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The People That Time Forgot (1977)
Pulpy and fun adventure film from AIP
***POSSIBLE SPOILERS BELOW*** Major Ben McBride (Wayne) goes on a search and rescue mission to find and bring back his friend Bowen Tyler (McClure) still lost in the land of dinosaurs. A small expedition is mounted to rescue him but the group runs into all manner of trouble including cavemen, dinosaurs, deformed sword wielding pseudo-samurai savages and a volcano god that demands female sacrifices. Excellent pulpy adventure movie.
Patrick Wayne (the Duke's son) is excellent as the chauvinistic former fighter pilot. His many confrontations with 'Charlie' Cunningham (Douglas) are quite funny as each tries to one up the other in terms of who is superior, man or woman. Wayne is a more commanding lead here than he was in the same year's SINBAD & THE EYE OF THE TIGER. He just wasn't convincing as Sinbad. It's a shame Wayne didn't do more fantasy adventure movies.
Douglas is also good as the feisty magazine photographer who doesn't mind getting her hands dirty. Douglas also sports Princess Leia buns on her head. She does get to put her hair down during the big finale when the girls are about to be decapitated. Douglas would screen test for SUPERMAN after this movie as would her co-star Dana Gillespie.
Walters is his usual chipper self portraying another great and batty character role as the slightly nutty Dr. Edwin Norton. Walters also gets in on the action with his fellow co-stars. Walters is always reliable and plays very odd and eccentric characters in his movies. He doesn't disappoint here.
Dana Gillespie is simply the hottest cave girl since Raquel Welch. Her breasts threatening to erupt from her 'barely there' top. A protégé of David Bowie, she still sings today I gather. She also tested for SUPERMAN and lost out to Sarah Douglas for the role of Ursa. There is a hint that Gillespie's character Ajor, may have had some romantic involvement with Tyler.
McClure has what amounts to a guest appearance as you do not see him until towards the end. He is held captive in the Mountain of Skulls which is ruled by the vicious Nagas, samurai-like warriors who have hideously deformed faces beneath their masks.
Shane Rimmer has a very comedic turn as the bumbling pilot Hogan who must fix the damaged plane. As more pterodactyls pass over, he shoots them down then marks them on the side of the plane. All his scenes are peppered with humorous bits of dialog. He is incredibly loyal to the Major. Rimmer also returned for the fourth film in the series WARLORDS OF ATLANITS (the only one not a Burroughs story) as a villain along with John Ratzenberger who went on to play Cliff on CHEERS.
Frequent heavy Milton Reid has a role as the evil Sabbala and Hammer performer Dave Prowse plays the executioner.
One of my favorite movies I saw as a kid, it is still a favorite. The film sports an even greater sense of adventure than its two predecessors. A fine cast and very well drawn characters help enliven the film. There are less monsters on display here. Most of them are trotted out during the conclusion as the heroes are being "chased" by the live volcano and several different creatures including the sword wielding Naga's attempt to impede their progress.
The score is very impressive and really needs a CD release (It has since been released on the composers own label). I have a lobby set for both LAND and PEOPLE as well as posters. The film was shot in the Canary Islands and at Pinewood Studios. Love the volcano set and the Mountain of Skulls which is obviously a painting but the interior is quite frightening with the walls literally made up of thousands of skulls from victims of the Naga's.
Two memorable set pieces involve the attack on the bi-plane by a pterodactyl near the beginning resulting in a forced landing and the finale where the heroes fight it out with the Nagas, snake creatures inside a tunnel as well as a prickly monster in a cave adorned with stalagmites and stalagtites.
The MGM DVD is gorgeous. I have one small problem though. There is one scene missing (Posted a thread detailing the scene) that is present on a recording I have of it from television from back in 1980. It's basically an extension of a scene in the DVD. About a minutes worth of dialog that further explains the volcano god Nagarumata.
The film also won or was nominated for a couple of awards from the Academy of Sci-Fi, Fantasy and Horror (IMDB says it was only nominated but I have read that the film did indeed win an award). Highly recommended if you like sci-fi fantasy adventure movies.
Gu (1981)
Kuei Chi Hung's nasty tale of black magic revenge
A detective investigates the death of a little girl by her father. The man claims he was under the influence of a wizard's spell. He recounts the story to the detective who, through a series of bizarre events, travels to Thailand to learn the secrets of the supposed black magic rituals. He ends up learning more than he bargained for. After his return to Hong Kong, he learns in a most painful way that he has multiple spells placed on him by a powerful wizard learned in the black arts. A monk proficient in white magic, who has battled the evil wizard before, travels to Hong Kong for a final showdown.
Kuei Chi Hung's excellent horror tale is a spooky character piece punctuated by some gruesome scenes of gore and two elaborately staged duels between a monk and the evil wizard. Kuei was inarguably the best HK director for horror films. He was an acolyte of Chang Cheh and his gritty crime thriller, THE DELINQUINT (1974) was a precursor to his later grim output.
