None of the usual cracks regarding the title
from me, but I imagine if this played on 42nd street in the 1970s there were
a bunch of disappointed patrons. Or maybe not. Go in for a porn film and
see a great martial arts film. The film oddly though does begin in a bordello.
One of those classy period Chinese ones of hot and cold running beauties.
Two men are separately ordering the same two women to their table - Tsui
Hung (Kara Hui) and Tsui Bing (Helen Poon). Back and forth they go like yo-yos
- happy ones as both men are spending lavishly on the girls. One of the men
is Master Wang (Gordon Liu Chia-hui) who has a basket of jewels and banknotes
while the other man Dirty Ho (Wong Yu) got his goods in a felonious manner.
They clash - mainly under the table as they play kung-fu footsie. Master
Wang pretends not to have skills but accidentally thwarts Ho. That sets the
mood for this generally light hearted kung-fu film directed by Lau Kar-leung.
After years of performing action choreography
for other directors, Lau had finally begun helming his own films in 1975
and knocked out one film after another that are considered classics today.
His style was different from both the other two great Shaw action directors
- Chor Yuen and Chang Cheh. Cheh is all blood and guts which can be very
satisfying and Chor was grace and style. Lau said that his goal was to exalt
martial arts and this comes from his background growing up with his father
who was a martial arts teacher in the Southern school. He felt that martial
arts is about training yourself to be the best you can be and following the
ethics of the creed. It is not about killing people though his films certainly
have that. But his films often have lengthy training scenes and there is
usually a master/disciple relationship. The action choreography consists
of intricate perfectly timed movement with legs, fists and weapons at the
speed of light. It could be dance as much as fighting as they move in perfect
unison. This film has all of that- numerous clever complex one on one action
scenes of incredibly quick thrusts and counter thrusts. There is only one
big set piece as most are small and hover between humorous and serious.
Master Wang for some reason takes a liking
to this rogue and puts him into a position of having to be his disciple.
Ho isn't the brightest of students though and it takes him a while to realize
that forces are trying to kill his master - a lovely wine scene with Johnny
Wang and a showing of antiques with Wilson Tong. The two of them try and
kill Wang and Wang pretends that they aren't as he fends off his death. It
is revealed that he is actually the 11th Prince and someone wants to take
him out of the running for the throne. Lo Lieh as General Liang is behind
these assassination attempts.
In the fight with Wilson Tong, Wang gets
stabbed in the leg and can't walk. And he knows killers will come for him.
So, he trains Ho to be his bodyguard. Training consists mainly of putting
lit candles on his shoulders and kicking. There is some silly dilly action
against a bunch of miscreants that wasn't needed but the final two scenes
are terrific - as Wang and Ho have become a synchronized fighting unit -
Ho standing next to him and Wang in a wheelchair fighting their way through
hordes of men and arrows and then the matchup against Lo Lieh and two henchmen.
This final fight is so perfectly choreographed and performed that it just
amazes at how much time it must have taken. Earlier on Kara sort of got in
on the action when Ho attacks her and Wang behind her manipulates her legs
and arms to beat him. I think we have seen that a few times since. A very
good film but don't go in expecting a Chang Cheh bloodbath. Lau did that
plenty of times for Chang but not on his own.
