The Terror of the Tongs (1961) dir. Anthony Bushell, Hammer Films
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Moving into our Hammer section, and we see the first time Christopher Lee gets top billing.
1910
The Tongs, organized crime in China, are running rampant. Mr. Ming (Burt Kwouk) is officially a diplomat but unofficially he is an agent against the Tongs. Taking a ship to Hong Kong, he chats up Captain Sale (Geoffrey Toone). He gives the captain a book of poetry, as the captain had mentioned needing a gift for his daughter Helena (Barbara Brown). What the captain doesn't know if his daughter's servant is an agent against the Tongs and the book has a secret message in it.
Once in Hong Kong, Ming is quickly killed by the Red Dragons. When they fail to find the message, they figure only sensible thing to do is murder everyone Ming may have talked to within the past week. They find Sale's address on Ming's body, so they stop by for a visit. Sale comes home to find his daughter and servants dead. He is a bit annoyed by this.
Sale goes on a bender and manages to pick a fight with a Tong member. He almost gets killed when Lee (Yvonne Manlaur) manages to step in and saves his life. Mostly because she was forced to marry the Tong member who's about to kill Sale and she figures Sale would have to be better than the crumb she was forced to marry.
Sale starts to develop feelings for Lee but when his investigations get him attacked again, he gets saved by a new player-the Begger (Marne Maitland). The Begger is a leader of the anti-Tongs and he has a plan. Sale can leave Hong Kong and be safe OR he can stay be the subject of a ritual killing. If he survives the latter that might be the spark needed to break the Tong's back. Can they succeed or will Chung King (Lee) have the last laugh?
Eh; more or less a remake of Stranglers of Bombay only with more racial questionable casting. Lee is utterly wasted.
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