Chang Cheh at the Quad: Vengeance

Who is more dangerous to cross, a Guoju Opera star or a Kabuki actor? Judging from the cinematic evidence, neither is a high percentage play. Kon Ichikawa’s Revenge of a Kabuki Actor is like steak tartar, cold, elegant, and rich, whereas Chang Cheh’s early Republican revenge drama is like a seared but still bloody T-bone, yet they are both nourishing and satisfying. In this case, David Chiang is rather peeved over the gruesome murder of his older brother in Chang’s Vengeance, which screens as part of the Quad’s current retrospective, Vengeance is His: Chang Cheh’s Martial Lore, co-presented by the New York Asian Film Festival.

Frustrated by his wife’s ill-concealed dalliance with local martial arts power broker Feng Kaishan, Guan Yulou crashes his school, humiliating the master in front of his students. Feng maybe had it coming, but he still rounds up fifty or sixty students and gangsters to ambush Guan in his favorite tea-house. They cut him to shreds, but Guan still manages to take out two dozen or so attackers, before getting his eyes gauged out, which gets us about fifteen minutes into the film.

Soon thereafter, Guan Xiaolu shows up, looking to avenge his brother, because that’s the name of the film. First, he pays a call on his sister-in-law Hua Zhengfen to express his slight disappointment in her behavior. Then he pops by to visit her estranged sister, Hua Zhengfang, an old flame, who is definitely down with Team Guan. With the help of her information and candlelit suppers, the younger Guan will track down the mobbed-up Feng and his co-conspirators in the local government.

This film means business, just like Guan Xiaolu. There is a heck of a lot of that infamous bright crimson Shaw Brothers stage-blood getting splashed around here. It is definitely a martial arts movie, but the action falls into two extremes: gritty back-alley knife fighting and the refined acrobatic stage performances of Guan Yulou—the ratio is about one hundred to one, in favor of the former. However, Chang rather stylishly intersperses flashbacks to Yulou’s performances amid the carnage of Xiaolu’s throw-downs. In fact, it is sufficiently artistic to make Vengeance a worthy double-feature pairing with Ichikawa’s Kabuki Actor.

Frankly, Vengeance is right up there with Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires as one of Chiang’s coolest movies. He is terrific as the driven, no-screwing-around Guan Xiaolu. Ku Feng chews the scenery with sinister élan while getting his butt kicked sideways as the lecherous Feng. Ti Lung also shows some tremendous physicality as the short-lived Guan brother, whereas Alice Au Yin-ching makes quite the deliciously catty femme fatale as Zhengfen.

There is no bait-and-switch or tiresome attempts at subtlety here. It is all payback, all the time, yet it happens to be one of the more visually stylish films of the Chang retrospective. What more can you ask for? Very highly recommended, Vengeance screens tomorrow (5/26) and Monday (5/28), as part of Chang Cheh’s Martial Lore at the Quad.

Chang Cheh at the Quad: The Water Margin

Like Journey to the West, it is not practical to adapt all of Shi Nai’an’s classic 14^th Century novel in one shot. Filmmakers usually just cherry-pick certain chapters. Chang Cheh and co-screenwriter Ni Kuang chose chapters 64-68, out of an even 100. It was a logical decision, because there is a big Kung Fu battle at the end of Cheh’s Shaw Brothers production, The Water Margin which screens as part of the Quad’s current retrospective, Vengeance is His: Chang Cheh’s Martial Lore, co-presented by the New York Asian Film Festival.

At this point, most of the colorful heroes of Liangshan Marsh have already assembled, Avengers-style. The only ones left to join are Lu Junyi and his ward-protégé, Yan Qing—sort of like Batman and Robin, to mix the superhero metaphor. Lu is a minor lord with unimpeachable integrity and killer Kung Fu skills, but he wants no truck with outlaws. Unfortunately, Lu still winds up arrested by the local military governor, for allowing Liangshan emissaries free passage after they unsuccessfully try to recruit him. Instead, the militia does the Liangshans’ recruiting for them.

A good portion of Water Margin is devoted to Yan Qing efforts to save his master, teaming up with various Liangshan heroes. Eventually, they will face the forces of Shi Wengong, a warlord loyal to the oppressive government. It will be a real grudge match, because Shi set off the entire narrative arc, by killing the officially recognized leader of the Liangshan heroes. Of course, Lu will face off against him, but four of Shi’s best students will also square-off solo against four top heroes, including Lady “Green Snake” Hu.

Even at its time and even more so in retrospect, Water Margin just overflows with well-known HK actors (and a few from Japan), like a Shaw Brothers Expendables. It is really impossible to keep everyone straight after only one viewing, even though Chang’s super-scripts helpfully identify each character and actor playing him during their initial entrance, even well into the third act.

