This has all the ingredients
of a good traditional Wuxia adventure, but it doesn't quite pull you in.
There is a large amount of swordplay which is wonderfully choreographed by
the team of Lau Kar-leung and Tong Kai who were very busy going back and
forth between the Shaw Brothers and choreographing Cantonese films. With
the death knell of the Cantonese film industry right on the horizon they
were soon to move full time to Shaw. They make good use of wires and trampolines
to create that Wuxia flavor and the fights are clever, chaotic and bloody.
As the title indicates there are three women in the middle of this doing
plenty of that killing. I think the fault of the film is that the villain
is so much more charismatic and interesting than the three women and their
male ally. The villain is Lo Lieh and he is strangely attractive here veering
between charm and deadly viciousness. He always is a step ahead of everyone
and seems to be very much enjoying this game of sword chess. He is so devious
himself that he can figure out what the others will do and constantly thwarts
them. To the point where you begin to wonder if he can be defeated.
It begins in standard form. Lo Lieh who heads the Green Dragon Clan wants
to challenge the head of the Xu Clan who have been awarded Top Martial Artist
in a tournament some years previously. The head (Yang Chi-ching) is not available,
but he fights the son Chin-wu (Chang Yi) and after a good back and forth
finally is defeated. Lo gives a big smile and says he needs more training,
but he will be back. All he needs is the Mighty Steel Sword. This is held
by the Han Clan now headed by three sisters after their father has died.
They are Ruo-lan (Shen Yi), Xiao-lan (Violet Pan) and Rua-mei (Essie Ling-chia).
Lo Lieh is engaged to Ruo-lan and she is crazy about him. He has his charming
side which he can turn on like headlights. He stays with them as a guest
and with a rubber mask on he attempts to steal the sword that is kept out
in the open. As he reaches for it, the three sisters attack him in tandem
and drive him away. Later that night he asks Ruo-lan if he can hold it. Sure
and he simply walks away with it. That was easy.
Much of the rest of the film is the sisters and Chin-wu trying to steal
it back. But this Mighty Sword is in fact mighty. It has a little trick that
I have seen in no other Wuxia film. Once it comes out of its scabbard it
has a huge magnetic force that could pull your fillings out. Also, the swords
of any enemy. Which comes in handy. At one point when he faces off against
the Xu Clan, Lo Lieh takes his sword out and everything in the room including
swords and spears come flying out. Be ready to duck. There is a finale in
the bamboo forest that is terrific. I love fights in bamboo forests.
Chang Yi was a top player in Wuxia films from the late 1960s to the mid-1970s
appearing in a lot of classic films but each time I see him, I have to question
why? He has the charisma of a stack of washed plates and here he feels like
a non-entity especially compared to Lo Lieh who is bursting with energy.
The three actresses were mid-level stars as well though Essie is a favorite
of mine and it is nice seeing her get a solid large part. A good film that
I just never really connected with. It is directed by Shen Chiang who after
this directed three Shih Szu films in 1971 - Heroes of Sung, The Rescue and
Lady of the Law - all solid films.
