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The Butterfly
"Don't ever bite your own tail again!"
Hard Boiled was John Woo’s death filled cops and gun-runners ode to action films. A completely over the top, unrealistic, thrill a minute bloody carnival ride.Officer Tequila Yuen is determined to bring down the Triads running guns that caused the death of his partner. A loose cannon who doesn’t play by the rules, he ignores his boss’ warning about staying off the case. It’s not long before he runs into Alan, an origami making Triad assassin. He deduces Alan’s secret and the two reluctantly work together to bring down the deranged Johnny Wong’s gang.
What I liked:
What’s not to like about a Chow Yun Fat and Tony Leung Chiu Wai pairing? The screen could barely hold their bromantic charisma. I could watch these two in about anything. Phillip Kwok (Lizard Venom) as Mad Dog was right up my kung fu movie loving heart. Lo Meng (Toad Venom) made a brief appearance before he like hundreds of others-died. Kwok was also the action choreographer. Stuntmen flew through windows and fell off buildings, and with all of the bullets hitting and grenades exploding they rolled and were flung about the sets continuously. Chow Yun Fat’s signature move of diving through or over something with both barrels blazing was used several times. Bruce Law was the guy often called for car stunts and there were cars and motorcycles flying, flipping, and exploding everywhere. The stakes were high with hundreds of civilians and a nursery full of new born babies to worry about. Will someone please think of the children!
What I didn’t care for:
It was almost like John Woo wondered how many senseless deaths he could get away with. The gruesome deaths of innocents fleeing a hospital were disturbing in particular and also all the friendly fire deaths. One friendly death was caused because Tequila couldn’t stop taunting Alan instead of guarding the person relying on him for survival! I knew some film nerd would count the casualties for me-thank you Collider!: The body count for Hard Boiled was 305. Honestly, after the first 100 deaths it became monotonous watching the bad guys mow people down with automatic weapons or with RPG fire. Some of the fire fight casualties were funny. I understand a bullet can go through two as easy as one, but not when the people are standing side by side! It's apparent that the carnage had gotten out of hand when the bad guy named Mad Dog complained about the overkill.
While many people enjoyed the reckless slaughter of the masses, it didn’t work for me. I would have rated this film much higher if Woo had showed a modicum of restraint instead of characters gleefully gunning down anyone moving. Despite having some cute babies in the film to lighten things up, Hard Boiled was the kind of relentless gun porn that might have the average viewer wanting to take the dream trip to Antarctica that was talked about in the film. A place where there was always light after living with so much darkness. *
20 March 2024
*(Scientific quibble-Antarctica has light for six months out of the year, it’s dark the other six)
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"Fame and fortune bring disasters to many"
House of Traps was a Chang Cheh movie featuring most of the Venoms though my favorite, Lo Meng, was missing. Phillip Kwok, Sun Chien, Chiang Sheng, and Lu Feng were all featured in this convoluted tale of rebellion and double crosses. And of course there was a secret list with rebel names on it!The film opened with the lineage of the current emperor and a tale of how the first one was murdered as well as his son.
Prince Zhao Jue is the son of the prince who was killed and is planning a rebellion. Normally, he might have the moral high ground but in the House of Traps, he’s the villain. A villain with a house of traps where he stores treasures stolen from the Imperial Palace and hides the secret rebel list. Scholar Yan Chun Min is chosen from the imperial side to investigate the prince and stop his rebellion. He’s aided by two unorthodox swordsmen. Not everyone will make it out of the House of Traps alive.
This story was hard to feel invested in as the motivations weren’t particularly clear. For a movie with four of the Venoms, it was also short on action. The fights were faster than kung fu posing but not lightning quick either. Phillip Kwok (Lizard Venom) choreographed numerous movies, including this one. His moves were lively and nimble though he wore what looked like a roadkill scarf on his head with matching boot cuffs-a major fashion “don’t”. Ricky Cheng and Chiang Sheng (Venom apprentice) provided levity as kung fu masters disguised as magician street performers. Lu Feng (Centipede Venom), as he often did, played the bare-chested baddie with killer moves. Sun Chien (Scorpion Venom) played against type as a scholar with no martial arts skills. The house of traps provided several lethal traps that permanently prevented some of the characters from leaving. What it didn’t provide were any female characters, another one of those strange worlds where only men inhabit.