Ai Fei is the swaggering tourist on vacation in Thailand who meets up with a beautiful Thai girl. Feigning interest in her, he manages to steal her virginity before heading back to Hong Kong. Before he leaves, the girl gives him a necklace to remind him of his return a year later. Only he has no intention of returning. One night, an oily liquid seeps from the necklace beginning a terrible revenge exacted on the lying and cheating man. He murders his own daughter in a vicious, brutal scene where he bashes her over the head with a pipe. This entire piece is told in flashback to the detective (Wong) after Fei's character is condemned to hang. Hanging would be a blessing as his body begins to sprout many pimple-like sores that ooze a greenish pus. At one point, he is completely wrapped in gauze, his stomach swelled like a balloon. He then pukes up hundreds of maggots before stabbing himself repeatedly in the gut.
When the detective goes to Thailand to learn about the black arts, he invites trouble on himself and he, too is cursed after the monk does battle with the wizard who barely manages to escape the monk's powers. The wizard follows the detective back to Hong Kong where he places a series of nasty spells on him and his wife. Ultimately, the monk traces the wizard to Hong Kong to save the detective.
There are two duels of magic in the film. The first one is a staggering 10 minute sequence pulled off admirably by director Kuei. It's filled with creative back and forth exchanges of various magical counter moves including a nasty one in which the wizard drinks blood from a giant vase containing dozens of unborn babies and viscera.
Melvin Wong turns in a good performance here as the detective. He usually appears in martial arts films and seldom ever got a big role but he does here. He studied law in America before joining Shaw Brothers and he spoke fluent English.
Also of note is in the credits it is apparent that Kuei researched black magic arts for the production as well as a credit for 'the participation of noted sorcerer Hussein Bin Abu Hassan'! He would be the villain whose body erupts in a spectacular display of melting goo and abusive bladder effects the likes of which were seen in the American horror film, THE BEAST WITHIN (1982).
Director Kuei was an unusual and odd director. He had some interesting, sometimes brutal quirks. He would often go to extremes to get the right reaction for a scene. Extremes that often matched the subject matter. Chang Cheh remarked that Kuei once demanded his actors eat rotten food to elicit the proper response for the scene. He also refused to allow an actor to go to the emergency room after a failed motorcycle stunt until he caught the accident on camera! Kuei, regardless of his methods, was an extremely talented director who failed to capitalize on his success by emigrating to America after Shaw Brothers closed film production in the mid 80s to focus on television programming.
The film was a hit in HK and two years later Kuei returned to black magic territory to direct a sequel entitled THE BOXER'S OMEN (1983) or MO, which means 'Demon' in Chinese. The difference between the two films is that BEWITCHED contains much character and story development but also contains a lot of gruesome bits that would be pushed to the max in the sequel. The story takes a back seat in the sequel to the elaborately staged magic duels and scenes of totally outrageous gore. There are also evocative and surreal sets unlike anything seen in any HK horror picture. BEWITCHED is the better movie in terms of film-making prowess and story but BOXER'S OMEN is best for its ballsy attitude to shock with one gross-out scene after another.
The poster for BEWITCHED is OTT and promises nutty thrills. Actually, everything on the poster is in the movie, but not in quite the manner presented on its advertising. What's funny is that the sequels poster masks the zany, totally freakish and often psychedelically insane movie it promotes. In between BEWITCHED and its sequel, Kuei would direct an elusive and rare horror flick, CURSE OF EVIL (1982). A recommended and highly enjoyable horror romp for different reasons than its more outlandish sequel.
Qi sha (1979)
Sun Chung kung fu classic desperately needs a DVD release
In late November, five months after KUNG FU INSTRUCTORS (1979) release, Shaw's released Sun Chung's TO KILL A MASTERMIND (1979) to Hong Kong theaters.
The Chi Sha society of killers secretly hunt down and kill the members of the Yang Society, a government backed organization responsible for killing followers of the Chi Sha. However, the seven leaders of the Chi Sha are killed off one at the time after they are branded as spies for the Yang's. During the final battle, one last bit of treachery is revealed culminating in a great final fight sequence.
While the film possesses a good storyline, this is more of a straight up action film from Chung compared to some of his other movies. The choreography is quite fantastic and exciting. Filled with mostly secondary character actors save for main baddie Wang Lung Wei, the film performed dismally in HK. A shame really considering it is probably the only movie where these guys were given a chance to shine on the big screen. They all handle themselves more than capably. Most of the actors here usually played henchmen or hired killers who generally did not have much (if any) dialog. Perhaps that is why this film failed to connect with HK audiences because of its lack of familiar faces. Even though perennial bad guy favorite Wang Lung Wei is on hand he cannot carry the film as there are too many others to keep up with.
Considering that Chang Cheh, Liu Chia Liang, Chu Yuan (as well as Sun Chung himself) were still putting out hits to the masses in light of the drastic change in audience tastes (thanks to Jackie Chan and his comedy kung fu brigade), TO KILL A MASTERMIND's failure speaks nothing about its extremely high entertainment value. Everything from the storyline, the costumes, the weapons, the action choreography and especially Chung's use of slow motion and freeze editing all combine to create an adrenaline charged kung fu extravaganza.
To add insult to injury, TO KILL A MASTERMIND (1979) is currently not on the slate of films to be remastered by Celestial. The reason given is that the film is too badly damaged to be dealt with. Whether this is in fact true, is not known at this time. The film was listed as being available from Celestial on one of the earlier DVD filmographies. For now, all that exists of this action charged movie is a so-so quality dupe with English subs that are below the picture making it near impossible to ascertain what is being said unless you understand mandarin. Hopefully, the film will see some kind of release from either IVL or one of the three US companies handling the releases.
