The Castle of Fu Manchu (1969)

Intro
"The Castle of Fu Manchu", released in 1969, is a British-German horror movie that marks the 5th and last installation in producer Harry Alan Towers' series based upon Sax Rohmer's Fu Manchu books. Directed by Jesus Franco and starring Christopher Lee as Fu Manchu, the movie explores the antagonist's mission for world dominance and the hero's continuous efforts to stop his nefarious plans.

Plot Summary
The story commences with Fu Manchu, who, in his continuous quest for world domination, establishes a device that can turn oceans into blocks of ice. He prepares to hold nations to ransom with the ice-making maker, supported by another possibly fatal risk-- a harmful mind-altering drug that requires victims to perform his ordered jobs.

In the effort to build his machine, Fu Manchu needs an unusual opium discovered just in the Castle of Mohammed Arkham in Istanbul, which is coincidentally the occupied location of Professor Heracles (Gustavo Re), a fantastic doctor who has actually established a surgical technique for heart transplant. Fu Manchu and his child successfully kidnap the teacher and require him to conduct a live operation on Fu Manchu's right-hand man, Omar Pasha.

Dispute and Resolution
Concurrently, Fu Manchu's archrival, Nayland Smith of Scotland Yard (Richard Greene), in addition to his partner Dr. Petrie (Howard Marion-Crawford), look for to thwart Fu Manchu's plans. Their race versus time leads them to Istanbul, where they wish to save the professor, and subsequently, the world.

In the climax of the film, Fu Manchu's strategy is set into movement as one of his controlled victims freezes a large spot of the ocean with the damaging device. Nayland Smith handles to locate Fu Manchu's hideout in the nick of time and a battle ensues. The villain's life is eventually left hanging in the balance as the Castle of Fu Manchu begins deteriorating, and Nayland Smith, triumphant, leaves the scene, hoping he has actually seen the last of the nemesis.

Reception
The movie normally received negative evaluations, with lots of critics deriding its confusing story and lack of character advancement. Nevertheless, the effective efficiency of Christopher Lee as Fu Manchu drew good evaluations. Despite being an industrial and critical failure, "The Castle of Fu Manchu" went on to accomplish a degree of cult status among fans of B-movies and pulp cinema.

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