THE TERROR OF THE TONGS (1961)
Article #1648 by Dave Sindelar
Viewing Date: 9-18-2005
Posting Date: 2-15-2006
Directed by Anthony Bushell
Featuring Geoffrey Toone, Christopher Lee, Yvonne Monlaur

The captain of a ship takes on the Red Dragon Tong.

I must admit that I have trouble finding much to say about many of the Hammer films, and this one is no exception. It’s enjoyable enough on a certain basic level, the acting is quite good, and I always admire their production values when I consider the smallness of their budgets. Still, I often find their movies to have an air of routine to them, and despite the fact that they made definite contributions to the history of the horror film, I find for the most part, their movies don’t call me back for repeat viewings. Director Anthony Bushell was mostly known as an actor; he appeared in such movies as THE SCARLET PIMPERNEL and the Titanic movie A NIGHT TO REMEMBER; his directing credits were mostly for TV, but he does an acceptable job here. The most interesting names in the cast for me are those of Burt Kwouk, who would go on to play Cato in the Pink Panther films, and Roger Delgado, who will be instantly recognizable to DOCTOR WHO fans as the Doctor’s arch-foe, the Master.