Wan ren zan (1980)
Gloomy and gory remake of Chang Cheh's INVINCIBLE FIST.
2 million taels in gold has been stolen from a vault within the Forbidden City. The Empress wants the money returned within 10 days. Chief Constable Leng Tien Ying is hired to bring back the gold robbers, dead or alive; only he never brings anyone back alive. He assembles a team of officers to find the stolen gold. Over the course of the film a major conspiracy is uncovered.
This is a very famous Shaw Brothers movie from the late 70s. It wasn't a massive hit in HK, but was in other territories. During the time of this films release, audiences were interested in kung fu comedies and not deadly serious and downbeat martial dramas. However, numerous rip-offs and similarly plotted films followed; mostly independents. In the US, it was a major cult film among fans. It is often considered to be Chen Kuan Tai's best role. Chen became a major star literally over night after starring in Chang Cheh's seminal 1972 picture, THE BOXER FROM SHANTUNG. A film that had John Woo as an AD.
Here, Chen plays the brutally cold hearted, but whole heartedly righteous royal constable Leng. His brother also is a constable. He detests his methods of always killing and never showing mercy to criminals. He tells him in a strong scene that he "...stinks of blood". In this scene Chen showcases in very minute facial movements that he does indeed have feelings but he believes if one shows kindness to these cruel and vicious criminals, it would be their undoing. He is told on several occasions that he has no heart, but in reality he has feelings but cannot afford to let them show. In several scenes in Chen's performance, it is apparent that he really doesn't want to kill men wantonly but he knows he must lest he be killed.
During the time period the film is set, shortly after the Ming reprisals to dethrone the invading Manchu hordes had failed, the common people caught amidst all the turmoil and war were left homeless and starving. Many of these folk resorted to crime to survive. This point is mentioned by one of Leng's men who cannot understand his methods and feels pity for those less fortunate. Only when the officers take shelter in a destroyed peasant village does he realize what kindness will get you.
Throughout the pursuit, Leng's men have all been killed and Leng himself has been injured during the increasingly deadly confrontations. One scene has Leng and his few remaining men facing off against a hired assassin (Pai Piao) who uses Butterfly Swords and also a hidden wrist weapon that fires Scorpion Darts laced with venom. One of his men is hit with one of the poison needles and Leng and the assassin fight atop a giant fog enshrouded sun dial. If Leng wins, he gets the antidote and the assassins' share of the gold.
There are many great sets that are nearly always found in Shaw Brothers movies. Even in their lower tier B movies, there is always an element of quality in the set design that makes them appear more expensive than they really are. In almost every sequence, the constant grim and gloomy atmosphere is hammered home in the form of lots and lots of rain, thunder and lightning and a great wind storm.
One ominously Gothic scene has Leng limp across a battlefield amidst many arrow riddled and sword slashed bodies surrounded in fog. He finds the body of his brother resting on his knees his sword propping him up in the mud. Upon reaching him, he touches his shoulder by which he then slumps over. He was dead for some time. Suddenly a great rain storm appears again flushing away the fog surrounding Leng who then maddeningly begins slashing his sword around him yelling "KILL!" after he has discovered the insidious plot.
The finale features a bravura battle sequence filled with much blood splattering and limb severing that would appear prominently in CONAN THE BARBARIAN a couple of years later. Such scenes had been a mainstay in Shaw productions since the 60s but here, these scenes have more of a visceral impact than before.
Usually, in past films precise editing techniques were used in scenes involving people slashed with swords or other implements but here there are no cut-aways. You seen the weapon or arrow enter the body. It's obvious on a couple of occasions that the performer is wearing a plate loaded with blood bags, but by seeing the act without the editing, it adds a level of gruesomeness and savagery that adds another level of realism.
One of the most downbeat and depressing movies of any genre, this type of film was a mainstay at Shaw's. Chang Cheh started the whole concept of showing the hero as vulnerable. You would never know if he would live or die and many times his heroes would die albeit very spectacularly in adrenaline fueled bloody finales. This concept became commonplace at Shaw's. After seeing dozens of movies I had only ever heard of, I began to wonder if it was a policy at Shaw's that happy endings were not allowed!
An interesting note about this film is that the main characters are all Manchu's; the hated enemies of the Chinese after they invaded China in 1644. The thieves and robbers are actually the "good guys" for the most part. Even though Constable Leng is a righteous man, he is still a Manchu or Qing as they are also referred.
Cha shou (1981)
Another gruesome Chang Cheh bloodfest
A bloodthirsty gang of masked killers are hunted by a group martial arts masters only to become the hunted themselves. A mysterious cook (Kuo Chui) traveling with the heroes is suspecting of being a member of the devilish gang. During the finale, the gang is traced to an old temple that has now been equipped with an array of booby traps where the last bloody battle takes place.