House of Traps would have benefited from a better story, like telling us why we should root against the prince whose birthright was stolen instead of for the usurpers. At best it was an average early kung fu flick. I enjoyed seeing the majority of Venoms together for one of their last collaborations, but didn’t particularly care who walked off into the sunset.
19 March 2024
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Oishi discovered that his request for the Asano family to be restored failed which caused him and the other retainers to dance with joy. They could now avenge their lord and restore everyone’s honor. Oishi promptly set out to find more people to talk to, not the other Ronin, they were the invisible Ronin. The day after his visit to Lady Asano she received a letter detailing the Asano Ronin’s attack on Kira’s castle.
Four hours of talking, 47 Ronin, and the most important action shown was the hotheaded lord at the beginning of the movie who caused the downfall of his family. I used the analogy of Star Wars in my review of the first part. To continue that analogy, this film would be like the Rebel Alliance General Dodonna (minor character) receiving an email that the Death Star had successfully been blown up. Anything exciting in these films happened off screen. Show, don’t tell, is a much better payoff for the audience. I want to see Luke flying his X-Wing with Darth Vader right behind and those 47 Ronin attacking the castle and lopping off Kira’s head.
After Kira’s defeat there was almost an hour left. While confined, the Ronin had time for a talent show, flower arranging, and lovers saying good-bye, lovers we never met. At the beginning of the movie, we were treated to a Noh performance. But all was well because we were told over and over and over and over how taking vengeance on Lord Kira was the honorable thing to do and restored the honor of the family and the Ronin and showed how honorable Ronin behave. Even Lord Asano’s wife said her husband pulling a sword in the Shogun’s palace was a boneheaded move but he must be avenged or he would forever be a laughingstock. Asano’s impulsive action affected thousands of lives and caused at least 50 deaths, not counting the Kira contingent, all because someone called him boorish. If this movie was supposed to inspire the audience, I wonder how well it succeeded.
The one area where the movie didn’t let me down was Mizoguchi’s filming style. Every frame was exquisite. The sets and exterior shots were refined and well lit. The only drawback was often the characters were filmed so far away it was difficult to make out their facial expressions. The technique was quite distancing emotionally from what should have been an emotional movie. Then there were those invisible Ronin. Seventeen men stood in for the 47 and we learned almost nothing about any of them, no connection, no empathy for their plight. When they did talk it was all about being ready to die. Or being happy they were about to die. Or that everyone died with honor. Even for a propaganda film, the call for self-sacrifice was laid on thick. The kids were told in the first film, “Samurai children must behave as if nothing is wrong during a crisis.” I suppose when you’re about to awaken a sleeping giant you want everyone onboard with the party line.
For a movie with the title The 47 Ronin, this felt more like homework than entertainment. Four hours of dialogue with much of it repetitive was more than I could take. I want to see outtakes of the exciting elements that happened off screen-forbidden love and castle assaults. Since Mizoguchi refused to show us those things, he could have easily condensed this movie to two hours. It’s not like he was devoting those four hours to character development beyond their loyalty, stoicism, and desire for revenge and death. In the first film, it appeared he might have been leaning toward the characters resisting the rules of a corrupt Shogunate and rebelling (honorably of course), instead their actions were seen as heroic as they adhered to the bushido code and surrendered to the authority of the Shogun. An interesting film time capsule from the war era but it would help to be a fan of Mizoguchi or chatty samurai films with zero action.
18 March 2024
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"A single drop of water has turned into a wave"
The 47 Ronin was not only based on a play but also inspired by a historical event on January 31, 1703. This film was shown in two parts, which makes writing a review difficult. It would be like watching the original Star Wars and the story stopping before they attacked the Death Star. The first part was almost two hours of introducing a plethora of characters and lots of waiting around while Councilor Oishi decides what the Ronin and vassals are going to do. Will they all commit seppuku? Attack the Shogun’s forces coming to evict everyone from the castle? Or will they seek revenge on the Lord who instigated the problem and escaped scot-free?Lord Asano attacks Lord Kira in the Shogun’s palace when the protocol expert repeatedly besmirches him. The price for his hotheaded action of drawing a sword where swords can’t be drawn is hara-kiri. The inspectors don’t believe he deserves the fate, in fact, he acted like a samurai should and Kira was the sniveling spineless samurai. Because of Kira’s political connections he’s released and aside from Asano losing his life, all of his properties are confiscated and his samurai become masterless Ronin. Councilor Oishi is slow and thorough, making sure the farmers and townspeople are taken care of while the Ronin are looking for blood. Theirs or the Shogun’s soldiers or Kira’s, they don’t particularly care. Oishi gains pledges from the remaining men, around 50, that they will abide by his decision. A year later, after a subterfuge plan finally comes to an end, Oishi can execute his heart’s desire. Roughly translated, “It’s go time!” and Lord Kira had better find a good hiding place.
