Had a more thorough discussion on Dragon Swamp. Going to do a series of these to celebrate Cheng Pei-Pei (we are leaning on continuing with Jade Raksha, then The Shadow Whip and ending with Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon).
We covered Jade Raksha in a full discussion. Highly recommend watching this movie. I am hoping to go over The Golden Sword and Raw Courage myself for some short podcast and then hopefully re-watch the rest of her Shaw Brothers filmography. When I finish I may finalize my rankings a little more. So far it has been really wonderful to revisit these films.
This isn't a Chen Pei-Pei movie but I didn't want to start a whole new thread (I will probably have some more Cheng Pei-Pei thoughts posted soon though). But did a review of The Lady Assassin recently (you can see the whole review here). It is a very solid film, but the director of Holy Flame of the Martial World and Bastard Swordsman. Stars Norman Chu and Leanne Lau Suet-Wah. It is set in the reigns of the 4th and 5th Qing Dynasty Emperors, and involves palace intrigue over succession. The early portion of the film involves the Fourth Prince's efforts to find his father's will and alter it. After he comes to power, he betrays the promise he made to the people who helped him (he had vowed to change the Qing Empire's anti-Han policies but goes back on his word). This ultimately leads to a conflict where he must recruit Japanese ninjas to protect himself. The fight scenes are great, really tight and well choreographed. They are also nicely edited. And even though it is mostly palace intrigue it still creates a strong sense of atmosphere. The performances were also all very good. The disc itself is new from 88 Films and looks beautiful. Doesn't look old at all. I quite liked this one.
Another not Cheng Pei-Pei movie. Watched The Sword directed by Patrick Tam. Great movie. Has everything I look for in wuxia. Wonderful theme song, moving story, plenty of sword play and it feels like they don't waste a frame. This one also has Norman Chu (this time as the bad guy) and Adam Cheng plays the hero. I put up a review here. It is a simple story that focuses on a handful of characters. It is the kind of story you've seen in wuxia, with many of the elements you expect, but done very well, with a strong emotional payoff. Very much recommend this one
Watched Killer Darts last night and wrote a review HERE. Chin Ping is great in it. Loved her as the lead. Nice solid 60s style Shaw Brothers action, so a bit swashbuckling but it felt quite precise. I especially liked the darts, even though they were not a huge part of the action (very important to the plot, but not as significant when it came to the fight sequences overall). A lot of focus on story here, and still plenty of swordplay.
Next up, The Crimson Charm. Very pleasant surprise. About a sect that gets slaughtered by the Crimson Charm Gang when the sect's leader kills the son of one of their chiefs. Three survivors assemble three years later to get revenge. I liked Ivy Ling Po as the one armed swordswoman characters. There is also a touching doomed love story for one of the other characters. And the bad guys were great. The movie has lots of cool weapons and was directed by Huang Feng, who did Hapkido and Lady Whirlwind with Angela Mao. This is a Shaw Brothers production with sets, and made in 1971. But there is some flashy stuff going on in the direction that makes it stand out a little.
