Fu Manchu Movies: Essential Films
This curated watch list focuses on the peak of the Fu Manchu series, featuring the three strongest films that showcase Christopher Lee at his most commanding as the criminal mastermind. These entries represent Hammer Studios' most successful adaptation of Sax Rohmer's character, with superior production values and storytelling.
The later films in the series suffered from declining budgets and weaker scripts, making this essential watch list the ideal way to experience Fu Manchu's cinematic legacy without the disappointing final entries.
There is 1 other watch order available - see the link up above.
List not ranked (sorted by Release Date)
The Face of Fu Manchu
Scotland Yard's Nayland Smith investigates a series of mysterious strangulations in London that suggest the supposedly dead criminal mastermind Fu Manchu may still be alive. The case involves a deadly poison made from Tibetan berries and clues that lead to the Thames.
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The Brides of Fu Manchu
The notorious villain Fu Manchu kidnaps the daughters of prominent scientists to coerce their fathers into building a deadly weapon for world domination. Scotland Yard's Nayland Smith races to stop Fu Manchu's sinister plot from his remote island fortress.
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The Vengeance of Fu Manchu
The evil Fu Manchu plots from his remote Chinese hideaway to destroy his longtime nemesis, Inspector Nayland Smith of Scotland Yard.
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Other Film Series
Brandon Lee
Rising action star and son of Bruce Lee, whose promising career was tragically cut short during the filming of The Crow in 1993.
Fast and Furious
Street racing saga that evolved into a globe-spanning action franchise centered on family and high-octane heists.
Ong Bak
Tony Jaa's martial arts showcase trilogy featuring spectacular Muay Thai action across different time periods and loosely connected stories.
Saw
A horror franchise centered on the elaborate death traps and moral philosophy of serial killer John Kramer, known as Jigsaw.
Shaft
A multi-generational action franchise following the Shaft family of private detectives across five decades, from the original blaxploitation classic to modern action films.
xXx
An action franchise about extreme sports athlete Xander Cage who becomes an unconventional government agent for high-stakes espionage missions.