Kawarasaki Chojuro as Oishi had to give the more nuanced role of a man whose decisions were repeatedly questioned by his subordinates. One wrong move meant disaster for all involved and more importantly they could not restore honor to the Asano family. At one point, he goes so far as to drive his wife away by carousing at the local pleasure house and refusing to see the anxious Ronin who are tired of waiting for revenge in order to sell his ruse. At this point there were so many characters introduced, the only other memorable ones were the initial investigator and an old friend.
When a film begins with “Defend the homes of those who fight for Greater Asia”, you know it’s probably a propaganda film or at least was expected to be one. It premiered one week before the attack on Pearl Harbor. While it was a call for loyalty, honor, and self-sacrifice for soldiers and citizens, Mizoguchi Kenji also included the Ronin questioning authority and acting on their own beliefs and willing to accept the consequences for those actions.
As a piece of art, the film was interesting if too long. I felt much like the impulsive Yasubei who was tired of sitting around and not knowing what Oishi’s ultimate plan was. Let’s go take this jerk down. But Oishi was a strategist who not only wanted to avenge his lord by killing Kira, he wanted to stand up to the Shogunate and expose favoritism and unfairness. It didn’t help that his plan was nearly derailed by well meaning allies. “Water will always drip from cupped hands.”
Part One was well made, it was Mizoguchi after all, but it began to feel like death by PowerPoint. Like Oishi and the other Ronin, I’m ready for the vengeance to begin and justice, if not prevail, at least not be completely denied.
“Even more than cherry blossoms
Scattered by the breeze
Memories of the passing spring
Bring unbearable regret”
18 March 2024
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"Punches and kicks don't have eyes!"
Shaolin Abbot was another telling of the burning of the Southern Shaolin Temple, this time with David Chiang as Chin San and Lo Lieh once again playing the traitorous white bearded Taoist Pai Mei.The Shaolin temple has been resisting the Qings but lacks proper weaponry. Monk Chin San is sent to the Taoist temple in Er Mei to learn how to make firearms and gain blueprints for them. He also spends six months learning new kung fu techniques and is befriended by the master there and his niece Wu Mei. The second in command, Pai Mei, collaborates with the Qings and leaves rather than have a Shaolin monk in residence. Upon returning home to the Shaolin temple, Chin San finds the monks dead and the temple blown up. The dying abbot tells him to take the weapon blueprints south to Guangdong and rebuild the temple there. Chin San heads south and finds a loyal Buddhist patron who convinces others to support the building of a new monastery. Unfortunately, the Qings and Pai Mei are hot on Chin San’s trail and determined to kill the monk before he can complete his plans.
Shaolin Abbot had what should have been a compelling story, but I found it underwhelming. Running around 80 minutes, it felt twice that long. The acting was okay. The fights were slow, painfully slow, even for 1979. I could have handled kung fu posing if the choreography or the characters were more interesting. They weren’t bad, just bland. These are the hardest kind of reviews for me to write. Shaolin Abbot wasn’t terrible or good, just okay.
17 March 2024
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"No need to be rash. Someone will kill you tomorrow!"
Ivy Ling Po and Chang Yi avenge their master in The Crimson Charm. The film is an older Shaw Brothers, not a classic, but still watchable if you enjoy early martial arts movies.Chiang Tzu Chao and his daughter, Shang Ching, enrage the Yellow Gowned Chief of the Crimson Charm gang when Tzu Chao kills his son who was attacking a young woman. Tzu Chao and Shang Ching are befriended by the Blood Master during an encounter with Tsao Kang’s men. Tsao has decreed Chiang and all his disciples will die the next day. During the bloody battle, only three Chiang disciples initially survive-Han Yu, a badly wounded Yu Fang Fang, a mortally wounded Shang Ching, and the Blood Master. The three ultimate survivors will independently forge new skills and resolution to take revenge on not only Tsao Kang but the head of the Crimson Charm gang, Lin Han Su.
