drjgardner Boris Karloff plays another of his Asian roles in this film (e.g., Fun Manchu, "Charlie Chan at the Opera", "Mr. Wong, Detective"), but this time he is in full gear. This is his campiest performance yet, not merely to the broken English but to facial makeup and appliances that must have been used by Marlon Brando decades later in "Viva Zapata". His dialogue is a hoot, especially the caustic interactions between Kang and Mrs. Creed (Beverly Roberts). It is literally so bad that it's good. Look for the ever present Richard Loo who plays Kang's aide. Loo was Master Sun (the Weapons Master) in the TV series "Kung Fu" and appeared in more than 100 films.

bensonmum2 A group of Americans head to a remote part of China to obtain lucrative oil rights. When a warlord named General Wu Yen Fang invades the village they are staying in, it's no longer just a fight for oil - it's now a fight for life. I'm really surprised to read all the positive, glowing reviews for West of Shanghai. I'm sure my comment and 4/10 rating will be voted down like a rock in water. Sure, there are a few things to enjoy (Boris Karloff's wonderful performance as General Fang, the always enjoyable Ricardo Cortez, and some nice double-crosses near the film's end) but there's not enough for me to rate the movie favorably. My chief problem - I found most of West of Shanghai fairly dull and lifeless. Up to the point where Karloff comes in, the movie really drags. At just over an hour, the movie still manages 15 - 20 minutes of padding. The whole first act on the train is completely unnecessary. The murdered General has nothing to do with the rest of the film. And the big battle near the films climax is so poorly filmed, it's hard to tell what's going on. Not very exciting. Director John Farrow would go on to have an excellent career, but you'd have never have predicted it based on this early effort.

JoeKarlosi Attention All Fans Of Boris Karloff: if you have not yet watched this delightful Boris performance, you are missing a real treat! Sporting an effective Asian makeup, Karloff portrays robber General Wu Yen Fang, a dangerous tyrant in northern China with an endearing sense of humor. Fang seizes command and holds several visiting Americans prisoners, and it's a real pleasure watching the colorful general toying with them. Among the cast members is Ricardo Cortez, but the one to watch and who steals the show is Karloff himself. I would easily rank this role among his best ever; he played Asian parts a few times in his career, but this is the only time he's ever sold me completely on such a character, speaking in broken English and managing to disguise most of his own British accent here. Some of the most humorous scenes involve Fang's charming communication through his always-present trusty interpreter, trying to understand and shoot back some common Americanisms. In no time, Karloff makes us actually like and feel for this murderous criminal. At the time this movie was made, the production of the usual horror movies which Boris Karloff was so well known for were temporarily halted. I think that WEST OF SHANGHAI proves beyond a shadow of any doubt that Boris had no problem holding his own in non-scary character parts and would have gone on to succeed in other dramatic roles, had the ban on horror movies not ultimately been lifted. *** out of ****

whpratt1 Excellent movie directed by John Farrow,(Mia Farrow's father) and involves American promoters Myron Galt(Douglas Wood) and Gordon Creed(Ricardo Cortez) who arrive in a village where bandit's are infested throughout the country side of northern China. They plan to foreclose on a valuable oil concession owned by Jim Hallet(Gordon Oliver). However, Creed finds his estranged wife, Jane (Beverly Roberts), a medical missionary, is falling in love with Hallet. He will not give her a divorce, in the meantime an army of bandits looking for money and possessions are lead by their renegade general,Wu Yen Fang(Boris Karloff), he takes over the entire city and uses the Christian Mission as a headquarters. Americans and missionaries find themselves prisoners of Boris Karloff and he does a good job of terrorizing them. West of Shanghai in 1923 was a silent film and also a talkie version in 1930. Walter Houston repeated the role of the Mexican bandit. This is a very slow B movie. Karloff is starred, and does the best that he can to portray a Chinese bandit using the methods of American racketeers. Boris Karloff's acting and makeup is great which made this picture into a classic.