A Massacre Survivor
Director: Richard
Tung Chin-hu
Year: 1979
Rating: 7.0
Perhaps all you really need to know about this
martial arts film is that it was choreographed by Corey Yuen and Yuen Cheung-yan
- two of the best in the business. It is a terrific film with a heart, fine
performances and some wonderful action set pieces. This was a Hong Kong-Taiwan
production - shot in Taiwan but with a lot of Hong Kong talent as well as
some from Taiwan. One thing that I have noticed after seeing a bunch of Taiwanese
kung fu films recently is that the choreography from Hong Kong is just a
little bit more precise - slightly more complicated. Shih Szu was from Taiwan
but became famous in Hong Kong after she joined Shaw Brothers in 1970. She
was seen as the heir to Cheng Pei-pei and made some fine wuxia films in a
short period of time. But by the end of the decade her roles had gotten fewer
and smaller and so she left and found work elsewhere. I have never seen her
martial arts look better than they do here - which might be thanks to the
choreographers and actors she was working with - but she is a force to be
reckoned with. Doubled I suspect in some of the acrobatics but that is her
up on the poles jumping from one to another and the fighting is clearly her.
She plays the daughter of a righteous man
(Hu Chi) who is approached by an old friend played by Lung Fei and asked
to join in a rebellion against the Emperor. He refuses but knows that by
doing so he has signed his death warrant. He tells his daughter to escape
while she can, but she refuses until two of his men drag her away and die
protecting her. Escape, learn kung fu and get revenge they all tell her.
Well, sure. Meanwhile the Crown Prince (Tsung Hua) has decided to go on a
tour of the provinces in disguise as a common man to see that all is well.
Only taking his one bodyguard (Wang Chung) with him. Unfortunately, the bad
guys who all report to a General (Wong Ching) know he is out on the road
with little protection and keep trying to kill him. After each time, Wang
Chung suggests going back to the Palace. No, I have to find out who is behind
this.
Shih is wounded while escaping and collapses
on the road and who but the Prince comes upon her and takes care of her wound.
She tells him, I have no friends, only enemies - and she makes it to a monastery
where they teach her martial arts - Yuen Cheung-yan is the one with the rings.
This must have been the quickie class because in no time she is out looking
for revenge. And she meets up with the Prince again - but he thinks she is
a man and she doesn't know he is the Prince. The makings of a good screwball
comedy if it went that way. It doesn't.
The remainder of the film is pretty much
one action set-piece after another - sometimes with her solo, sometimes with
the Prince and his bodyguard and then finally together. Good stuff all around.
I read that at one time this film was thought lost but a collector had a
print that made its way to YouTube. Not a great print by any means - faded
and the subs at times are hard to read but it is worth the effort. These
lobby cards were up on HKMDB. Thx.