The acting covered a wide range in this film. Fang Mian as Tzu Chao can always be counted on to do a good job, but Shih Szu as his daughter was quite limited. At first, Ivy Ling Po’s performance was annoying as a pouty disciple but after she faced disaster, her character’s resolve and steely determination was a much more mature turn. Chang Yi’s appearance never seemed to change in films whether he was 26 as in this film or 40 in later films. James Nam showed a broader range of emotion as Ling Wu Lui, the Blood Master. Ku Feng appeared at the end of the film as the Crimson Charm Chief, bald, bare chested and sporting a leopard vest. Ku always seemed up for whatever directors threw at him.
There was a mix of sword work, other weapons, and kung fu. Shih Szu really struggled to be convincing holding a sword. Ivy Ling Po, especially in the second half of the movie did a much better job, even with her handicap. I always like when they allow the woman warrior to take her own revenge without the help of the male characters, and Ivy was able to shine during a battle in an inn. Chang Yi and James Nam both had good fights against the various Crimson Charm clans. One fight engaged tridents with annoying bells on them. The loud weapons might have made me go berserk as well. Body parts flew and #2 red finger paint ran everywhere throughout the movie.
The Crimson Charm had little story to it, only multiple revenge layers. And in the end, it showed just how destructive revenge can be as many of the clans lay in waste. While not one of the more well-known Shaw Brother films, it was entertaining once you get past some of the awkwardness of the first twenty minutes. For old kung fu movie fans. As always, I rate these niche films before 1990 on a curve.
17 March 2024
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Frothy buddy assassin movie
Hitman was a light-hearted assassin movie with a high body count. A strange combination, but it worked for the most part. Jet Li was in his prime and though there was wire-work, there was also plenty of fast kung fu action.Fu is working for a low rent gangster and applying for hitman work. The only problem? He has too kind a heart. But he’s also desperate for money. When he hears about a job that will pay handsomely for hunting down a wealthy man’s assassin, he attends the funeral of the shady Japanese businessman hoping to get hired. Petty conman Nor Lo sees Fu in action when he disables security at the funeral and takes him on as a client. Also at the funeral is Eiji, the dead man’s grandson. We know Eiji is dangerous because he usurps control of the company when he eats grandpa’s ashes in front of his father. He wants revenge and the reward. A who’s who of scuzzbag assassins are all on the hunt for the King of Killers and willing to eliminate anyone who might beat them to the prize.
Much of the acting was average. The story had some holes to the murder mystery and identity of the King of Killers. The momentum would occasionally fizzle out. The writers ham fistedly threw in an adult daughter, played by Gigi Leung, to humanize the selfish Nor Lo and maybe for a hint of romance for Fu. Even with the limitations, Jet Li and Eric Tsang had a nice buddy hitman vibe. Sato Keiji as Eiji provided the ruthless opposition for the duo despite his motivations being nebulous. Simon Yam as Officer Chan played the mysterious officer with a twinkle in his eye. Kim Yip had the pivotal role as the greedy but somewhat even-handed revenge fund officer.
With well-choreographed action and Jet Li in his prime, the fights were quite entertaining. Fu had a fight with a grenade carrying priest and a giant with disorienting laser rings all while trying to safely wheel an old man out of an apartment complex (if only we had a wheelbarrow!). An elevator fight was also exciting as well as the finale when a surprise guest showed up.
Hitman showcased a hitman that would rather be playing with children, had light comedy that didn’t veer into slapstick, heartwarming moments, and a few exhilarating fights. Nothing too memorable but not a bad way to spend 90 minutes if you are a Jet Li fan or need a break from darker martial arts flicks.
16 March 2024
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Fast and furious kung fu action!
