review for Drums of Fu Manchu on AllMovie

It is easy to see why a later generation of film directors -- Steven Spielberg, to name but one -- became so influenced by the best of Republic's serials. And Drums of Fu Manchu is one of the studio's very best, brimming with strange tombs, mysterious poison darts, sliding panels, toxic vapors, mad scientists who craft amazingly realistic life masks of handsome heroes, car and plane crashes in remote locations, and plenty of rococo dialogue. With all this going on, it is hardly fair to comment on the fact that careless writers misspell Genghis Khan as "Ghengis Khan" and that Henry Brandon's evil doctor forgets the name of heroine Mary Randolph (Luana Walters), whom he insists on calling "Miss Parker." In fact, these blunders make the serial even more endearing. With makeup rivaling the best of Universal, young actor Henry Brandon makes a compelling and strangely ageless fiend and William Royle visibly enjoys a rare departure from villainy as Sir Neyland Smith. Robert Kellard, meanwhile, is competent as the action hero and the Dacoits emerge as some of the most sinister-looking henchmen in serial history. The direction by the ace chapterplay team of William Witney and John English is swift and to the point and almost makes you forget that Mongolia suddenly bears a striking resemblance to the Iverson Movie ranch in Chatsworth, California.