The Twelve Gold Medallions (Shi er jin pai, 1970)

Cheng Kang

Hong Kong

101 min, color, Mandarin (English subtitles)

Review © 2003 Branislav L. Slantchev

The prolific I Kung pens yet another complicated martial arts epic loosely based on Chinese history. This time there's no high politics. The plot deals with foot soldiers, so to speak. The Tatars are invading from the North and the brave General Yue is fighting them with mild success. However, the treacherous Prime Minister Qin Hui wants to strike a deal with the invaders, and so the General's success is sort of in his way. So Qin fakes an imperial decree to recall the General (to have him executed). He has 12 copies made --- hence, the twelve gold medallions --- and dispatches couriers to the General.

Yueh Hua is the virtuous Miao Lung	The jaw snap trick by Golden Whip

And this is just the introduction. The film itself deals with several patriots who try to intercept all medallions, giving the General plausible deniability. Miao Lung (Yueh Hua) is the virtuous swordsman who kills several messengers even as the credit sequence rolls. Very impressive, but not nearly enough to save him from trouble.

Good on the left vs Evil on the right	Not getting robe alterations

The problem is that Qin, who is no fool, recruits Miao Lung's own sifu, the great Master Chin (Ching Miao) when the latter splatters the current Chief of the security service Ma (Wang Hsieh). Promising him dazzling riches and power (this has to be inferred from what others are saying, so it's just hearsay), he gets Chin to head the security service which is in charge medallion delivery. Therefore, unless he quits his patriotic ways, Miao Lung has to face his own teacher.

Chin Ping being hateful	Chin Ping being scornful

But that's not all! You see, Miao Lung is also engaged to Ching's beautiful daughter Chin So (Chin Ping). So, unless he quits his patriotic ways, Miao has to break off the engagement and lose his fiancee. He does that, not without Master Chin's help, who maneuvers his daughter into hating Miao Lung because she (wrongly) believes he's been not exactly faithful and chivalrous.

Yueh Hua is cool	Chin Ping threatening suicide

Fortunately for Miao Lung, Chin is also a patriot. She defies her Dad (which causes the death of her sister Huan (Chiao Chiao) at the hands of their father, an entirely unnecessary scene unless it was designed to show how corrupt and evil Master Chin has become). She hacks a couple of messengers but fails to conceal her identity, but at least manages to snub her ex-hubby several times despite his graceful repeated saving of her life.

Chin Ping pouting	Chin Ping's bluff being called

A LOT of fights end with the good guys defeating the evil guys. Several popular characters pop up, like Ku Feng who plays an evil messenger who pretends to be another evil messenger's servant. And Yang Chi-ching who plays that other evil messenger whose "servant" Ku Feng is pretending to be. They both DIE, which is only to be expected, although Ku Feng's death---the ever-popular "stab with bamboo through tree trunk"---is masterfully inflicted by Master Meng.

She is TOTALLY naked	Chin Ping being angry

Eventually, Chin So is wounded so severely that the special "stone treatment" for poison is in order. This provides the convenient occasion for a veritable torrent of pouting, dish-breaking, hubby-snubbing, and general embarrassment. In other words, she is going to get back together with Miao Lung even if it causes the servant (Li Kun) a heart-attack. As is to be expected, the two love birds eventually mend their relationship, and are therefore prepared to face the final apocalyptic fight with Master Chin.

And what mess have we here?	Chin Ping embarrassing Yueh Hua

But before the fight, they have to recruit someone who can actually defeat the traitorous bastard. This turns out to be none other than Master Meng (Ku Wen-Chung), who has lost a bunch of pupils and is thirsting for revenge. Unfortunately, his thirst is not sufficient to begin with, so he refuses. Therefore, our heroes recruit whatever remains from his students plus his beautiful daughter. This, of course, causes him to show up and battle Master Chin, but the treacherous dog tricks him and kills him. Fortunately, the dog is then killed by a combination of his daughter and Miao Lung but not before killing Meng's daughter, Meng's students, and his own daughter. Unfortunately, the whole tragedy was futile because in the meantime PM Qin has managed to smuggle the decree, recall the General, and have him executed. So it was all for naught. Such is life...

We're all gonna die!	The jaw snap trick by Master Meng

There are people who like this film a lot. I don't really see why. It has its moments, so much is true, but as a whole it is unimpressive. Of course, the two leads Yueh Hua and Chin Ping are very good, and the love story can carry at least half of the film. In fact, Chin Ping is absolutely stunning and manages to do just about all her scenes right. All of them, that is, except the fight scenes. That is a problem because this wuxia flick is really a martial arts film, or at least it successfully masquerades as such with its profusion of all sorts of fighting. The choreography, however, was less than impressive. There are several sloppily edited scenes which make clear just how unskilled most of the actors are. The movements are abrupt and unnatural (not stylized, this is different), and most are totally unconvincing. The wirework is absolutely atrocious (and I happen to like it when it's done properly).

Gratuitous shot of a soon-to-die beauty	Chin Ping being rebellious

The verdict is that the film is somewhat entertaining but it is so stupid and repetitive that one may quickly lose interest in the main plot. The love story subplot will perhaps be helpful in holding one to the end of the film. It's a pity too because, if you think about it, the story is so profoundly tragic (daughter goes against own father in defiance of Confucian virtue, student challenges teacher, patriotic sacrifice... and all for nothing) that it could have been made darkly beautiful if only Cheng Kang had laid off the martial arts a bit and concentrated on the characters.

The Celestial Pictures DVD is presented in non-anamorphic widescreen video at the correct 2.35:1 aspect ratio, with a clean transfer and sturdy colors. Only a remixed Dolby Digital 5.1 Mandarin soundtrack is available, as is common for all these releases. The English subtitles are pretty good but are sometimes timed poorly and disappear too quickly. There are several mistakes here and there, but nothing too distracting. The usual extras are in place: still gallery, trailers, talent files. There are also two interviews, one of them with Chiao Chiao.

August 25, 2003