Chang Cheh is at his bloody and gruesomely violent best here in this kung fu mystery movie. The violence is piled on thick for this super stylized comic book adventure that was winding down his Venom cycle. Almost equals Chang's FIVE ELEMENT NINJAS (1982) in terms of the elaborately staged action sequences. The finale alone is worth buying the DVD. Absolutely one of the finest pieces of martial choreography ever put to film. No comedy to be found whatsoever which resulted in this film bombing in HK what with audiences at the time wanted their kung fu funny and not at all serious. What a crime as the Venoms pull out the stops for the showdown in the deathtrap laden Buddhist temple itself a warm up for the same years HOUSE OF TRAPS.
Kuo Chui plays a similar character to Lung Tien Sheng's role in the Venom film FLAG OF IRON (1980). You're not sure if you can trust him or not or what exactly his motivations are in the film. Is he a good guy, or bad guy? Chin Su Ho is the one friend of Chui's here and the only one who trusts him. Chin, who is a bit naive, is also smart and well versed in kung fu. He repeatedly tries to get Chui's character to reveal his intentions to him as his brothers constantly berate him for trusting the suspicious cook.
Chiang Sheng plays against type here taking his role as the leader of the martial men very seriously. In most of his films he plays a comedic foil to Kuo Chui but not here. He plays it straight all the way.
Lu Feng is again on display to look menacing which he does better than any kung fu screen villain. It doesn't take a Venom fan worth his salt to figure out Lu's role here, but it's fun just the same guessing who the three masked chief's are.
The gang has three chiefs. They wear gold masks and all the members wear masks as well. The entire gang use tridents as weapons which furthers their resemblance to devil-like creatures seen in many painting depicting Hell. These killers even drink the blood (mixed with wine) of the enemies they are paid to kill. The fact that the gang all look like devils makes for a striking contrast when they take up residence inside an old temple. They even utilize numerous Buddha statues as weapons turning them into spinning wheels by which they tie their victims and use them for target practice or eject them into the air as moving targets.
Throughout Chang Cheh's vast movie-making career he has indulged in many scenes of impalements akin to what is seen in Peking Opera. Here, it's on overdrive. Some poor souls are impaled up to 7 or 8 times before they expire. This film probably holds a record for the most impalements seen in a film. Also on hand are the usual secret weapons expected in the Venoms films. The trap-filled temple at the end has enough for two movies.
A highly recommended Shaw Brother's production that should be in any kung fu fans collection.
Sheng si dou (1978)
Another Cheh Venom movie filled with secret weapons & subterfuge
A wide array of thugs and criminals are out to get an extremely valuable jade heirloom. As the kung fu master crooks converge on a meeting place, a deadly gambling game of death is played with the prize being the much coveted jade piece. Meanwhile, a famous blacksmith who no longer makes weapons of death is approached by numerous villains to design special weaponry for various characters. He is ultimately forced out of voluntary retirement to help solve the crime involving the stolen jade heirloom, the much sought after item that over a dozen villains are going to gamble their lives over.
Director Chang Cheh goes for a different approach here. This is more akin to a bloodier version of a Chu Yuan Romantic Swordsman movie with all the subterfuge going on in the film. There are constant double crosses between most of the characters. Virtually everyone is a villain of some kind. This was probably Chang's first movie to feature characters utilizing a gallery of secret weapons, thus beginning his violent comic book kung fu movies. This is essentially a Venoms film even though it was shot just before the original FIVE VENOMS (1978), it was released afterwards.
Kuo Chui is fairly restrained here as the blacksmith. Many characters push him to make weapons for them but after a double cross (which you see in a flashback) involving a specially made sword, he has sworn off making weapons of any kind. The final fight with Chui and the REAL villain of the piece is a bravura piece of choreography which showcases many different weapons at once as well as multiple attackers against one.
Lo Mang is playing against type here as a knife throwing specialist. In most all of his movies he always fights barehanded. Here, he always uses his special throwing knives, some of which have a secret use. The wig he sports for this film gives him the appearance of a Mongolian. His character is not really a bad guy, but he does try and force the blacksmith to make him some additional knives after his are stolen by one of the thieves in the story.
Fu Sheng is also on hand to lend support to this effort also playing a knife thrower who is out to kill Lo Mang's character. Both wish to see who is the best in knife throwing skills. Fu never cracks a smile in this film nor plays around at all. He's serious from beginning to end. An unusual turn from him which he would revisit in the same years AVENGING EAGLE.
And of course, Lu Feng is here portraying a sneaky villain who may or may not have seen the err of his ways over the course of the film. He ends up with a special metal hand that fires darts and also acts as a magnet after he loses a hand early in the film. This metallic appendage would soon become a pair in CRIPPLED AVENGERS released after FIVE VENOMS.
This was another extremely rare movie in that although there was a somewhat widescreen version in English floating around, the picture quality was one of the worst. Also, the first four minutes of the film (including the credits) were missing. Seeing it now in restored quality, the film is much better. Still a little slow here and there, but a far better experience. Even when the action stops for the bad guys to plot their nefarious deeds, there is much to look at. Not one of Chang's best, but it has enough good qualities and fight scenes to recommend it for both fans of the Venoms and kung fu cinema in general.
Shi san tai bao (1970)
Chang Cheh's best "Cast of thousands" movie
A Feudal lord and his 13 sons wage war against rebel invaders and enemy opposition. The two most decorated sons cause jealousy and greed amongst some of the other brothers culminating in a bloody and violent clash pitting brother against brother in one of the most famous Chinese action films ever.
