Oriental Evil (1951) User Reviews

Ultra low budget not without interest

[nova-63 · 6/10 · 5 January 2012]

Set in post war Japan, the film tells the tale of a woman (Martha Hyer) looking for her missing brother. Her brother operated a small export business and has suddenly disappeared. Strangely his business partner has also vanished. Japan is portrayed as a hotbed for smugglers and snoopers all trying to make a buck anyway they can.

Hyer soon comes in contact with the Japanese police who are somewhat sympathetic but they are also hunting for her brother because they believe he was involved in some smuggled opium. In steps an American ex-serviceman (Byron Mitchie), who works the black market and agrees to help Hyer find her brother.

Mitchie, who has a total of two film credits in his career, is an odd choice for the lead role. He is a giant of a man, looking 7 feet tall, with a slight frame, mammoth hands, and a long flop of hair that waves across his face every time he moves his head. Hyer begins to fall for him, but the audience is soon let in on his dark side. He was branded a coward during his service days and bitterly looks for redemption. He is also secretly married to a Japanese woman and he is not above kicking her in one of his delusional fits.

Eventually it is revealed that Mitchie is the business partner of Hyer's brother. He murdered her brother and went into hiding under a new identity. As Hyer begins to suspect the truth, so do the local authorities, who are aided by the the brother of Mitchie's Japanese wife.

The irony of the film's title, "Oriental Evil", is that the greatest evil in the film's story is found in Mitchie, the US ex-serviceman. Definitely worth a look for collectors of the odd and unusual.

A grade C, B film

[gordonl56 · 13 October 2006]

A real low-grade programmer from the seemingly endless supply put out by Republic Studios. Set it Japan, it headlines Martha Hyer as an American trying to find out the facts in the death of her brother. The brother had been in the import-export business before turning up dead of an apparent suicide. On top of that, his warehouse was found full of opium. Hyer does not believe any of it and intends to clear her brother's name. Byron Michie plays an ex-serviceman who offers to help Hyer on her quest for the truth. Michie knows the underworld since he makes a living stealing goods from one black market gang and then selling the swag to another gang. She falls for the heel only to find out at the end it was Michie who had bumped off her brother. Several fights, a gun, a knife or two and a couple of twists here and there try to keep the pace moving. Ray Stahl, the then Mister Hyer supplies the less than stellar direction. With a better director and a higher budget this might have be a real neat little B- film. This was one of several films made in Japan by Hyer and Stahl.

Gord

Don't waste your time watching this

[tlkiefner · 1/10 · 25 June 2017]

When Steve Banning is turns up dead as a result of opium dealing his sister travels to Japan to clear his name. With the help of his business partner they begin the search for the real drug dealer Thomas Putnam. As they of course become attracted to each other they get married which confuses me as he married someone at the beginning of the film. Their wedding night opens the door to the solving of the mystery. Martha Hyer is okay and Albert Glasser provides an above average score. Having said that there is nothing else I can say positive about the film. While all of this is going on we've got the invisible Mr. Unmei and a homeless beggar who may or may not pick up a cigarette butt depending on the wishes of Unmei. If you're confused don't feel bad because I am too. As a result I give it the lowest possible rating. Watch something else. There are hidden gems in the 'B' movies.

Unmei- Fate

[hogwrassler · 7/10 · 4 November 2020]

"Unmei - Fate" was the original title of this movie. Unmei is pronounced "oon-may." Cheryl Banning arrives in Japan to clear her dead brother's name. He was considered an opium dealer using his import business as a blind. Cheryl learns that a mysterious character named Tom Putnam was the actual dealer who framed her brother. She is assisted by an Englishman, Roger Mansfield. As they look for clues as to the identity of Tom Putnam, Cheryl and Roger fall in love and get married. But then Cheryl learns some surprising facts about her new husband.

Unmei-Fate refers to a supernatural being who appears only to bad people. This character is something akin to The Whistler. The basic rule of thumb is, if you see Unmei, you are dead meat.

The film was shot on location in Japan. A lot of the scenes take place at night and much of the film is darkly shot, but there is always enough light to tell what is going on.

Leading lady Martha Hyer was married to C. Ray Stahl when Oriental Evil was made. In her autobiography, Martha says that on the flight to Japan, when they stopped in Anchorage, Alaska, a lot of their luggage and camera equipment was bumped off to make room for some super secret government cargo. They spent the last leg of the flight with beer barrel shaped containers under their seats. The next day, they learned that those barrels contained gold bullion being sent to the nationalist Chinese government.

Martha Hyer is pretty good as Cheryl Banning. She makes a believable heroine without overplaying her role. Byron Michie was a giant of a man whose British-accented voice sounds like Tom Conway (The Falcon). He only appeared in two movies and does the best he can as the tormented villain of the piece.

Oriental Evil is rated 7 stars because it is a truly unique, one of a kind movie, shot entirely on location. The story is interesting and will keep the viewer interested. It's now available on DVD and is worth watching. It's a must see for Martha Hyer fans.