The morality tale told here is as old as the
Bible but rarely has it been told with so much blood and with such a high
body count. This was director Chor Yuen's first Shaw film and he does not
shy away from violence and portraying nothing but despicable characters.
Considering the cast he employs, it is surprising how rapacious he makes
them all. His later Wuxia films were more graceful and picturesque with his
artificial sets, but there is none of that here. This may be due to the fact
that Lo Wei started the film and then had to leave. It also appears that
one of the lead characters had to be replaced. This leans closer to a Chang
Cheh film with its cruelty, detached limbs and betrayals. Except there is
no hero. From the opening scene till the bloody climax, it is wuxia plus
with a constant series of sword fights and nifty Wuxia moments like throwing
an urn of tea above and having it pour tea into your cup. The sort of thing
that would get you applause at home.
After a slow-mo preamble that is in fact
the end of the film, the setting is two young women giving a performance
in the town square for money. It is quite the acrobatic display - the centerpiece
being when one up in the air balances herself with her sword tip on the woman
below sword tip. The crowd cheers and a few even urinate in their pants because
it is so dangerous. One slip and . . . oops - there is a slip and one of
the women is pierced by a sword. They rush her into the local bank where
all the silver and gold is stored. It is of course a ploy and when they are
uncovered by the head, Wen (Richard Chen-chun), the two sisters have to fight
their way out against numerous men. The two woman are played by Ivy Ling
Po as the Thousand Hands Goddess and her sister Lady Hua is Wang Ping (Vengeance,
The Chinese Boxer). Fight number one. There are many more to go.
Next up is the Lone Shadow (Lo Lieh) who
asks Wen to come see him in the inn. When Wen gets there, Lone Shadow tells
him to give him a portion of the gold or he will take it all. When Wen refuses,
he tries to kill him and after a fight he then escapes. Lone then tracks
down the sisters and we have fight number three - with them joined by the
third party of their gang, Hua (Tsung Hua). Again, Lone escapes but he is
always nearby. It turns into an old-fashioned clever heist film when the
fourth member shows up. Meng played by Chin Han, married to Ivy Ling-po,
and in the film they are a couple.
So are Lady Hua and Hua. Not that any of
this matters more than gold and greed. In the ruthless brutal robbery of
the bank they get away with 100,000 taels of gold. A nice number to split
it four ways or two ways or one way. They turn on each other with gut churning
results. And there are surprises ahead. Interesting to see Chin Han, Ivy
and Wang Ping play against their usual character so much - they are all merciless
killers with loyalty towards none. It is near non-stop wuxia
action and never slows down. Chor throws it all in there. A very nice beginning
for Chor Yuen.