I watched Kung Fu Jungle aka Kung Fu Killer years ago and quite enjoyed it. Upon rewatch I enjoyed the fight scenes again, and that the film had its own version of Yes Madam with a strong female officer in control of the investigation. Not that Donnie’s character listened to her much but her subordinates did and she got her chance to shine. The fight choreography was off the charts displaying a variety of styles. One of my favorite parts of the film were the homages to actors and stuntmen from the Golden Era of kung fu movies.Mo Hahou is serving time for accidentally killing a man in a fight when other martial arts fighters begin being murdered. He convinces Inspector Luk Yuen Sum to let him out to work on the investigation. Hahou escapes to convince his lover to go into hiding, but when Luk catches up with him agrees to let her stay with him so that he can help without being distracted. There’s no question where the story is heading, toward an epic fight between Hahou and the villain Fung Yu Sau and the movie delivers on its implied promise.
The story was thin but still managed to convey the ticking clock on men’s lives as the police and Hahou frantically tried to track Fung down and corner him. This was the perfect role for Donnie’s abilities, stern and determined. Charlie Yeung and Michelle Bai were thankfully not portrayed or written as inept (mostly) and helpless. Wang Bao Qiang brought a maniacal energy to the man obsessed with being the best and for whom kung fu meant death.
Donnie Yen choreographed fast, complex fights starting with fists and moving through kicks, grappling, and weapons. The final fight using CGI trucks was thrilling. Numerous older kung fu actors made cameos---Yuen Cheung Yan, David Chiang, Yuen Bun, Tsui Siu Ming, action choreographer Tony Leung Siu Hung, car stunt driver and choreographer Bruce Law, Tony Tam, Mang Hoi and Billy Chan to name but a few. Even Raymond Chow, the famous producer for and founder of Golden Harvest made a cameo.
Kung Fu Jungle was hard for me to rate. I’m not comparing it to Kurosawa Akira or Zhang Yi Mou films, but against other comparable films from the time. I recently watched Kill Zone and found this one to be far more entertaining. This was a bone crushing, fast moving, truck dragging bolt of energy that was fun to watch.
16 March 2024
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"I'm not old, I'm just mature"
Return of the Deadly Blade was the equivalent of click bait for me. The cast included Kurata Yasuaki, Norman Chu, and Lo Lieh. And then it hit me with the discombobulation virus, which lasted around 90 minutes.Master Li aka The Deadly Blade killed “Kam the Invincible Gold Rings” in a duel and then went into hiding for twenty years. Now suddenly everyone is looking for the famed bladesman. Siu Wan begins his trek to find Master Li taking on contenders as he goes. The Lonely Killer, a roguish lady’s man, is also looking for Master Li. He’s followed by a female fighter he defeated who apparently developed the kind of crush that could kill. A nobleman dressed in gold lame, which means you can’t trust him, sends out men to assassinate Lonely Killer, including a ninja. Siu Wan and LK keep crossing each other’s paths as does the lovesick warrior and a damsel in distress. All roads lead to the Tomb of the Hero and the showdown to discover, “Who’s your daddy?”
The story was convoluted and badly edited. Maybe there’s a longer version out there that tied the plot elements together better, but this version was disjointed and didn’t explain things well. Kurata Yasuaki finally had a role where he wasn’t a diabolical villain. Lonely Killer was no angel but usually Kurata played a burn down the orphanage kind of character in old kung fu movies. Kurata is skilled in karate and other forms of martial arts and his moves displayed his skill despite the limited hand-to-hand action. David Chiang as Siu Wan was David Chiang, I was never a fan of his work in these older movies. Reliable Norman Chu appeared as the wheelchair bound Master Li, a man tired of killing. Lo Lieh surfaced briefly as an umbrella fighting warrior who had to fight against Siu Wan and LK. While it saddened me that Lo was often relegated to smaller roles after the 1970’s I always enjoy seeing him on the screen. In a blink and you’ll miss him moment, Hwang Jang Lee was featured in the intro as Kam and his golden rings. Flora Cheung played both ingenue and femme fatale.
Since the writers didn’t make the story very clear, the action had to carry the movie along. Kurata had a fun fight against the Famous Four in a cave hot springs tub. Epic towel fight. He later had to face Bruce Leung in a cameo role. The three-way fight between Kurata, Chiang, and Lo Lieh was well choreographed. Later, when Kurata faced a ninja and the vengeful nobleman on a rope bridge, it felt like more could have been done with it. The grand finale fight that included quite a bit of wirework was a letdown.
Return of the Deadly Blade squandered a strong cast with a badly edited story. The most compelling reason to watch it is to see Kurata Yasuaki be able to play a lighter character than usual. Not a solid reason, but for fans of the genre a reason to try it.
