Grade: D+
Synopsis: English archeologists race the fiendish Fu Manchu (Boris Karloff) and his evil daughter (Myrna Loy) to find lost crypt of Genghis Kahn and recover its mystical artifacts.
While Boris Karloff take top billing and plays the titular character, The Mask of Fu Manchu is probably most notable for Myrna Loy’s part as Karloff’s sadistic daughter. She looks great and, like Karloff, has a lot of fun with the role, even if she looks a little silly in the Chinese make-up.
Unfortunately, in addition to Karloff and Loy, the cast also boasts the third-billed Karen Morley. Morley’s emoting is far more tortuous than any of Fu’s machinations, and she very nearly makes the film unwatchable. Seriously, the only time that she’s bearable is when she’s not talking. Maybe not even then.
The Morley terror aside, The Mask of Fu Manchu is probably worth a look for Karloff and Loy fans, though only as a curiosity for the latter. As a genre piece, it’s fine, with the comic-book plot racing along in a brief 68 minutes, which includes plenty of screen time for Karloff and some good Frankenstein-esque electricity effects thrown in for good measure.
