The Mission of Mr. Foo

In The Mission of Mr. Foo a hidden criminal mastermind runs operations from a secret headquarters in Chinatown, quietly assembling a plot to overturn the republic. The story follows the uneasy contacts between Mr. Foo, his lieutenants, and outsiders drawn into the conspiracy, including Florence and a visiting diplomat and his wife. Scenes alternate between furtive strategy sessions, tense confrontations, and domestic moments that hint at divided loyalties, keeping the bigger outcome out of view. The film focuses on the growing threat to national stability as characters pick sides and attempt to stop or enable the scheme, offering suspense and moral friction without revealing the ultimate resolution.

Released in 1915 and directed by John H. Collins, the silent crime picture stars Carlton S. King and Gladys Hulette, with Bigelow Cooper, Mrs. William Bechtel, and T. Tamamoto in supporting roles. Production records are sparse and no clear source novel or play is credited.

Box office totals for many films of this era weren't systematically recorded, and there are no reliable gross figures for this title. Distribution in 1915 tended to be regional and piecemeal, so assessing its commercial reach is difficult from surviving trade notices and theater logs.

As an early example of American cinema set around Chinatown, the film illustrates how filmmakers used urban ethnic neighborhoods as backdrops for intrigue, reflecting contemporary tastes and anxieties. Its representation of characters and casting choices offer material for historians studying period portrayals of race, immigration, and exoticism in popular entertainment.

Detailed critical reception at the time is limited, so a clear consensus is hard to establish. The movie raises themes of political conspiracy, trust and betrayal, and the social margins where power can be exercised unseen. Modern viewers and scholars tend to examine such titles for their narrative strategies and for what they reveal about the social attitudes of the 1910s.