THE CHINESE BOXER (1970) #056

THE CHINESE BOXER (1970)

Producer Runme Shaw gives Jimmy Wang Yu his first chance to write and direct his own movie and the wuxia genre and the world will never be the same again. Action directing master Tang Chia is on board to add seasoning to this new style of wuxia and as we all know -- it was a hit, pulling in over 2 million Hong Kong dollars on its November 27, 1970 debut! Let's get busy!

Diao-erh is one of those village bullies that is more annoying than dangerous. A small petty man with countless grudges and a warped sense of entitlement. But sooner or later everyone gets to feel that enough is enough and so the entire village petitioned to exile Diao-erh from among them so he had to leave. Diao-erh ended up traveling to Japan and studied hard to learn the art of Judo, but only the physical techniques. When Diao-erh returned to the village he singled out the village kung fu school thinking he would get a little competition but little did he expect he would lose.

Diao-erh's defeat at the Zhongyi Martial Arts School did not set well with him. Before the dust even settled on his judogi he threatened to bring karate experts back with him in one month's time for revenge. And in one month's time Diao-erh is true to his word bringing with him three karate trained killers to the Zhongyi Martial Arts School with the intention of not leaving a single one of them alive. 

Fortunately Diao-erh was unsuccessful in leaving no survivors. One of the survivors of that slaughter, Lei Ming was determined to get vengeance for his teacher and his fellow classmates. Master Li Chun-Hai of the Zhongyi Martial Arts School had always lectured on the various martial arts of the world. Lei Ming remembered what his sifu had taught them on what would beat karate. Lei Ming remembered and trained. Vengeance was coming, and it was coming for Diao-erh and his karate friends.  

CAST REPORT

the good: Jimmy Wang Yu as Lei Ming. Wang Ping as Li Xiao Ling.

Fang Ming as Master Li Chun-Hai. Cheng Lui as Cheung Da Lung. Wang Kuang-Yu as Suen Tung.

the bad: Lo Lieh as Master Kita. Chiu Hung as Diao-erh. Wang Chung as Tanaka. Chen Sing as Ishihara. 

HONORABLE MENTION: Wong Ching, Tung Li, Yuen Wo-Ping, Chen Kuan-Tai, Jason Pai Piao, and Yuen Cheung-Yan have small roles.

FIGHT TIME: THE CHINESE BOXER (1970) is fight directed by Tang Chia.  I counted nine (9) fight scenes including the finale with some of the fights containing authentic Japanese and Okinawan martial arts. This is the first Shaw Brothers movie in the wuxia genre that specialized in unarmed martial arts in Asia and as such is very collectible. With the whole world loving this film and the action in it, my opinion pales in comparison, time for silence.

HONORABLE MENTION: Chen Sing getting down in his Okinawan Goju stances, just too cool!

RECOMMENDATION: "Mama told me there'd be movies like this!"

THE CHINESE BOXER (1970) is a movie that is a lot of "firsts" to its name but it is also the last movie Jimmy Wang Yu made for Shaw Brothers Studios.  Perhaps the reason why it is not mentioned all that often is because it was not the last of anything for Jimmy Wang Yu nor for Shaw Brothers Studios. They both went on from their separate ways to do great things from this accomplishment forward. This movie is one of the very many classic (and collectible) productions from Shaw Brothers that needs no one's recommendation, so just get out and enjoy this one by hook or by crook, and I'll see you next time!

  

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NEXT UP: THE SINGING KILLER (1970)

THE SWORDMATES (1969)

THE SWORDMATES (1969)

THE SWORDMATES (1969) is a short uncomplicated film that was probably intended as the second film of a double feature. Runme Shaw produced this movie that has two directors (Cheung Ying and Poon Fan) and two Script writers (Poon Fan and Chin Ko) but no action directors. Let's get busy.

There's not much work for me here as the producers have provided a plot summary for the audience on screen but, for the sake of convenience, I will reproduce it here.

"In the dawn of the 15th century during the reign of the Ming Emperor Zheng De, the ambitious King An Hua of Ning Xia province conspired with the neighboring Ai Xin Jue Luo Tribe to overthrow the reign of the Ming. The details of their scheme were hidden in a jade statue of the goddess of mercy: Guan Yin for information transmission. 

