THE BRAVE ARCHER AND HIS MATE is the fourth and final entry in the Chang Cheh-directed series that Shaw put out in the late '70s and early '80s. Watching it comes as a bit of a shock to anybody familiar with the previous movies, as the cast is totally swapped around for this one. Venom star Phillip Kwok is now the middle-aged hero played by the youthful Alexander Fu Sheng in the earlier films, while Fu Sheng himself plays in support as the bratty off-spring of a rival character.
It's certainly a complex way of doing things, and as a film this is fitfully entertaining, although bogged down in too much narrative. The story is delivered in heavy chunks of exposition that feels so dense you want to press the pause button just to take stock of what you've been told. Inevitably the film remains entertaining thanks to the level of professionalism you see displayed in terms of costume, effects, and scenery, and of course the outstanding fight action.
Once again Cheh can't resist using his Venoms actors to deliver the outstanding fight spectacle, much of which is consigned to the climax. Chiang Sheng shines as an evil prince although Lu Feng is underutilised as a random clan leader. Wang Li gets a lot of screen time here, playing the crazy frog fu guy played by Wang Lung Wei in the first two movies. Fu Sheng is an annoyance rather than an asset, although Kwok shines in his lead role. One further film, a spin-off called LITTLE DRAGON MAIDEN, was to follow.
It's certainly a complex way of doing things, and as a film this is fitfully entertaining, although bogged down in too much narrative. The story is delivered in heavy chunks of exposition that feels so dense you want to press the pause button just to take stock of what you've been told. Inevitably the film remains entertaining thanks to the level of professionalism you see displayed in terms of costume, effects, and scenery, and of course the outstanding fight action.
Once again Cheh can't resist using his Venoms actors to deliver the outstanding fight spectacle, much of which is consigned to the climax. Chiang Sheng shines as an evil prince although Lu Feng is underutilised as a random clan leader. Wang Li gets a lot of screen time here, playing the crazy frog fu guy played by Wang Lung Wei in the first two movies. Fu Sheng is an annoyance rather than an asset, although Kwok shines in his lead role. One further film, a spin-off called LITTLE DRAGON MAIDEN, was to follow.