Some 25-years before Jackie Chan journeyed
to the American West in Shanghai Noon, Lo Lieh did the same in this film.
I expect the Kung Fu TV show with David Carradine put this idea in the filmmaker's
head. Or perhaps it was the 1973 The Fighting Fists of Shanghai Joe starring
Chen Lee. Lee though was actually born in Japan under the name Myoshin Hayakawa.
So, I think Lo Lieh was the first Hong Kong actor to be in a Western. Other
than Bruce Lee, Lo Lieh was probably the best known Hong Kong actor in in
the West because of his film King Boxer aka Five Fingers of Death which was
the first kung fu film to play in America.
This is a co-production between Shaw Brothers
and Carlo Ponti Productions with Italian director Antonio Margheriti. It
is an odd little film, more comical than kung fu and a plot that is pure
silliness. Still, Lo Lieh gets a couple scenes to display his martial arts
and his co-star Lee Van Cleef does the same with his gun skills. Teaming
them up in a genial friendship was a great idea. Lo Lieh's character is far
from his many villainous turns in Shaw films. Easy going and honorable. The
same for Van Cleef, yes a robber and a gunfighter but basically a good fellow
who stands by his word and sings Rye Whiskey on the gallows.
Van Cleef breaks into the vault of a wealthy
Chinese man only to find four pictures of women. But the Chinese man dies
of a heart attack and he is arrested and sentenced to be hanged. Meanwhile,
over in China a warlord learns that the money he leant the Chinese man is
missing. He rounds up the man's family and demands that Lo Lieh go to America
and find it or they will be executed. It is a good scene - Lo Lieh gets in
some action and the scene is filled with familiar Shaw faces - Wang Hsieh
as the warlord, Ching Miao as Lo Lieh's father, Chen Ping as his sister and
Chan Shen as the warlord's Chief Constable. They will all return at the end
but for now back to America.
Lo Lieh shows up in time to save Van Cleef
and they go off treasure hunting - on the bottoms of four women spread across
the West. The women, not their bottoms. That roly-poly Chinese man tattooed
the clues to his treasure on these four women and would pay them periodic
visits to make sure the tattoos were still visible. I did say it was a silly
plot. Hard to imagine one sillier. A religious fanatic picks up the scent
as well. The fourth women is played by Karen Yip who had been in The 14 Amazons,
Big Brother Chen and The Tea House. This is an enjoyable relaxed shaggy dog
story, very casual without much suspense as they go from woman to woman looking
at their posterior. Some action at the end and Lo Lieh gets in some wire
work and Van Cleef gets to shoot a bunch of guys!
