Passport To China (aka Visa To Canton) (1960)

A former WWII pilot (Richard Basehart) runs a travel agency in Hong Kong. He is approached by the U.S. government to do some espionage work which he flatly refuses. But when he hears that a friend (Burt Kwouk, A SHOT IN THE DARK) who is also a pilot has been shot down by the Red Chinese, he takes it upon himself to rescue him. Directed by Michael Carreras (CURSE OF THE MUMMY'S TOMB), this Hammer spy adventure with touches of James Bond plays out like a pilot for a projected TV series that never sold. One can easily see Basehart's reluctant soldier of fortune getting involved in a new adventure every week, even the colorful supporting characters are already there. I don't mean to sound dismissive, I enjoyed it for what it is but it's a slight slice of routine adventure. The Hong Kong and Macao exteriors are colorful (the interiors were filmed back in England) and among the cast, Lisa Gastoni makes for an intriguing femme fatale. With Athene Seyler, Eric Pohlmann and Bernard Cribbins.