VENGEANCE IS A GOLDEN BLADE (1969)

VENGEANCE IS A GOLDEN BLADE (1969)

VENGEANCE IS A GOLDEN BLADE (1969) is a movie totally worthy of a remake with the only improvement necessary being the martial arts choreography. The original production was done by Sir Run Run Shaw, himself. The Maury Povich / Jerry Springer type story was written by Tu Yun-Chih and Ho Meng-Hua and is directed by Ho Meng-Hua. Let's get busy. 

Li Zhishan returns home to an ambush by a rival security escort service. Long Zhentian and his brothers robbed their own charge and were discovered and thereby went out of business. They blame Li Zhishan and his Golden Dragon Blade escort service and go after him for "revenge". With Li Zhishan wife's, Yuexiang help (yes, you read that correctly) they succeed in stealing the Golden Dragon Blade, wounding him seriously enough to ruin his kung fu and they run him out of his own home. It is only with the help of his faithful servant Li Sheng that he and his toddler daughter, Li Xiaoyan escape and go on the run. But Long Zhentian and his brothers are not satisfied. They want Li Zhishan killed dead and will not rest until it is so.  

VENGEANCE IS A GOLDEN BLADE (1969) is brilliantly casted with Li Zhishan embodied by the sorrowful Tang Ching. Long Zhentian is played by the questionable Lee Pang-Fei. Mrs. Li Yuexiang is played with the proper sense of entitlement by veteran actress / director / producer Kao Pao-Shu. Li Sheng the faithful servant is fittingly played by Pang Pang and Li Xiaoyan is the all grown up fiercely loyal daughter by Chin Ping.

HONORABLE MENTION: Yueh Hua and Ku Wen-Chung play a pair that is a grandson and grandfather and Sammo Hung Kam-Bo is an extra in two different scenes as two different people. 

FIGHT TIME: VENGEANCE IS A GOLDEN BLADE (1969) is directed by Ho Meng-Hua the veteran director who, this time out, did not use a action choreographer and unfortunately it shows in some of the action. Nevertheless the action is only a bit flawed and is totally acceptable for the time period. I counted nine (9) fight scenes in this action-packed movie but you watch this one for the story.

HONORABLE MENTION: none 

One of the most difficult reviews to write is one where the story is jaw-dropping at some point and you are dying to discuss it with someone but you have to write the review assuming your audience has not seen the movie and you certainly do not want to spoil it for them. VENGEANCE IS A GOLDEN BLADE (1969) is one such movie. The wife says something at the beginning of the movie and you immediately thing of her in one way. After you have watched the movie, having thought no more about the statement she made, you go "oooohh, that what she meant" and suddenly she becomes a very different and perhaps a little more interesting character if not more sympathetic. I absolutely recommend VENGEANCE IS A GOLDEN BLADE (1969) for all audiences and collectors, 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 SWORDMATES (1969)

KILLER DARTS (1968)

KILLER DARTS (1968)

Producer Sir Run Run Shaw continues with his direction of using his stable of beautiful actresses to headline his movies choosing the lovely and capable Chin Ping to star in KILLER DARTS (1968). Killer Darts is written by Tun Yun-Chih [who also wrote Golden Swallow (1968)] and is directed by veteran Ho Meng-Hua. Let's check it out.

Master Liu Wen-Lung and his student: Hu Chi-Feng galloped furiously back toward their burning village. There Master Liu finds his wife mortally wounded but thankfully his servant has saved his son Liu Lu-Long from any harm. The bandit chief Chau Chiu had wiped out the entire village hoping to kill Master Liu for interfering with his evil activities but Master Liu had been away. Now Master Liu was determined to hunt down Chau Chiu and exact justice. Master Liu Wen-Lung and Hu Chi-Feng set out and before too long catch up with Chau Chiu and his small group of bandits, Hu Chi-Feng takes care of the other bandits while Master Liu and the bandit chief Chau Chiu fight a duel. It is not looking good for Master Liu when he suddenly uses the killer darts striking Chau Chiu on his sword arm. Chau Chiu severs his own wounded arm and escapes on his horse vowing to see Master Liu again. Returning to what remains of their village Master Liu and Hu Chi-Feng gather up a few belongings along with Master Liu's servant Ah Fu and his son Liu Lu-Long vowing to search the ends of the earth for bandit chief Chau Chiu to take revenge for his murdered wife.

