Enjoyable programmer from Warner Bros. about some Americans going to a Chinese village to negotiate oil drilling rights from another American and finding themselves "guests" of a ruthless Chinese warlord named Fang (Boris Karloff). Fang's not all bad, though. One of the oilmen (Gordon Oliver) saved Fang's life before he rose to power and the warlord tries to help him out, in love and business. It's a routine adventure flick from the period when 'the mysterious Orient' was all the rage. Certain elements, such as the yellowface makeup, will offend some today. So gird your loins if you're a sensitive type. Karloff is the primary reason to see this. He's always fun to watch and here he manages to imbue a somewhat villainous character with sympathy and humor. Ricardo Cortez plays the real villain of the piece, a total slimeball. For his part, Gordon Oliver is the hero, albeit a banal one. Beverly Roberts plays Cortez's estranged wife who's in love with Oliver now. Sheila Bromley plays the only other female part and gets several funny lines. Vladimir Sokoloff appears all-too-briefly as a rival to Karloff. The rest of the cast includes Chester Gan, Richard Loo, and Gordon Hart. It's nothing special but a good way to kill an hour. Definitely more fun for Karloff fans than anyone else.
Review of West of Shanghai
