Ying Ke-Feng, head of Peerless Manor, is an expert swordsman whose escort business transports 200,000 taels of silver to the capital each year. This year, however, he is afflicted with an infirmity that renders him unable to use his sword. Rather than give up this important commission and let the martial world know of his precarious health he means to entrust the consignment to two young knights in his manor, Hsiang Ting and Yun Piao-Piao. As it happens, these two are also betrothed; clearly they have their swordsmanship in common. At Peerless Manor, everyone is suspicious of malevolent strangers who may be sniffing around the silver transport. So when Le I appears astride a high-quality charger but otherwise clearly down on his luck, Hsiang Ting thinks Le I may be a spy for the bad guys in the Flying Tiger Manor. It doesn't help that Le I and Yun Piao-Piao hit it off right away. Even or especially when Le I saves Yun Piao-Piao from a Flying Tiger thug, Hsiang is not assuaged. Yun Piao-Piao is torn, though it seems that a certain sisterly compassion finally wins the day when she arranges to reunite Le I with his horse. It's a cute horse, and Le I seems rather attached … When the silver convoy passes by a pagoda that happens to house the Flying Tiger gang, Chiao Hung, the Flying Tiger chief, tries to steal the shipment. To win the day, Hsiang and Le must fight together, despite their mutual disaffection. Not surprisingly due to the title, this Shaw Brothers film features TONS of magnificent swordplay. In fact, it's among the best of the genre when it comes to the choreography in the fight scenes–it's top notch. And, while I am not a huge fan of 'wire-fu' (making characters fly about in impossible ways using invisible wires and lifts), these were also handled well. The only shortcoming is a typical one–as the plot is a bit simple and the characters a bit one-dimensional…or at least most of them.<br/><br/>Master Ying Ke-Feng is an incredible swordsman–so incredible that he's entrusted with the job of transporting silver. However, what his enemies don't yet know is that he is ill and cannot do the job. So, he has his two best students, Siang (who is a bit of an idiot) and Piau Piau lead the procession. Not surprisingly, there are a group of baddies (the Flying Tiger gang) who plan on intercepting the shipment. The balance could be shifted one way or the other if an amazing swordsman, Lo (David Chiang), joins either side. As for the baddies, they are quite eager to procure his services. But Lo is a terrific guy–and seems very captivated by the beautiful Piau Piau. What will happen in the end? Yup…a giant free-for-all battle between good and evil! Throughout most of the movie, Siang behaves stupidly–distrusting and mistreating poor 'ol Lo at every turn. This became a bit tiresome after a while, but the initial one-upsmanship scene between them (involving candles and chopsticks) is a classic–and a lot of fun to watch. Perhaps this is because Siang is also in love with Piau Piau and is worried Lo might put the moves on her. All I know is that it's hard not to like Lo–and pretty easy to dislike Siang–even if he is playing for the good guys. Overall, the film works exceptionally well because Lo is a cool character (with some depth) and the fight scenes are done so well. This one packs a few surprises at the end as well–making it a must-see for lovers of the genre. Highly entertaining swordplay picture from Chang Cheh, scripted by I Kuang. David Chiang and Ti Lung are both well-cast. For once, the love story part even adds something – stay tuned for one of the best oh-so-THAT'S-what-you-two-are-up-to flashes ever committed to film. Great action repays a couple of viewings.
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365 weeks ago