A naive young American playboy in Hong Kong finds himself caught up in the middle of an international crime.A naive young American playboy in Hong Kong finds himself caught up in the middle of an international crime.A naive young American playboy in Hong Kong finds himself caught up in the middle of an international crime.
Robert Cummings
- Bob Mitchell
- (as Bob Cummings)
Yukari Itô
- Guest Singer
- (as Yukari Ito)
Robert Rietty
- Gert
- (voice)
- (uncredited)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaSir Christopher Lee recalled that he spent several happy hours talking to Brian Donlevy's wife, Lillian. Prior to marrying Donlevy, she had been Lillian Lugosi.
- GoofsWhen the murdered Margret (Maria Perschy) is discovered lying on bed in her hotel room with her neck having been broken, we watch Commander Sanders (Rupert Davies) and Bob Mitchell (Bob Cummings) - after having examined Margret's corpse - in the foreground discussing their further proceedings to solve the crimes that have been committed so far in the movie. In the background we observe the dead body of Margret blinking with both her eyelids several times! A dead person surely can't do that.
- Alternate versionsGerman theatrical version was re-edited and cut by approx. 20 minutes. The DVD release from Koch Media includes the original British version.
- ConnectionsReferences The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948)
- SoundtracksFive Golden Dragons
Music by Malcolm Lockyer
Lyrics by Hal Shaper
Performed by Domino
[The second song Magda (Margaret Lee) sings at the club]
Featured review
Silly, sometimes juvenile, but generally amusing adaptation of the Edgar Wallace story by producer Harry Alan Towers, using his screen writing pseudonym of "Peter Welbeck". Fading sitcom star Robert Cummings plays Bob Mitchell, a naive American playboy on vacation in Hong Kong. He soon gets dragged into various matters of international intrigue, while a dedicated police commissioner (Rupert Davies) and his associate (Roy Chiao) work the case. The "five golden dragons" of the title are criminal masterminds who are due to meet each other in person for the first time.
This is a moderately fun, rather lightweight mystery. It's not a great one by any stretch of the imagination, but it sometimes delivers some entertainment. It lessens its impact by going on too long, and losing some momentum, and it really does get too positively goofy for its own good. (The falling death of a henchman is played for laughs, for one thing.) What helps matters a fair bit is the exotic setting. The movie is shot in Techniscope and Technicolor and looks absolutely gorgeous. And now that the word "gorgeous" has been brought up, it must be said that the female cast looks ravishing: Margaret Lee as the devilish singer Magda, and Maria Rohm & Maria Perschy as a pair of sisters. The songs & score are catchy.
The international cast of superstars gives it curiosity value. Cummings supplies both heroics and comedy relief, and he's likable enough. Davies and Chiao (the two of them utter quotes from Shakespeare appropriate to various situations) are excellent. Klaus Kinski is a hoot as always as the nefarious Gert, but fans might bemoan not seeing him get to do more. Giving the film a shot in the arm late in the game are the special guest star appearances by Dan Duryea, George Raft, Brian Donlevy, and Sir Christopher Lee, who play four of the five golden dragons. Still, one may rightly think that to see them so briefly is a waste of talent. Japanese pop star Yukari Ito makes a musical appearance.
Enjoyable, to a degree, but also largely forgettable. One highlight, or low point, depending on your point of view, is seeing a supposedly dead body blink several times.
Six out of 10.
This is a moderately fun, rather lightweight mystery. It's not a great one by any stretch of the imagination, but it sometimes delivers some entertainment. It lessens its impact by going on too long, and losing some momentum, and it really does get too positively goofy for its own good. (The falling death of a henchman is played for laughs, for one thing.) What helps matters a fair bit is the exotic setting. The movie is shot in Techniscope and Technicolor and looks absolutely gorgeous. And now that the word "gorgeous" has been brought up, it must be said that the female cast looks ravishing: Margaret Lee as the devilish singer Magda, and Maria Rohm & Maria Perschy as a pair of sisters. The songs & score are catchy.
The international cast of superstars gives it curiosity value. Cummings supplies both heroics and comedy relief, and he's likable enough. Davies and Chiao (the two of them utter quotes from Shakespeare appropriate to various situations) are excellent. Klaus Kinski is a hoot as always as the nefarious Gert, but fans might bemoan not seeing him get to do more. Giving the film a shot in the arm late in the game are the special guest star appearances by Dan Duryea, George Raft, Brian Donlevy, and Sir Christopher Lee, who play four of the five golden dragons. Still, one may rightly think that to see them so briefly is a waste of talent. Japanese pop star Yukari Ito makes a musical appearance.
Enjoyable, to a degree, but also largely forgettable. One highlight, or low point, depending on your point of view, is seeing a supposedly dead body blink several times.
Six out of 10.
- Hey_Sweden
- Jul 29, 2016
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Details
- Release date
- Countries of origin
- Languages
- Also known as
- 5 Golden Dragons
- Filming locations
- Old Peak Road and May Road, Hong Kong, China(Convoluted road with bridge in early scene)
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime1 hour 33 minutes
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 2.35 : 1
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