It hardly matters, because Water Margin is such high-spirited fun. The film starts with a nearly ten-minute drunken bacchanal back at Liangshan Marsh, which really sets the tone for the rest of the film. The groovy Hammond organ-sounding soundtrack also keeps the film bopping along at a healthy trot.

As Yan Qing, David Chiang’s laidback presence and on-screen athleticism wear well over the course of film and nicely compliment the righteous Lu. Tetsuro Tamba (best known as Tiger Tanaka in You Only Live Twice) is terrifically steely and commanding as the strictly-business Lu. Half a dozen Shaw regulars make the most of their moments as heroes, but Lily Ho Lili definitely stands out as Lady Hu, for obvious reasons (especially since this is a Chang film).

Water Margin is definitely a Shaw Brothers movie. It isn’t afraid of getting its hands during in a throw-down. Yet, it also can be considered a forerunner to big budget, epic-scale martial arts spectacles, like Crouching Tiger and Red Cliff. It is all kinds of rousing (even though the narrative is largely structured around a series of Liangshan foul-ups). Highly recommended for martial arts fans, Water Margin screens this Saturday night (5/26), as part of Chang Cheh’s Martial Lore at the Quad.

Chang Cheh at the Quad: Heroes Two

Shaolin brotherhood means never having to say sorry for accidentally serving up a comrade to the Manchurian oppressors (but it would still be a nice gesture). At first, Fang Sai-yuk and Hung Si-kuan will fight each other, but they are destined to fight shoulder-to-shoulder in Heroes Two, Chang Cheh’s Shaw Brothers-produced-red-meat-martial-arts-fastball-over-the-plate, which screens as part of the Quad’s upcoming retrospective, Vengeance is His: Chang Cheh’s Martial Lore, co-presented by the New York Asian Film Festival.

Dastardly Gen. Che Kang has razed the Shaolin temple and massacred the Ming loyalists inside, but Hung managed to slip out to fight another day. Unfortunately, Che’s thugs convince the Shaolin trained Fang his brother is actually a violent criminal, using all the battered henchmen he leaves in his wake as evidence. Alas, Fang (a popular wuxia hero since the Qing era) has more enthusiasm than intuition, so he realizes his mistake at the precise moment it is too late.

Wracked with guilt, Fang connects with the last of the local Shaolin remnant. Learning Che is holding Hung in his dungeon (which would have been our first guess anyway), Fang tries a frontal assault, but barely survives the power of the general’s iron-mojo-fist. Instead, he falls back on plan B: tunneling like Bronson in The Great Escape.

Apparently, Chang needed the help of science fiction novelist Ni Kuang to wrestle this super complex screenplay into submission. Okay, so it is a pretty straight forward string of fight sequences, but at least they sketch out a moderately interesting assortment of supporting characters. Bruce Tong Yim-chaan gives the film archetypal depth as Nien Shui-ching, the son out to avenge his father murdered at the temple. Tong convincingly portrays him as a disciple with above-average but not super-human Kung Fu chops. Fong Sam also gives the film some verve as 3^rd Sister, the widowed restaurant proprietress affiliated with Shaolin and the Ming underground.

Of course, this film is all about fighting, but happily Fu Sheng (in his breakout role) and Chen Kuan-tai were definitely up to the physical demands. Throughout the film, they are constantly fighting, running, or getting the snot kicked out of them. They have the skills and the right presence for each hero (youthful exuberance or enlightened brooding, respectively).

In many ways, Heroes Two matches the stereotypical image of Kung Fu movies many non-fans have in their heads, but that is also the source of its unfussy, eager-to-entertain charm. You want tiger claw and stork technique, well, Chang and action directors Tony Kai and Liu Chia-liang have you covered. Recommended as old school escapist fun, Heroes Two screens this Friday (5/25) and the following Tuesday (5/29), as part of Chang Cheh’s Martial Lore at the Quad.

Chang Cheh at the Quad: House of Traps

In 1982, the Shaw Brothers released two films based on the classic Chinese novel, The Seven Heroes and the Five Gallants. Cat vs. Rat starred Kara Hui, whereas Chang Cheh’s version had no women roles whatsoever. It’s still fun anyway. Chang’s House of Traps, fondly remembered as the last time he assembled his so-called Venom Mob (from The Five Deadly Venoms), screens as part of the Quad’s upcoming retrospective, Vengeance is His: Chang Cheh’s Martial Lore, co-presented by the New York Asian Film Festival.

It is Kung Fu versus booby-traps and a rather nasty thief. Yan Chunmin is the honest scholar crime-busting judge Bao Zheng has appointed Inspector General of Xiangyang, the seat of rebellious Prince Zhao Jue’s power. The line between hero and thief (or grifter) is rather porous throughout the film, as a con man becomes the scholar’s protector and two thieves ostensibly aligned with the Prince will eventually face-off against each in the climatic battle.

