It
really should be The Silver Foxy since Lily Ho is the title character. This
is rather a dawdling meandering Wuxia for much of the film - a lot of killing
at the bookends but in between everyone keeps showing mercy and being polite.
Even the villain. This is the only film that comes to mind in which the villain's
henchmen all just shake their head at his cruelty and walk away at the end.
They are usually cinematic fodder. You can go too far even in a Wuxia. Quite
enjoyable and Lily is as cute as a button with her many hrummps as she curls
her lip in disdain. Directed by Hsu Tseng-hung (Temple of the Red Lotus,
Twin Swords before this) and choreographed by Tong Kai and Lau Kar-leung.
Well made and very graceful with some cool parts and more tragedy than you
might expect. Lily is never very authentic in her kung fu action looking
as if she could not knock over a baby's doll but she is fine in sword fighting
and jumping. Some lovely effortless leaps.
Sima Chau (Huang Tsung-hsun) steals a kung-fu
manual from his master and convinces his friend Hsia Wu (Tien Feng) to take
it away and set up his own school. And then immediately turns him in. When
Hsia gets home, his wife tells him to return it. We have a daughter and I
am pregnant. He goes to do so but his betrayer has brought the Master and
the Master hits him with a palm blast that takes his kung-fu powers away
and then Sima shoots darts to cripple his legs and to poison his face. His
wife gets knocked out and later sticks pins in her eyes. Hsia escapes with
their daughter (poison darts intact in his face) and one guess who she grows
up to be. Great beginning.
Then it gets cute. How cute. Lily Ho cute.
When she looks sad it is like watching ice cream beginning to melt. She and
her two friends (Fan Mei-sheng and Kong Liu) have turned to thievery - but
very specific - only from the Protection Escort business of Sima who has
become very successful. He has two daughters (Helen Ma, Yue Wai) and
the blind wife is still alive. He gets an assignment to escort a valuable
gold piece for the Emperor. If he fails, his business will be disbanded.
Hsu (Chang Yi) a classmate of one of the daughters shows up and falls for
Lily at first hrummph and his loyalties are divided. The film becomes an
intricate back and forth as Lily tries to steal the gold using poison darts,
a whip and lots of trickery. Her father Hsia is living where else but a cave
wearing a mask to cover his hideous face and he has developed a room full
of murderous traps that come into play.