15 March 2024
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Luk Wan Ting is a dock worker in Seattle. A mortally wounded police officer hands him a roll of film before he dies. Now Luk is being hunted by the bad guys and considered a cop killer by the good guys. Inspector Rachel Yeung doesn’t think he’s guilty though Capt. Donnie Yan is less flexible. CIA officer Michael Wong is determined to have Luk extradited to Hong Kong. The attacks on Luk are non-stop for a nice guy who just wants to see his mom and be done with all of the cloak and dagger danger and trickery. Rachel has to figure out how to keep him alive and who is the mole betraying them at every turn.
This entry in the franchise is one of my favorites. Khan and Yen had an appealing chemistry in their push-pull professional relationship that thankfully didn’t veer off into romance. For the most part there was no idiotic comic relief character which was a huge relief for me as well. Yuen Yat Choh, in what became his final movie, was a sympathetic character who was dedicated to his mother. Michael Wong’s performance as the duplicitous CIA agent wasn’t particularly strong.
What made this movie entertaining for me, aside from the acting rapport, were the numerous well-choreographed fights. Yuen Woo Ping and his brother Shun Yee resisted the wire-fu for the most part and relied on their actors’ athletic abilities and flexibility. Cynthia moved believably against the various foes she faced and delivered some punishing kicks. A young Donnie Yen had no problem reaching kicking heights all by himself. And Yat Choh was another of the Yuen clan who knew how to sell a fight. No wires didn’t mean characters weren’t left dangling on several occasions or even falling to their deaths. Gravity is a harsh mistress. Cynthia had an exhilarating ordeal on top of, on the sides of, and on the grill of an ambulance. Donnie faced real life martial artist Michael Woods in a brutal fight on a rooftop and jousting on motorcycles with ax and shovel.
The story had some narrative gaps and not all of the acting was strong, but for the most part the story held together by the relationships of the characters. The fights were fast, exciting and creative, all that any martial arts movie enthusiast could want.
14 March 2024
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"You're disgusting, you make me sick!" Preach on sister!
The Street Fighter was violent, exploitive, and had almost no redeeming qualities. Takuma Tsurugi was the manliest man to ever man which means he got a pass for sexual assault and selling a woman into sex slavery. This was a violent film just to be violent, with little story to go with it.Takuma breaks a death row convict out at the last minute. When the convict’s brother and sister can’t pay the last installment he begins to rape the sister. The brother tries to intervene, so Takuma kills him, and sells the sister to be a sex slave. Big man. A group attempts to hire him to kidnap an heiress but he turns down their lowball number. Because Takuma knows of their plan they attempt to eliminate him which drives him to the heiress’ protector. After forcibly kissing and groping her, he gets hired on to protect her. When the convict discovers what happened to his family he joins the other bad guys for the chance to free his sister and kill Takuma. Yeah, at this point I’m rooting for anyone who would kill this b@stard.
The fight scenes weren’t well choreographed and I hated Sonny’s fight style and acting. The editing was even worse. At one point Takuma asked his sidekick, “How did you get here?” I was expecting Ratnose to say, “Heck if I know!” It was as if they edited out anything that would have caused the story to make sense. The story jumped around and so did the people as if they had a transporter to drop them into a completely unrelated scene. The acting was bad even for a 1970’s martial arts film.
The Street Fighter failed on every account for me. Only for Sonny Chiba fans and those who enjoy the main lead behaving reprehensibly toward women. This movie put the mindless into mindless violence. At the end of the film, in big letters it declared “Return of the Street Fighter coming soon!” Thanks for the warning.
14 March 2024
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"A friend's weapon is the most fatal"
“Killers are like meteors. They appear in brilliance and vanish in no time. And they don’t have names.” Based on Gu Long’s book “Meteor, Butterfly, Sword”, Killer Clans tells the story of love and treachery between competing clans and even friends.Meng Sheng Wen and his blood brother, Yeh Hsiang, were cared for by the brothel owner Sister Ko. Ko receives assassination assignments after intimacy with a mysterious stranger, which she passes on to Meng as Yeh has lost his confidence and become a drunkard. Meng’s assignment is to kill Sun Yu the leader of the prosperous Longmen Clan. On one of his trips, he meets the beautiful Hsiao Tieh in the Butterfly Forest. She has a formidable father who does not tolerate swordsmen coveting his daughter. As Meng moves in closer on his target, it soon becomes apparent that he is not the only one with the wise and crafty Sun Yu in his sights, both enemies and friends alike will stop at nothing to bring the leader down and gain what is his.
