard Loo is sinister in his association with Astar, and Is an Australian involved in the uprising as well. Compelling intrigue makes this better than other films about China in the post war era, a film that's a pretty good programmer from Sam Katzman's speedy production unit. Especially memorable is the set design of the underground tunnels, especially the way Soo Yong gets in.

A pretty good and very rare gem.

[searchanddestroy-1 · 1 May 2009]

I searched for this one since a while. A real rare gem. An anti-red yarn, of course, set in China. Richard Denning plays here an American adventurer, a lousy gambler, who is recruited by US and nationalist agents to help them to fight against communist subversive activities. Prevent the red to get weapons and ammunitions. Lots of action in this fast paced feature, very well done. This movie is directed by Fred Sears and produced by Wallace Mc Donald, far better than Sam Katzman, another Columbia Pictures producer.

I recommend this one. You won't regret it.

But it's not a masterpiece.