Chang Cheh directs this first film in his 'cast of thousands' series of films. Comparable to Shakespearean tragedy, the film features many elements inherent in the Bards works. Cheh was known for his masculine style of movie-making which he became famous for as well as stirring up controversy about the homo-erotic undercurrents in all his films, some more subtle than others. Here, Award winning actor Ku Feng (HAVE SWORD WILL TRAVEL, VENGEANCE!) loves all his sons but pays special attentions to Chun Hsiao (Chiang) and Chun Hsu (Ti Lung). Both are the strongest and most skilled of the 13 brothers but two of the other brothers are not happy about the accolades awarded them.
One scene in particular has seven of the thirteen infiltrate an enemy encampment and attempt an assassination on a rebel leader in an effort to force their soldiers out of the area. Chun Hsiao has the plan laid out but the two jealous siblings decide to employ their own plan resulting in a massive attack with the seven brothers fighting against hundreds upon hundreds of men.
Without doubt the best scene in the whole movie is when the king (Ku Feng) is invited to a dinner with one of the Ambassadors (Chen Sing, who is secretly in cahoots with the enemy), they get him, Chun Hsu and all their men drunk and attempt to kill them all while they sleep. The plan nearly works and Chu Wan (Chen Sing) has his fortress set aflame(!) to make sure none of them escape. Not to mention employing special assassins under the "Bridge of Peace" to kill them should they make it that far. One of the most suspenseful, bloody and exciting martial arts sequences ever filmed.
The scene that led to the above described bit is also good. At the opening, an enemy general (Bolo Yeung) is slaughtering the kings men so the Ambassador demands something be done. All of his sons are assembled as the king proclaims any of his 13 can bring in the general alone. Chun Hsiao is selected by the Ambassador even though he is drunk and asleep. Chu Wan, the Ambassador, bets his royal belt from the Emperor that Chun cannot bring in the marauding General by noon. Chun bets his head in return. Anyway, Chun easily defeats the general and drags him by his neck on a rope with one arm(!) into the Palace ballroom for all to see. Everyone laughs as Chu Wan must now hand over his royal belt. He refuses so Chun cuts the belt in half telling the Ambassador, "I've left you half...be satisfied!" This is an unforgivable embarrassment for Chu and sets in motion his vendetta against the kings youngest and strongest son.
David Chiang is superb as the tough and highly skilled Chun Hsiao, the youngest of the kings 13 sons. His performance would mirror others Chiang would undertake in later Cheh martial chivalry movies. With his slight and slender build, Chiang is always shown as an extremely strong and powerful adversary taking on fighters much bigger than he. Here, he uses a very large and thick double spear. It takes two men to carry it but Chiang wields it like it was a feather. Although Chiang studied martial arts, he seldom looked believable in kung fu roles but was perfectly suited to swordplay movies. Some kung fu pictures where he does look good are SHAOLIN MANTIS, LEGEND OF THE 7 GOLDEN VAMPIRES and the non-Shaw, THE LOOT.
Ti Lung also impresses as the equally strong Chun Hsu. The aforementioned scene where he tries to get his father out of the burning castle alive amidst thousands of soldiers is one of the most thrilling action scenes period regardless of genre. This extended scene goes on for nearly 15 minutes. Ti Lung studied Wing Chun kung fu, a style Bruce Lee practiced. Ti was the more masculine of the mega popular Chiang-Lung double act. The movies these two did with Chang Cheh caused the trio to be known as 'The Iron Triangle'.
The action scenes are stupendous and for the time, were considered extremely accomplished. Seeing them now, they're slower than the films from the late 70s on, but they possess a realism lacking in the more choreographed films that (supposed) hard-core fans seem to prefer. The only mis-step in the film occurs at the finale. In an effort to not reveal too much, it involves some of the other brothers who we get to know very little about over the course of the films 120 minute running time. A highly recommended actioner with much emotion and great performances by all.
Shui jing ren (1983)
Gruesome gore in Shaw Brothers horror/swordplay hybrid
One of the craziest Shaw Brothers action movies. This one mixes Fantasy, Horror and Swordplay action that provides a wild 90 minutes of mindless weirdness about a legend of a crystal maker who spilt blood on one of his creations causing it to come to life. Members of a powerful clan begin turning up dead and the crystal maker investigates only to discover a devious plot by a Martial Clan leader to eliminate his top rival and even members of his own family.
Elements of horror permeate the movie with a Gothic flavor in nearly every scene. One of the main characters, who wears a sort of PHANTOM OF THE OPERA type mask, has a special skill with a small scepter that has a skull attached to one end. The skull emits laser-like needles that cause the victims stomach to expand and explode in a geyser of viscera. The same character also has a pipa (a sort of Chinese guitar) made of bones that, once played, causes the victims to puke to death! Another female assailant has a skill that causes people to explode and another that can set people on fire.
The final fight also features a main villain with a sword that, whatever it touches, is set on fire; even, on a couple of occasions, the air itself! The ending also features a completely naked and well endowed woman on a cross with netting wrapped all over her body that gets tighter and tighter threatening to tear through her skin. Oh, there's also an army of fighters that wear skull masks with long hair that duel with tridents. All this and MANY booby traps and dollops of gore make for a crazy viewing experience.
