Damn, the Japanese come in for a thrashing
in this film; both literally and reputationally. I am quite fond of Japan,
but by the end I was saying, kill them, kill them all. More swinish than
a pen of slithering snakes. Rapists, drunkards, killers, lechers, crooks,
evil laughers. Was Hong Kong at war with Japan in 1972. I know beating on
the Japanese was practically a genre with Fist of Fury in the same year and
Jimmy Wang-yu plowing through them in The Chinese Boxer and Beach of the
War Gods, but this takes it to another level. Of course, the director is
the Korean Jang Il-ho and there was certainly no love between those two countries.
Initially, I thought this was going to be a romance with our two leads trading
love vows, but it quickly gets very violent, intense and nasty.
The two love birds are coming back home
after some years away with plans to tell their parents they want to get married.
Yan Zi-fei (Ling Yun) comes from a wealthy timber family while Yue-hua (Ching
Li) comes from the Guan family. But before they even arrive, Yan has to beat
up a group of drunken Japanese who are mauling women. I didn't know you knew
kung-fu, Yue-hua says. Just a little bit. Just enough to kill all the Japanese.
The Japanese commanded by Ogawa (Ching Miao
at his most villainous) is pressuring Yan's father to sell his land. The
Japanese want the trees. Hard to know exactly when this is set, but one would
assume the mid-1930s. The father refuses. The Japanese have brought over
some samurai to help get their way. The head samurai is played by Chan Shen
like a mad horny dog. A little melodrama is thrown in with Yan's adopted
sister (Lily Li) in love with him and discovering that he is in love with
Yue-hua. Her father (Tang Ti) is working with Ogawa to steal the land. It
looks at that point that it might turn into Romeo and Juliet, but rights
inself with one action scene after another.
Ling Yun isn't really known for his martial
arts skills - more a lover than a fighter with his matinee good looks - and
he doesn't really change my opinion here with his wild swings and straight
punches but to give him credit, he sure is trying. Having Yuen Wo-ping and
his brother Yuen Cheung-yan as the choreographers doesn't hurt. There are
a couple action set pieces with loads of people killing each other. They
are impressively shot in frantic chaotic manner. Only disappointing that
neither female gets in on the fighting. With Lily that seems a shame. It
gets quite intense at the end and of all people, Dean Shek's character is
a hero. Some gratuitous nudity. And creepy rape scenes. The knives by the
way don't come into play till the end in fine fashion.
