This is a very oddball wuxia from the Shaw Brothers
with a convoluted plot and silly comedy. But the action choreography is topnotch
with some complicated and beautifully timed movement. The choreography feels
fairly old-fashioned in that there is practically no blood and only a few
deaths at the end - it is a joy simply watching the acrobatics and well-executed
moves. The director is Tony Lou Chun-ku who appears to be heavily influenced
by the style of Chor Yuen and his reliance on interior artificial sets and
the philosophy of Lau Kar-leung who focused on the intricacies of the action
as opposed to having a high kill count. The choreographer is Hsu Hsia who
had learned from Yuen Wo-ping on Broken Oath, Drunken Master and Snake in
the Eagle's Shadow. So, you may have to be willing to put up with some kung-fu
comedy to get to the action. And be ready for some kung-fu farting.
There is some fine female action in this
one. One of my favorites, Kara Hui Ying-hung, has a large role and is involved
in a lot of the fights. That is nice to see because in a number of her Shaw
films, she was in the background but Lau Kar-leung had given her star billing
in the 1981 My Young Auntie and was to do so again in The Lady is the Boss.
The other female is Candy Wen Xue-er who has just recently become a favorite
after seeing her in Swordsman and Enchantress. As I mentioned in that review,
she is the sister of Yuen Qiu, the fierce cigarette smoking landlady in Kung
Fu Hustle. Both of the women do terrific work here.
The men that they are paired with are not
exactly slouches - Candy with Yuen Tak who was to go on to be a top choreographer
in Hong Kong films and Kara with Meng Yuen-man. He is kind of a mystery to
me - credited as being one of the Seven Little Fortunes - as is Yuen Tak
and Candy's sister - but this appears to be his last film. He was in a number
of Shaw's films but for reasons unknown left show business just as his "brothers"
were becoming famous. The villain in the piece because you always have to
have one is the always reliable Johnny Wang. Good cast and everyone has their
time to shine in the action.
We have another sword that will make you
invincible in the martial arts world - this script from Ni Kuang who likely
used this idea more than a few times. In fact, they are twin swords called
the Yin-Yang swords but they really only work when paired together by a man
and woman in love. They are being sent with an escort to the Emperor and
everyone seems to know it. And want them. First the escort comes across The
Four Heroes - all of them nutty and providing some comedy pain - then they
stay over at an inn. All of our main characters show up - the scholar (Meng
Yuen-man), the mysterious female who everyone takes for a man (Kara), the
squabbling married couple (Yuen Tak and Candy) and the security of the Emperor
(Johnny). Tak and Candy are in a fierce sword fight when Kara breaks it up
- they then gang up on her - don't break up our fight - it always leads to
great make-up sex. Not sure who did the translation on this one, but adding
to the silliness are modern references like Michelin Hotel, pussy as in coward
and calling someone a "liberal" for helping a blind man. Maybe Stephen Miller
used to translate before becoming a gutter snipe. All along the way the swords
change hands and fights ensue - at some point love works its way in between
Kara and Meng. There is fine finale that is all action and no comedy.