Along the way, hidden allies will reveal themselves and the four surviving Gallant “Rats” will rally to the loyalist cause after one of their brothers is killed in the Prince’s titular “House of Traps.” It is there that the Prince stores several significant stolen works of art as well as the dishonor roll of all who have sworn allegiance to his uprising—sort of an early version of the NOC List.

Basically, House of T is Kung Fu with a touch of Rube Goldberg and some costumes worthy of Evel Knievel or Liberace (but seriously, what’s with those knit bonnets?). It seems like a simple story, but Chang and co-screenwriter Ni Kuang manage to complicate the heck out of it. There is an unwieldly large cast of name characters, who are constantly coming and going, like characters in a screwball farce. However, Philip Kwok and Lu Feng certainly show off the martial arts chops the Venom Gang were famous for.

There are plenty of fan-pleasing fight sequences, plus a few rather striking visuals. However, what really sets the film apart is the goriness of the deaths inside the Prince’s house of pain. Stuff happens there that is worthy of the Saw and Final Departure franchises, but Chang manages to keep the overall tone brisk and upbeat. Sure, it is goofy and bloody, but it is still good clean fun. Recommended for fans of the Shaws and the Venoms, House of Traps screens this Thursday (5/24), as part of Chang Cheh’s Martial Lore at the Quad.

Chang Cheh at the Quad: The Five Deadly Venoms

How would you like to be rescued by a toad or a lizard (possibly a gecko, depending on the translation of the subtitles)? Fortunately, there are no distressed damsels in this Shaw Brothers classic. Instead, the Venom martial arts clan will take care of some internal business. The Master has died, but he has sent his last student out to find out whether his brothers have been naughty or nice in Chang Cheh’s legendary The Five Deadly Venoms, which screens during the Quad’s upcoming retrospective, Vengeance is His: Chang Cheh’s Martial Lore, co-presented by the New York Asian Film Festival.

The old master trained five disciples, each in a different venom style. The Centipede attacks so quickly, it is like getting pummeled by hundreds of fists. Snakes strikes accurately and lethally at his victim’s weakest point. Toad is nearly invincible to fist or blade, but if his secret Achilles heel is pierced, he loses all his mojo. Lizard is so speedy, he walks up walls like Spiderman. Scorpion is known for his deadly kicks, which sounds conventional, but he is the sneakiest snake in the grass of them all.

The master sent them back out into the world, at which point they adopted new names and mostly started to reflect discredit on the clan through their crimes. With his dying breath, he instructs Yang Tieh to track down his five brothers, ascertain who has strayed from the righteous path and punish the wicked. Yang was trained in all five venoms, but his master died before his training was completed. He will not be able to defeat any of his seniors alone, but if he teams up with one of them, they will be able to perfectly compliment each other.

That will most likely be either Toad or Lizard (who is masquerading as a mildly corrupt constable). They are more rogues than villains. Like the other mystery venoms, they are searching for the treasure purloined by Yun, the Master’s elderly former clan brother. In fact, Toad is so public-spirited, he assists his brother Lizard apprehending a murder, whom they (rightly) suspect to be Centipede, but that calls unfortunate attention to Toad and his conspicuous toad-like invulnerability. Most of the venoms are pretty easy to guess, but Yang hides in plain sight, posing as a goofball drifter, which he mostly is.

Five Venoms is beloved as much for its eccentricity as it is for its martial arts spectacle. Frankly, some of the moves are downright loopy, but it is tough to beat the energy. Even by late 1970s Shaw Brothers standards, this is not exactly a lush production, but it is arguably the original archetype for a host of imitating-homage-paying followers, including Tarantino’s white-washed, anglicized Lady Snowblood rip-off, Kill Bill.

Kuo Chui and Lo Mang are both terrific as Lizard and Toad, respectively. Frankly, the film is at its rollicking best when it functions as their buddy movie. Alas, they are not together for long, but they make a dynamite team during that time. Chiang Sheng is also weirdly effective as Yang, who seems like a total sad sack throughout the first two acts, yet steps up nicely for the big climatic showdowns. Plus, Wei Pei looks appropriately slimy, but nicely handles the evolution of Snake.

So, pick your poison. There have been many more artistically refined martial arts films since 5DV, but this is the original article. In retrospect, we can even view it as a forerunner to scores of films, even including The Usual Suspects. It still delivers the goods, with all kinds of cynical good humor. Very highly recommended for martial arts fans, The Five Deadly Venoms screens this Wednesday (5/23) and Friday (5/25), as part of Chang Cheh’s Martial Lore at the Quad.