Governor Lin intercepted the statue en route and commissioned a dexterous swordmate named Yan-Niang to deliver it to the capitol. Panic stricken, the plotters use all their resources in a desperate attempt to recover the statue. It is against this background that our story is set. " 

CAST REPORT:

The good : Chin Ping as Li Yan-Niang, for sure, the star of the show, with only one other cast member seeming to be having as much fun as she was. Chung Wah as Chao Ying-Chieh, Huang Chung-Hsin as Li Fei-Lung,

The bad : Wang Hsieh as Wang Tian-Piao, Yeung Chi-Hing as Iron Claws Wang Ying, eating up the screen, having a lot of fun this time around as, once again, the great big bad guy! Chiu Hung as Second Brother, Wang Kuang-Yu as Third Brother, Law Hon as Fat Jin-Gang

HONORABLE MENTION: James Tien Chuen and Sammo Hung Kam-Bo as stuntmen / extras

FIGHT TIME: THE SWORDMATES (1969) has no action director credited but is action-packed with eight (8) fight scenes by my count. The fights are surprisingly smooth and easy to follow so one of the directors may have martial arts experience. The quality of the fights are state of the art for 1969 which leaves no reason for them to not be enjoyed.

HONORABLE MENTION: Both Chin Ping and Yeung Chi-Hing performed their techniques with the appropriate enthusiasm for maximum enjoyment. Yeah.   

For what it is, THE SWORDMATES (1969) is fine entertainment for casual viewers of Shaw Brothers and wuxia movies and may be of interest for people collecting the complete works of Sammo Hung Kam-Bo as he is used at least two different times as two different extras in this film. See you next time!

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NEXT UP: THE GOLDEN SWORD (1969)

DRAGON SWAMP (1969)

DRAGON SWAMP (1969)

DRAGON SWAMP (1969) is Runme Shaw's production of a fascinating fantasy / wuxia tale from the fertile mind of director and script writer Lo Wei. Using the captivating canvass of the Shaw Brothers beauty Cheng Pei Pei, Lo Wei and make-up artist Fong Yuen add a wonderful dimension to what otherwise had been another "they stole my magic sword" wuxia tale. Let's take a look. 

The JADE DRAGON SWORD is a coveted treasured sword from the Shangzhou Dynasty. Unfortunately, after being used to murder an enlightened personage that was a reincarnation of the holy Buddha it became cursed. Whoever attempts to own the sword is possessed with a madness and their family is fated to be broken. The sword came to be trusted to the Taoist Lingshan Chunyang Monastery. 

Under the current abbot, Master Fan Chung Yun, the Jade Dragon Sword was stolen by Tang Dachuan the White-Faced General. Tang Dachuan seduced Master Fan's student Fan Ying, a 17-year-old impressionable young girl who betrayed everyone and everything she knew for the "love and kindness" of the sweet-talking devil. Three years and two children later (not to mention a certain Jade Dragon Sword) the two lovers hiding place is discovered by Master Fan. Tang Dachuan escapes with the older child and leaves behind Fan Ying and the younger child. Master Fan recovers the Jade Dragon Sword and punishes Fan Ying to a twenty year banishment in the Dragon Swamp but he takes the youngest child with him to raise in his monastery.  

20 years later, a grown up Qing Erh practices the 8 diagram steps at the Jingang Pagoda unaware that she is being observed but when it is discovered that the Jade Dragon Sword has once again been stolen Qing Erh suspects that she is the one responsible for the thief's ability to walk the correct steps to get the sword. She sneaks out of the monastery determined to reclaim the sword for her teacher and ask for his forgiveness. It is not the sword, however, but her face that sets up the incidents that become a fascinating adventure for the young girl and for us. 

DRAGON SWAMP (1969) has an all-star cast but Cheng Pei Pei owns this movie with a duel performance as Fan Ying and her daughter Qing Erh. I have no idea why this movie is not every bit the classic as Come Drink With Me (1966). She nails both roles very convincingly. Director and scriptwriter Lo Wei plays the big good Master Fan Chung Yu and Huang Chung-Hsin plays the big bad Tang Dachuan the white-faced general. Yueh Hua is Roaming Knight Xi Zheng Yuan and Lo Lieh is Head of Security Yu Chiang.

HONORABLE MENTION: Sammo Hung Kam-Bo rises from extra to bit part as "gambler at Chiang's party". 

FIGHT TIME: Sorry, but I found no one credited with the action direction for this film. Although both Lee Siu-Pang and Han Ying-Chieh, (both capable action directors at the time), are in this film neither one is credited anywhere as action directors for this movie. That said, I counted are six (6) full fight scenes and I have learned that that's plenty of action for this time period. The scenes are also pretty well done but I have notice the debut of the concentric circles clock-counter-clock stuntman-go-round that the extras do while waiting for their turn to die in fight scenes and I can't help but smile.

HONORABLE MENTION: As I mentioned before, Sammo Hung Kam-Bo rises from stuntman extra to bit part as "gambler at Chiang's party".  

As I said before,  I have no idea why this movie is not more well known. As famous as Cheng Pei Pei is, DRAGON SWAMP (1969) is a tour de force of Cheng Pei Pei's acting skills as we see her in her 20's 40's and looking like she is in her 60's.   Fong Yuen absolutely deserves another mention as the make-up artist and Lo Wei has indeed whipped up another fascinating story but it is Cheng Pei Pei's acting skills that sell her characters in all their different stages. Bravo to Cheng Pei Pei for giving the Shaw Brothers another classic film that is also epic. Yes, by all means, see it, buy it, borrow it but sorry, no stealing. 