Killer Clans is a Shaw Brothers classic. The sets and costumes were luxurious and there were numerous outdoor shots in picturesque scenery. The cast was stacked with SB actors, most of which did not last long as the body count was incredibly high. Double crosses, even triple crosses abounded. You know times were tough when the only man Sun Yu was able to trust was the man sent to kill him! My only quibble with the story is one that I often have with these older martial arts movies-their need to have bare breasted women and sexual assault.
Ku Feng was the highlight of this film as the Longmen Clan leader---caring, ruthless, adept, and shrewd, his backup plans had backup plans. Tsung Hua isn’t one of my favorites, but as the story often focused more on Sun Yu, not much was asked of him but to look grim. Yueh Hua played against type which was fine with me as it pushed him harder. One of my favorites, Lo Lieh, had a small role as Sun Yu’s supreme protector with a serrated round blade hiding in his hat.
The sword fights were actually choreographed well and not super slow as most were during this time, not nearly as fast as in the modern era, but still entertaining. The first time I watched this I wasn’t impressed with the swordplay but after watching, let’s just say, several martial arts movies since then, I’ve gained an appreciation for this film’s fight choreography. It also helped that I watched a restored copy this time and not a grainier version. Most of the well-known stuntmen actors from the 1970's could be seen jumping, flipping, diving, falling, and taking a beating as the story progressed.
Killer Clans was an action-packed tale of deceit, greed, and love. For anyone who enjoys old martial arts movies, it’s a must.
14 March 2024
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Wong Chin comes to the town where his sister and brother-in-law live looking for work. Chasing a pickpocket leads him to their boss, Beggar Fan. After the two fight, Beggar Fan takes a liking to the brash young man. Not long after Wong ends up in a fight with the annoying Shan Hao. Shan Hao’s boss Tiger/Uncle 33 takes unction at the upstart’s disrespectful action and visits Wong’s family with deadly consequences. Ignorant of what has happened Wong fights with Tiger when the villain comes calling and is losing badly. Beggar Fan steps in and negotiates to save Wong’s life by having the young man leave town. Beggar Fan sends Wong to the shaolin temple for him to learn new techniques that might save his life in the future.
I love watching “Thunderleg” Lee fight, especially when he’s kicking. A 9th dan Grandmaster in Tang Soo Do and Taekwondo he’s the real deal and his high-flying acrobatic kicking needed no wires or CGI. The early fights and the end of the last fight were the best when Hwang Jang Lee was using his Thunderleg. The hand to hand and pole fighting were overly choreographed although they did display Hwang’s athletic ability and agility. A chopstick scene was quite creative in a fight against Tino. I was happy to see him able to play the good guy, a very rare event. Eddy Ko lacked in speed but made up in menace as Tiger/Uncle 33. Whenever there was a need for a smarmy or rapist character producers must have had Tino Wong on speed dial.
The story is one done a hundred times and I wished that Hwang had avoided the rape in his story. The rest was typical. Good guy comes to town, stands up for the little guy and is beaten by the bad guy. He studies a new form with training montages and then returns for the rampage and pay back. This movie was filmed in Korea so at least there was a new shaolin temple for a backdrop. There was a Hong Kong cut of the film and a Korean cut. I saw a version with English dubbing, sometimes a necessary evil with these older kung fu films, but it was also interspersed with German!
Hwang Jang Lee is one of my favorite fighters to watch and being able to enjoy his turn as a hero was a bonus. The kicking fights were fluid and exhilarating. I only wish the rest of the slower fights, while complex, had been as thrilling. As always, I grade these old niche films on a curve.
13 March 2024
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"I'm old, but I'm not dead yet!"