They search for three years with there being no sign of the bandit chief. One day they stop at a well to use the water. Hu Chi-Feng is very much taken by a woman at the well who is minding her own business just washing her family's clothes. He decides to return to the well and rape the woman, killing her husband in the attempt. Her cries for help are answered by Master Liu who wounds his own student and orders him to commit suicide. Instead he uses a killer dart to murder the woman and makes his escape severing ties with his teacher. 

Meanwhile the couples' young daughter, Jin Yu-Sien, comes across her mother's slowing dying body. Her mom manages to tell her to keep the dart safely as a means to identify her killer and one day get revenge. Ah Fu befriends Jin Yu-Sien and persuades her to take his master as her kung fu teacher so she may avenge her parents. Neither Ah Fu nor Master Liu tell Yu-Sien all the details of her parents murder. Eventually Master Liu and his new family settle down in a village with kindness meeting kindness. More than ten years pass by and Master Liu is quite pleased with the progress his students have made with the Ching Hung Sword's 36 styles. He is ready to pass on to them its deadly secret and then, bandits come to the village...

Fang Mian plays Master Liu Wen-Lung of the Ching Hung Sword. I have noticed on some number of films he is cast as the older, genteel kung fu master of the gifted student that becomes the hero of the story. In KILLER DARTS (1968) however, all of the students are his. Most interesting of his students is Chang Pei-Shan's character Hu Chi-Feng whose perception of his teacher's morals certainly deserves further scrutiny but I know of no literary source for this story so I guess we will never know. I have also noticed that Chang Pei-Shan is often cast as the disgruntled student but he plays them quite well and is so believable he is easy not to like. The lovely Chin Ping gets top billing and is cast as Jin Yu-Sien: the character learning kung fu for revenge. She is careful not to play this character with too much confidence or maturity like her character in the Temple of The Red Lotus Trilogy. So I buy into her character's actions, even when they are not exactly correct.

HONORABLE MENTION: Yueh Hua is the obligatory male hero Liu Yu-Long, son of Master Liu, Ma Ying is the big baddie, Chou Chao"the Evil One". Shen Yi plays a competing love interest to add a little drama to the kung fu revenge story and Peng Peng once again plays a faithful servant. 

FIGHT TIME: Here we go once again in my favorite part of the movie review. I counted six (6) full fights scenes spread throughout the one hour and twenty-four minute movie and with the many interesting subplots, they left no room for boredom. There was no one credited for fight choreography for KILLER DARTS (1968), however someone quite deliberately was very generous with the amount of under-cranking used and it was calibrated quite carefully giving the techniques a smoother look that I imagine in 1968 must have been very impressive. Chin Ping held her own but Yueh Hua was the best fighter in the movie. I must say though, The 36 Styles of the Ching Hung School could have been a bit more prominent in the plot considering the finale, but that it wasn't did not ruin the movie. Very good job!

KILLER DARTS (1968) is a fine production worthy of the SHAW BROTHERS name and I wholeheartedly recommend it for casual viewers and collectors alike. 

NEXT UP: THE BELLS OF DEATH (1968)

GOLDEN SWALLOW (1968)

GOLDEN SWALLOW (1968)

GOLDEN SWALLOW (1968) is the sequel to King Hu's  masterpiece COME DRINK WITH ME (1966) by virtue of the lead character of COME DRINK WITH ME being the love interest and being played by the same actress, the lovely Cheng Pei-pei. However the character Golden Swallow is not the main character of the movie bearing her name. That honor goes to Silver Roc played by the very talented Jimmy Wang Yu. The co-writer and director of the sequel this time is Chang Cheh  (spelled here Chang Cheuh). The action scenes are arranged by a new team as well: Tang Chia and Liu Chia-liang.