Very fun B level Shaw film made close to the end of their reign as the HK audiences were shying away from their period style of movie-making. Golden Harvest was doing modern style action and thrillers around this time and that's what most people wanted to see. The same exact fate that befell Hammer years earlier. The Shaws would still produce a staggering 40+ movies in 1983 but by the next year, it would drop to under 20.
Fast paced director Hua Shan, who garnered critical acclaim for his big hit thriller, THE CRIMINALS from 74, eventually settled in to directing martial arts and swordplay actioners. One of his best remembered movies is the Roger Ebert favorite THE SUPER INFRA-MAN.
Mu wu wang fa (1981)
Downbeat period action/drama precedes HK New Wave crime films
Three young graduates at a police academy (played by Pai Piao, former Venom Sun Chien and Danny Lee) become entangled in severe corruption from within the police force. The criminals the three arrest are later set free and gambling, prostitution and rampant violence continues. With the townsfolk terrified to speak out, the three friends try and stand against the corrupt head constable and the magistrate. One of the friends is murdered attempting to apprehend a vicious killer (Lo Lieh), his wife blames his closest friend for talking him into becoming an officer only to leave her a widow and an orphan. The two remaining partners decide something must be done, but then the constable kidnaps Sun's family and forces him to frame Pai's character. He is subsequently tried and put in jail.
He is brutally tortured then put into a cell with those that he had arrested. These villains take turns urinating on him and beat him senselessly. He is then placed in an isolated cell. His wife comes to see him and tells him the Imperial Envoy will be passing through and she will inform him of what has been going on. Her conversation is overheard and she is hanged by the malicious police. In one of many shocking scenes, the police arrive just before the poor woman expires, but the head constable refuses to take her down instead watching as her neck breaks. The townspeople are in an uproar and threaten to revolt.
Sun's character has a change of heart and goes to see Pai in the cell pretending to still be a traitor. A plan is set into motion to spring him and inform the Envoy upon his arrival. The killer from earlier (Lo Lieh) is released to murder Pai in his cell but he is killed instead. Pai dresses in his clothes to get out. He breaks out during a mass execution of a couple dozen prisoners and Pai escapes on a corpse ridden wagon but not before killing the head torturer.
Pai eventually gets his hands on the nasty head constable and takes the equally vile magistrate hostage. He and Sun head for the dilapidated Temple of Chivalry for the showdown. He plans to hold the magistrate there until the Envoy arrives. He does arrive but is not on the side of good as he impales Pai with a sword and laughs with the Magistrate curious if had received the gifts sent to him. Finally, Sun can take no more and he valiantly cuts down both the Envoy and the Magistrate before being riddled with arrows. He collapses and he and Pai grasp each others bloody hands before finally dying as the film ends.
The movies main theme is corruption in the government and the common people cannot fight against the system although dying for what you believe in is ultimately preferable than living as a slave to a system where the guilty are protected and the innocent are imprisoned for convenience. A very strong movie from director Yuen Ho Chuen who had directed the previous years THE FIGHTING FOOL, a kung fu comedy, the extreme polar opposite of this film. It's a shame he didn't do more serious dramatic works as he apparently only directed these two films for Shaws. This same style of cop thriller would become commonplace years later set mostly in modern times. This film was way ahead of its time. A remake was done in the 90s under the name WHAT PRICE SURVIVAL.
Wang ming tu (1972)
Excellent and action packed Shaw Brothers Spaghetti Western
Siu Lao (Lieh) and Ma Tien Piao (Feng) are bandits who ride from town to town holding up banks and killing anyone who tries to stop them using their superb and rapid fire shooting skills. When a holdup goes wrong, Siu sends Ma away with the cash and tells him that if he is caught to try and rescue him later. Siu is tortured and as time passes he realizes his sworn brother isn't coming for him instead setting up a bandit gang to carry on with murdering and banditry. Sui manages to escape and heads for Ma's encampment to settle some scores.
The film is very exciting and bloody with enough wild gun battles for at least half a dozen spaghetti's. At only 76 minutes, the film chugs along at a brisk pace and the action seldom lets up. This becomes a slight problem as very few scenes are allowed to breathe but then, action is the main attraction here. This being a lower tier Shaw movie in that it's mostly style over substance, there are some polished scenes. There's lots of well done tracking shots and the first meeting of Siu and Ma after Siu breaks out of jail is nicely done utilizing the full 'Man With A Harmonica' piece from ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST.
The opening and finale are memorable as well as Siu's jailbreak and also the scene where he is attacked by dozens of killers sent by Ma in Death Valley. There are some great locations that also ape the Italian western nicely. About the only thing I can say that's even remotely negative is that rarely does anyone ever run out of bullets. This is a constant complaint from critics in the Italian westerns but here it's way OOT. It's fine for me but someone who takes these things seriously may be put off.
Also, there is a preponderance of zoom ins and zoom outs that populate the film. Also, some may be put off by the one or two against a hundred scenario that dominates the action set pieces. This was a staple of Chang Cheh where his films would feature a near invincible hero who fought against impossible odds for honor, loyalty and brotherhood knowing full well he would in all probability be killed in battle, covered in blood, his guts spilling out fought to the last killing every attacker before he, himself succumbed to his injuries. The same thing applies here only swords have been replaced with guns.
