After watching the loony kung-fu fantasy film,
Demon of the Lute from director Tang Tak-cheung, I was curious to see the
only other film he directed. This one. This is much more a traditional wuxia
with up to your eyeballs action and I thought very enjoyable. So, I wonder
what happened to him. He hardly has another credit after this film other
than a few acting slots over 20-years later and being the action choreographer
on My Heart is that Eternal Rose. Of course, the Shaw Brother's film division
was coming to an end - so did he just retire or move with them into TV. He
was born in Vietnam and moved to Hong Kong as a teenager - so perhaps he
moved back home. A mystery to me.
On the other hand, a small mystery has been
cleared up. I am a big fan of the 1995 film, Red Wolf, in which the main
hero is played by Kenny Ho. I always wondered where he came from and why
he wasn't better known with his martial arts skills. Here he is ten years
before as a very young man displaying some wonderful skills in fight after
fight. And then basically nothing for ten years. He is terrific here. Why
his film career didn't go further though is still a mystery, but he was in
a TV series Justice Bao for nearly 20-years.
A pretty face pops up here that I wasn't
expecting to see. The lovely Rosamund Kwan. I hadn't realized that she made
a Shaw Brothers film. Two of them in fact. She was also in Prince Charming
directed by Wong Jing - and after Shaw she fell into the orbit of Sammo and
Jackie with Twinkle Twinkle Lucky Stars, The Millionaires Express, Armour
of God and Project A II. She was film royalty of course - her father Kwan
Shan was a huge dramatic star and her mother Chang Ping- sie had been a star
for the Great Wall Studio. I don't think any of her films are available but
her resemblance to Rosamund is evident. Rosamund gets into a swordfight or
two and acquits herself fine.
It is another messy family revenge film
that is a bit confusing though not overly complicated. Mengfei (Ho) is sent
out into the real world by his master - who lives in a cave of course. They
were quite popular back then and came in various comfort levels. His Master
tells him - go out and do good deeds. It doesn't take long for opportunity
to knock at his door. A group of thugs of the Thunder Gang come into a restaurant
and cause trouble. Mu Wan Er (Rosamund) is sitting there and so he naturally
intervenes and beats them up. Not long afterwards while sitting in a tree
eating chicken, he sees a young woman on a horse captured by more of the
Thunder Gang. He looks at his chicken, then at her, then at his chicken and
reluctantly decides to get involved. He saves her which gets him a scolding
and a slap from Li Sai Nan (Kara Hui). You broke up my plan! Huh? I wanted
to be captured and the two of them trade friendly blows.
She is a member of the Li family that were
killed by the head of the Thunder Gang 20-years previously. In the
fight her mother and father were killed as was the wife (Lily Li) of the
killer, Chief Leng (Lung Tien-hsiang), and to confuse matters more, the baby
that the wife was carrying for some reason is left behind and brought up
the Dragon Sect, the sworn enemies of the Thunder Gang. Ok - one more bit
of info in case you are ever asked - the Li uncle escapes, brings up Li Sai
Nan in an underground bunker for 20-years for one reason and one reason only
- revenge - to kill Chief Leng. Phew. Got that. And into this walks poor
old Menfei. A fight breaks out every few minutes - a lot of wire-work but
also some nicely choreographed wuxia and kung fu action. Edited with a fine
eye but the wire-work is terrific - the director seems in particular to be
fond of somersaulting wire-fu stunts. Watching Rosamund and Kara play for
his affection is a treat. Kara does a lot of pouting and hmphing which is
downright adorable.