When people summarily dismiss martial art movies from the 1960's, I understand. The level of personal skills that Bruce Lee brought to the movie world raised the bar for every single movie industry in existence. Yet, if you discard our history like that, what of movies like this? We are not better off for not having seen this movie. I am glad however to witness a movement to not only own these classics but to watch them as well. I am also humbled to be able to do my part by blogging these reviews. Good or bad, like or not, let's keep watching. See you next time. 

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NEXT UP: THE FLYING DAGGER (1969)

DEATH VALLEY (1968)

DEATH VALLEY (1968)

Sir Run Run Shaw brings back writer/director Lo Wei fresh off his hit film BLACK BUTTERFLY (1968) and Lo Wei delivers DEATH VALLEY (1968) a twisted tale of ambition filled with interesting characters. Han Ying-Chieh spices up the drama as the action choreographer his previous work for Shaw Brothers being COME DRINK WITH ME (1966) also as action choreographer. Let's check out the plot. 

Chiu Jien Ying has lived in Chiu Mansion located in Death Valley with her uncle Master Chiu and his students. Even though she is not the best martial artist there (that honor goes to Master Chiu's body guard, Lau Yuen Hawk) she is still the most senior and so, even though she is female, she had reasoned that her uncle, as he was getting on in his years, would eventually leave all his assets to her, being the only blood relative living in the mansion.

Unfortunately Master Chiu has sent for his nephew, Chiu Yu Lung, to "take over his affairs" and has no intention of turning over anything to Chiu Jien Ying, as she is "after all a girl". Shortly after having this conversation with her uncle Jien Ying persuades her lover and classmate Lam Hung to go along with her assassination plot involving Lau Yuen Hawk, her uncle's body guard. When Lam Hung voices misgivings about trusting such a skilled martial artist with this plan she tells Lam "Let me handle him" What Jien Ying has in mind is to handle yet another man in her life, her childhood friend Jin Fu, a famous swordsman known as "The Cold-faced Master", and the owner of an equally famous sword. Handling all of these men is how Chiu Jien Ying plans to get what she wants. 

Chiu Yu Lung is headed to Chiu Mansion in Death Valley to help his Uncle settle his affairs as his uncle, Master Liu is getting on in years. On his way there Yu Lung has several chance meetings with thugs, cheats, an impressionable young man and a master swordsman named Jin Fu. In cementing his friendship with Jin Fu, Yu Lung exchanges weapons with him because, in part, of Jin Fu's gratitude for Yu Lung saving Jin Fu's life from an ambush. This sword Yu Lung receives from Jin Fu returns Yu Lung's favor by causing a case of mistaken identity that allows Yu Lung to discover Jien Ying's plot to take his life. From here it gets verrry interesting. 

Angela Yu Chien is cast as the star of our show, Chiu Jien Ying a "girl" wronged or no? You decide. Yueh Hua is Chiu Yu Lung a very, very, very lucky man. Chen Hung-Lieh is Jin Fu a "heroic" swordsman to whom killing is not a problem. Chen Hung-Lieh is perfectly cast as "The Cold-faced Master, we rarely see Chen Hung-Lieh cast as a good guy.

HONORABLE MENTION: Lee Kwan as Er Toe Chi bringing a well welcomed comic relief to DEATH VALLEY (1968). 

FIGHT TIME: Han Ying-Chieh is the action director for DEATH VALLEY (1968) I think we all remember him as the "why did you kill my teacher" guy in CHINESE CONNECTION (1972) and I sort of forgot he was also an action director. His choreography is not bad if you can understand what I mean by, wild but still detailed. There is also some under-cranking in spots but over-all he is "par for the course" in terms of 60's action scenes. I counted seven (7) fight scenes in a very interesting movie that is thoroughly enjoyable. Nothing to be disappointed about.

HONORABLE MENTION: You can spot SAMMO HUNG KAM-BO as a stuntman in the early part of the film. Yes, I included a screenshot. 

DEATH VALLEY (1968) is a very entertaining production and I don't who is responsible for the cheese cake or as it is called in anime circles fan-service but I can't say it didn't add to the main plot of the film. I mean, I don't know about murder, but I certainly would be "motivated" to cooperate with her on a "special project". So, yes I am wholly recommending DEATH VALLEY (1968) for viewing by fans and collectors alike! See you next time!

If you liked this review please comment on the blog, become a follower of the blog, join me on my Facebook account by sending me a message first and then a friend request so I know who I am friending (  https://www.facebook.com/Michael529P   ) and like my Facebook page: SHAW Brothers Kung Fu Movies 1965-1986. I thank you and would appreciate it very much!

NEXT UP: THE JADE RAKSHA (1968)