The Comeback is an old school violent film with old school actors. Even the young guy, Andy On, was pushing 50! Best not to look too closely at the uneven script and just enjoy it for the mindless action film it was.Mr. Hua runs an antique shop on an old street and takes care of everyone. He’s especially close to Sister Zhen who works at the orphanage and one of her charges, Xiaoye. Officer Qiang looks up to him and has his back whenever he needs it. Hua dutifully brings homeless Old Cao who lives in his vehicle food every day. A gang wants to demolish the street for developers and has been intimidating people into signing away their property. But these guys are pesky demons compared to the devils coming to town. Hua who has suffered from amnesia the last three years has forgotten his previous profession and the reason he has 21 scars on his body and a nail in his brain. The bad guys are going to be in trouble when he remembers his particular skill set.
The story took too long to gain traction, especially since the audience already knew what caused Hua’s amnesia. The gang who wanted to demolish the neighborhood wasn’t set up very well either. Suddenly, the big bads arrived, relegating the gang to the back burner as they began kicking up the body count in search of a USB. Numerous cops moved in on Officer Qiang’s territory convinced Hua was the prime suspect for something and then everything. Because of the amnesia trope there were also numerous flashbacks. A simple story was made more complicated than it needed to be. Regardless, Simon Yam and Yuen Wah working together was a delight. Simon at 68 and Yuen at 73 showed how old school charisma can cover over a multitude of sins. Sixty-eight-year-old Norman Chu also made an appearance. Andy On conveyed enough menace to be a proper traitorous villain.
The Comeback provided plenty of things that go bang in the night---weaponized drones, guns, bombs, missiles, and a weaponized motorcycle. I was happy to see Yuen Wah have a short fight scene. He was one of the more skilled martial arts experts in old kung fu films. They worked around Simon’s age in a couple of different ways during his hand-to-hand encounters which worked fairly well.
As uneven as the writing was, The Comeback was entertaining and had some heart. It didn’t offer anything unique but it served up a heaping helping of action scenes showcasing older actors aging to perfection.
12 March 2024
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This review may contain spoilers
"Everything comes with a price"
Soul of the Sword is one of those films that did not appeal to me on several levels. Ti Lung was at the height of his career as the Nameless swordsman whose only desire was to kill The King of Swords and take his place. The problem being none of the characters were likeable and my only desire was that they would all meet a gruesome death.A young boy sees a man and a woman being carried out of the prince’s palace to be buried. The King of Swords had killed the young swordsman and his lover had killed herself. The boy determined that one day he would be a great swordsman and claim the title. Ten years in the future he proceeds to cut down other swordsmen, monks, swordswomen, anyone with a title on his way to the palace. After fighting his way through the royal guards, the prince tells Nameless that Lu Tien Kang is out of town but that he can fight him when he returns. Nameless keeps seeing visions of the young woman who killed herself. He also makes friends with an amiable old doctor. When Nameless sees a woman who looks like the woman in his visions, he determines to have her, with or without her consent. This upsets Mr. Yan who loves He Lian. While waiting for Lu, Nameless is challenged by numerous fighters, most are killed except for those willing to slink away.
Nameless was no hero or even anti-hero. He was amoral, a rapist, and a murderer. The fact the writers mansplained the rape away only made it worse. Ku Feng made the doctor Zhao Yi a wise friend to have until his dark intentions were revealed. Ku is one of my favorite character actors from kung fu movies and he helped make this movie a little easier to swallow. The dialogue often praised reprehensible behavior as something to be admired because of the dedication to one’s self and skill. Everyone took for granted that cutting your way to the top was an honorable pursuit. During and after some fights there were plenty of gratuitous bare breasts and sex as a weapon scenes.
Fight choreographer Tang Chia’s sword fights were good for the time. Nothing was too fast, but came across fairly fluid. I usually enjoy watching Ti Lung in battle mode but Nameless was a despicable character and I waited for him to get his comeuppance. Even then the lesson Nameless learned was still all about himself despite the horrific harm he caused.
“Will you regret that what you lost is actually more than what you gained?”
The film may have had nice sets, costumes, and a strong cast, but it lacked heart. Instead of finding the fight scenes exhilarating, they left me cold. Yes, there was the lonely lesson about cold steel having no mercy and that those who lived by the sword had to be utterly ruthless and prepared to die by the sword and could afford no emotional baggage. That violence and self-centeredness bled over into other aspects of their lives. Which left the movie with just a bunch of vicious killers leaving bodies in their wake. The sharpest weapon to pierce Nameless was when he learned the old adage, “Be careful what you wish for, you might just get it.”
12 March 2024
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