The Fiendish Plot of Dr. Fu Manchu (1980)

User Rating:

4.3/10   

Director:

Piers Haggard

Writers:

Rudy Dochtermann (writer)
Jim Moloney (writer)

Release Date:

8 August 1980 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Tagline:

BEWARE! See this movie - An hour later you'll want to see it again!

Plot:

Fu Manchu's 168th birthday celebration is dampened when a hapless flunky spills Fu's age-regressing elixir vitae...

Plot Keywords:

FBI | Fu Manchu | England | London England | Pistol

Cast

Peter Sellers	...	Dennis Nayland Smith / Dr. Fu 'Fred' Manchu
Helen Mirren	...	Alice Rage
David Tomlinson	...	Sir Roger Avery
Sid Caesar	...	Joe Capone
Simon Williams	...	Robert Townsend
Steve Franken	...	Peter Williams
Stratford Johns	...	Ismail
John Le Mesurier	...	Perkins
John Sharp	...	Sir Nules Thudd
Clément Harari	...	Doctor Arnold Wretch
Kwan-Young Lee	...	Tong
John Tan	...	Dacoit
Philip Tan	...	Dacoit
Serge Julien	...	Dacoit
Johns Rajohnson	...	Dacoit

Also Known As:

Fu Manchu (UK) (working title)

Runtime:

Norway:101 min | USA:108 min

Country:

USA | UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Finland:S | Norway:12 | UK:PG | USA:PG | Australia:PG

Company:

Braun Entertainment Group

Trivia:

The last film of John Le Mesurier.

Quotes:

Fu Manchu: Hello, boys...

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Life and Death of Peter Sellers (2004)

Soundtrack:

Rockafu

Fu fighter

Although the thought of a white person playing an Asian sort of makes us cringe, I wouldn't call Peter Sellers's final film (also David Tomlinson's final film) awful. Granted, this was probably less than they would have wanted to end with. But Sellers brings a certain charm to the double role of the 168-year-old titular character, trying to carry out a heist in 1930s England, and a British police officer hired to look for him.

Admittedly, "The Fiendish Plot of Dr. Fu Manchu" isn't any kind of masterpiece. It's kind of choppy and drags at times. But there are some funny scenes, and Sid Caesar's character has a name that makes you think "Uh-oh". I guess that at most, it's a way to pass time. Pretty much all the cast members have done much better than this. But it does elicit a few laughs. Also starring Helen Mirren, and even Burt Kwouk (better known as Cato in the "Pink Panther" movies) in a small role.