There is also minimal use of kung fu on display. The accent is on gunplay and even these scenes are laced with kung fu or 'gun fu' to be more precise. The sets as usual for Shaw Brothers movies are meticulous and quite amazing considering they produced anywhere from 40 to 50 movies a year(!) Even the lesser Shaw movies could be counted on to have some great sets if nothing else.
Lo Lieh, as most always is very good here showcasing a nice range of emotion in this role. He is at first a criminal but has a change of heart later in the film. This being a Shaw Brothers movie, there is much tragedy on hand and Lo Lieh gets a lot of it leading up to the big battle at the end. Lo even gets his hands smashed (again) to keep him from handling a gun. A similar scene, but more violent, occurs in the first international kung fu hit KING BOXER (aka 5 FINGERS OF DEATH) from the same year. This being a Spaghetti Western done Shaw Brothers style, this sequence owes more to DJANGO (1966) I would say.
The award winning actor Ku Feng again displays another great villain role. Feng, who also would play a hero from time to time made some memorable movies playing incredibly sadistic bad guys. Here, he's a treacherous scoundrel who on several occasions tries uses lies and trickery to get out of a jam against Siu.
Sammo Hung even has a brief bit as a bandit that gets killed by Lo Lieh. He gets a couple of lines beforehand, though. It's quite interesting to see Hung in a Shaw movie considering his famous output for Golden Harvest.
Not only are various musical cues lifted from Italian oater's, but also the actors are given stubble and have a very sweaty, unclean appearance to assimilate the style of the Euro westerns. Definitely a step up from Chang Cheh's spaghetti's in terms of emulating the formula, Chang directed at least three films similar in style to spaghetti westerns--THE SAVAGE FIVE (1974), THE ANONYMOUS HEROES (1969) and THE INVINCIBLE FIST (1969) also starring Lo Lieh. All three are good films in their own right but THE FUGITIVE captures the flavor of the spaghetti's perfectly. A thrilling and action packed film for fans of both genres.
An qu (1983)
Gritty new wave crime drama from Shaw Brothers
Two policemen, one by the book, the other by any means necessary, try to topple a drug kingpin. A hit-man who is also after the dealer for a past vendetta, gets mixed up with the two cops amidst his trail of revenge. There is also a subplot concerning several young adults living in slums who are involved with robberies and plan a big armored truck heist (shades of YOUNG VIOLENT & DANGEROUS).
A late new wave entry from Shaw Brothers when they were crumbling from the massive crippling their long time rival Golden Harvest had administered with their modern style thrillers and jaw droppingly dangerous stunt filled movies. By the time Shaw's had began experimenting with new wave cinema styles, it was too late. It's a shame, because this a damn fine, gritty crime thriller with some surprisingly dangerous stunts that rival almost anything that Jacky Chan, Sammo Hung and Yuen Biao were doing over at Golden HArvest.
My favorite HK actor and one of the original 5 DEADLY VENOMS, Lo Mang, plays the hot-headed police Sergeant out to bust a local drug lord who runs his operations from a high rise in HKs business district. But his level-headed superior (played by Mu Kui Wai) wants to take the criminal kingpin (played by Wong Yung) down legally. Later in the film, the good cop realizes that you can't always go by the book when dealing with vicious crooks and thugs.
There is a subplot involving some young punks and their criminal exploits to get rich quick and stow away for America. It all ends badly for them during an exciting car chase and bang up. One of two such scenes. This subplot is very reminiscent of the Italian movie YOUNG VIOLENT & DANGEROUS. Chen Pei-Hsi (5 ELEMENT NINJAS 1982) is almost unrecognizable as the ill-fated girlfriend of one of the young thugs.
Frequent kung fu actor Jason Pai Piao plays the supposedly dead hit-man who has returned from Thailand to settle the score with the crime boss and his cohorts (one of which is played by screen heavy Li Hai Sheng). Pai Piao obviously pumped up a bit for this movie and during the action packed 20 minute stunt filled shoot-out, Pai dresses up a bit like Bronson from DEATH WISH 2. Also, it appears Pai has gone the extra mile and done most, if not all his own stunts. Several of them are extremely impressive. Pai pretty much steals the movie from everyone else and he takes a LOAD of PUNISHMENT throughout the movie. You really want to see him kill the bad guy.
There is so much going on in this movie. The bravura 20 minute action set piece in the warehouse is worth the DVD alone. It's a shame the movie going public in HK had, by this time, turned their backs on Shaw Brothers movies deeming them old-fashioned. The same thing having happened to Hammer a few years prior. This movie grossed around 3 million in HK while stunt-laden comedy films from Chan, Hung and Biao (PROJECT A for example released the same year) were grossing around 15-20 million.
This film did win an award at the 28th Annual Asia Pacific Awards for Best Editing.
Jin bi tong (1979)
Colorful comic book violence from Chang Cheh
An escort service must transport a large shipment of gold to a famine stricken location. A number of martial artists are also on hand as it is learned that the dreaded Death Valley Gang, led by Golden Arm (Lo Mang) plan to intercept them and steal the gold for themselves. Another villain, Iron Feet, waits in the wings for the opportune moment to strike.
