Fan-Tan

A wholly unexpected, hugely entertaining work from one of the greatest actors of our time: the story of an eccentric early-twentieth-century pirate, on the high seas from the Philippines to Shanghai–a larger-than-life character that Brando could have easily inhabited himself.

Anatole “Annie” Doultry is in his early fifties, with an imposing physical presence and a reputation to match. In 1927, he is serving six months in a hellish Hong Kong prison where, on a whim, he saves the life of a Chinese prisoner.

The prisoner’s employer happens to be Madame Lai Choi San. Beautiful, ruthless, and shrewd, she is one of the most notorious gangsters in Asia. When Annie gets out of prison, Madame Lai thanks him with an offer of inconceivable wealth if he will join her in the biggest act of piracy the world has ever seen. Madame Lai is a seductive and powerful ally, but Annie is about to discover that she can be an even more powerful–and dangerous–enemy.

With his longtime collaborator, screenwriter and director Donald Cammell, Brando worked on this story for years. He’s left us with a rollicking, swashbuckling, delectable romp of a novel–the last surprise from an ever-surprising legend.