Last Hurrah for Chivalry (Hao xia, 1978)
John Woo
Hong Kong
106 mins, color, Cantonese (English subtitles)
Although this is a fairly typical John Woo film, I was somewhat disappointed. It's not the story, which is actually quite involved and even mildly entertaining. It's definitely not the way the action sequences were done, although I still prefer more wire-fu to regular martial arts. It's probably the excessive kung-fu and sword fights. Yes, that is right: there's just way too much of that (one fight between two guys lasted for six damn minutes). Another significant annoyance is the awfully bad 70s music. It just sounds too much like any "waka-chika waka-chika" US film from the period.
The film would definitely make an interesting viewing if one is concerned with the story. There are several unexpected twists that I enjoyed. Unfortunately, there is not enough development in the characters to fully figure out their motivations (all that time taken up by fights) and this detracts from the enjoyment a bit. I can't really talk about the plot without revealing significant portions of it, so I won't do it. Suffice to say, LAST HURRAH is about friendship, especially male bonding, and the usual run-of-the-mill arrogance compounded with a lust for power.
Pai Wei is excellent as the master swordsman Chang with his somewhat stiff performance. Hoi San Lee is amusing as the assassin for hire, the usually drunk, Pak Chung-Tong. The others are not very memorable, although there's no doubt that Ngai Chau Wa is one of the most beautiful creatures to grace the silver screen. If I recall correctly, she was also in THE SWORD, with similar success. Does not quite cut it as an actress, but Hoi San must be dead (for being able to resist her). In what has to be the best scene in the entire film, the two friends battle with the narcoleptic Sleeping Wizard (Yuet Sang Chin). The sequence is very funny, not the least because the wizard lives up to his title and generally falls asleep in-between strikes. Overall, this film is not about anything in particular really, it's just a bunch of fights that are very well done. Also, if it were not a John Woo film, LAST HURRAY would barely make it above average.
The DVD I have (Mega Star) has a fine transfer. The colors are a little saturated for my taste, but this is a general complaint about movies done in the 70s. The Cantonese sound track is pretty decent, although the lack of imagination in sound effects can become tiresome. The music, as I mentioned, is plain awful. The English translation is so-so. Nothing Earth-shattering, but comprehensible, which is a rare treat. There are some minor speckles and dust here and there, but considering the age of the film, the quality is impressive. Letterboxed, none the less. One major problem is that the DVD will not let you switch audio tracks, or even go back the menu while it plays the film! This is the first time I've seen anything like it.
April 19, 2001. BLS