Another of Chang Cheh's comic book laced adventures. This one is especially colorful with every character having his own signature color. The fights are plentiful as the evil gang battles them or simply leaves deadly poison traps for the heroes to fall into. This is one of the most beloved entries by fans. I never cared much for this movie as the only print available was a badly cut TV version. Seeing it now in its new uncut, remastered and widescreen glory, it's much better but I still wouldn't call it a favorite as so many others do. Supposedly, Celestial has a scene out of sequence in this Chinese version. The same scene is featured differently in the US cut. Either way, it's not distracting and it's not noticeable if you've never seen the English dub version.
Lo Mang is excellent as the righteous villain Golden Arm. His arms are invulnerable to weapons attacks but his body is not. His final fight between the Drunk, Hai To (Kuo Chui) is a highlight as well as the late appearance of the villain Iron Feet, who is discussed several times by various characters during the film. Lo could successfully portray heroes or villains. He played a lot of both throughout his 30+ year career.
Kuo Chui is also memorable as always as the sheriff Hai To (pronounced 'toe') who drinks in nearly every scene he is in. His near constant confrontations with Swordsman Li (Wei Pai) are quite amusing. Pai's character could be viewed as a parody of Chang's heroes seen in his many bloody chivalry movies during the late 60s thru the 70s. He is the epitome of the stubborn, arrogant and righteous hero whose doom is foretold early on.
Chiang Sheng and Sun Shu Pei are also funny as Long Axe and Short Axe. The two are in constant competition over who kills the most bad guys. These two are involved in the best fight scene in the entire film. The duel between Short Axe and Silver Spear (Lu Feng).
The other gang members are the above mentioned Silver Spear who uses trick spear weapons as well as a waist belt armed with smaller spear projectiles, Iron Robe (Wang Lung Wei) whose coat is made of Iron and he also uses an Iron Fan with tips like razors. Brass Head (Yang Hsung) wears a lethal head piece as well as his great strength. There's another gang called the Seven Hooks and an assassin known as the Black Sand Palm among the many characters.
This is probably Chang's most comic styled movie. Not just in the colors, but the extravagant characters as well as their weapons and outfits. Truly a comic book come to life. The gore is also OTT and gives the film a comic book feel. Some of the death scenes of the characters are simply outrageous and if you've never seen any of Chang Cheh's films from this time period, you'll be amazed by what you see.
A very enjoyable movie whose recent restoration adds immensely to the viewing experience.
Chong xiao lou (1982)
Chang Cheh's final OFFICIAL Venom movie
In an effort to usurp the throne away from his Uncle, a villainous nephew conspires against him. A list of all those loyal to the nephew is compiled and placed inside a deathtrap filled pagoda for safe keeping. To pledge their loyalty to the cause, several national treasures are robbed by various thieves and placed in the House of Traps. A judge is sent out to investigate the nephew. Along the way, he is attacked by assassins to prevent the truth from being revealed. A handful of heroic secret avengers eventually join the fight to eliminate the villains and reclaim the stolen goods from the House of Traps.
The final official Venom movie is a fun and often times bloody adventure. At this point in Chang's career he was apparently having a ball directing these comic book styled movies filled with elaborate weaponry and creative, gory scenes of violence. It's a shame the HK movie-going public didn't feel the same way. It was also apparent with Chang's succeeding films, the budgets were getting smaller with the ambitiousness of these later films hampered by the dwindling funds Shaw's were allotting him.
The film is still a lot of fun. The centerpiece is the House of Traps itself with its many deadly snares. With each time someone dares to tread inside, more of the house's dangers are revealed. Also of note are the many intricate and wild weaponry on display. One of the best is an Umbrella that masquerades as a large drill and a claw-like weapon that conceals a cord that enables a man to move from one rooftop to the next. Also the costumes do not adhere to any known style of clothing from the time period. Chang once said reality did not interest him and this is most obvious in these later films from 1978 thru 1982.
Sadly, with this being the final Venom film to feature the bulk of the original actors, the combatants don't get to intermingle very often. Only two, Kuo Chui as the Black Fox and Lu Feng as Butterfly Hua get to mix it up a bit. The two of them both play thieves who constantly try to one up the other to show their loyalty to the young usurper. Chui steals the show as the smart ass Black Fox and may or not be a secret agent also sent to look into the actions of the nephew.
Wang Li, one of the 'Baby Venoms' as called by fans, doesn't get to show off his skills until the finale and the kicker of the Venoms, Sun Chien doesn't fight at all instead he plays the judge that is masquerading as a scholar investigating the case. Lung Tien Sheng who impressed as the Spearman in FLAG OF IRON (1980) doesn't get to do much till the end. Chu Ko, Chiang Sheng, Cheng Tien Chi, Chin Su Ho and Yu Tai Peng play the Five Rats who enter the film as undercover heroes. While there is action throughout, the bulk of it doesn't come until the finale.
This film was very rare as the only way to see it until now was a tattered fullscreen tape with English subs that were barely legible. The new remastered DVD of course, looks great. An enjoyable film with an interesting premise, exotic weapons, the usual great fights and a nice smattering of gore.