Since the events in COME DRINK WITH ME, Golden Swallow has become somewhat of a savior to the downtrodden people of an unnamed village and is quite charitable. Her enemies lay in wait for her expecting her to help a lady with children in dire need. She does indeed show up and leaves money for the needy family. Her enemies use this time to attack her with poison darts and, after striking her with one, move in for the kill. However just in time a friend of hers, Golden Whip steps in and cripples all of her attackers and threatens to kill them if they do not give him the antidote to the poison. He brings her back to his home at a remote valley to recover and during that time they develop a strong bond.

 Next we see Silver Roc traveling on horseback on a seemly remote road along some mountains. Above him some warriors are setting up an ambush for him to do nothing but kill him. After wiping them out in grand style he comes atop a mountain and looks down and sees Golden Swallow, Golden Whip and his friend Flying Fox sitting around rather friendly like. He ponders the situation a second and then pulls out one of her golden swallow darts with an idea clearly on his face. Silver Roc decides to mass murder despicable villains and leave her dart behind implicating her as the murderer! Cue up Tina Turner's  "What's Love Got To Do With It?"

Jimmy Wang Yu as Silver Roc Xiao Pang is as twisted a hero as you will ever find, but you know what? When they come for him we root for him from the bottom of our hearts!

Cheng Pei-pei's portrayal of Golden Swallow Xie Ru Yan is very good once again but this time she plays her character very much as a girl and not the rugged military trained fighter tomboy from her previous movie. This time she is not the governor's special envoy but another female fighter wandering the jiang hu and fighting for justice. Lo Lieh as Golden Whip Han Tao also opts for a softer interpretation of the characters that he usually plays and he has a quirk against killing but maiming for life is okay (?). Wu Ma plays Golden Whip's old classmate Flying Fox Hu Zhen and Yeung Chi-Hing is the big bad villain that shows up after the movie is half over once again. Future Star Gazing: seen in this movie are: Ku Feng, Liu Chia-Liang, Liu Chia-Yung, and a scruffy David Chaing.

Fight time, yeah!! So, I count six fight scenes in GOLDEN SWALLOW which, from my judgment, is a good amount leaving very little chance for boredom here. This is the first movie I am reviewing with the team of Tang Chia and Liu Chia-liang (although it may not be their earliest work together) and the first difference I noticed, from the other four films I have reviewed, is the change of focus from "one on one fights" to "one versus many opponents battles". This makes the overall look of the fights are not as tight as the other fights I have seen. Basically the difference is in the techniques which have gone "from point and line" to "point and circle". The techniques the fighters are using (with the interesting exception of Golden Swallow's techniques) swing about in an arc whether they hit or miss their intended targets. This method allows for as many as four opponents to be felled with one strike. In addition to the arcing techniques, the camera is often so close to the action as to obscure the details of the fight, which, to be brutally honest, I do not like. What is worth the price of the admission is the sheer number of people Silver Roc manages to kill, it is absolutely incredible! As for Golden Swallow's techniques they are still mostly one to one techniques but are more girlish and now instead of keeping her twin daggers stealthy in her boots she wears both of them on her belt.

In conclusion, GOLDEN SWALLOW (1968) could have easily been named: WHAT HAPPENS WHEN A PATHOLOGICAL SERIAL KILLER HAS A CRUSH ON YOU. Kudos to co-writers Chang Cheh and tu Yun Chih on the screenplay. What a sad, twisted hero Silver Roc is but a master-swordsman of the highest caliber.The movie is definitely a must see mostly because of the plot but please, bring a strong stomach.

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 KNIGHT OF KNIGHTS (1966)