Vengeance (Bo sau, 1970)

Chang Cheh

Hong Kong

98 min, color, Mandarin (English subtitles)

Review © 2003 Branislav L. Slantchev

Here's something I never expected to see: a Chang Cheh film with David Chiang and Ti Lung! Well, maybe he did overuse these two actors, but in this offering Ti Lung dies very early on, so it's really a Chiang vehicle. The question is "A vehicle for WHAT?"

Ku Feng charming Ti Lung's wife	Ti Lung is jealous...

I offer a brief synopsis of the film, with a loose sequencing of events (excludes deaths of countless extras):

• Ti Lung is ambushed, sliced with an axe, blinded, and killed
• Wong Kwong Yue is stabbed in bed after fucking Ti Lung's widow
• Ti Lung's widow is knifed for "knowing too much" by Cheng Lui
• Cheng Lui is knifed for being a murderer by Chiang
• Wang Chung is garroted along with another guy by Chiang
• Wong Ching Ho is sliced by gang comrades for "knowing too much"
• Ku Feng is beaten and thrown off a balcony for arranging Ti Lung's ambush
• At least five people are knifed in the process of getting to Ku Feng
• Chuen Yuen is shot by his own sniper by mistake, several of his henchmen also die
• Chiang helps Yeung Chi Hing kill a fat warlord by killing five bodyguards
• Chiang proceeds to kill other bystanders, including aforementioned sniper, Chen Sing
• Yeung Chi Hing betrays Chiang and tries to kill him
• Chiang is repeatedly stabbed and dies propping himself to a column
• Yeung Chi Hing is killed by Chiang who turns out not to have been quite dead
• Chiang kills off the few remaining extras
• Chiang dies from his wounds

...very jealous!	Hung Lau and Wong Kwong Yue in ambush

This may sound like the average Shakespeare plot, but is in fact made much more diverse and dramatic by the infusion of a love story between Chiang and Wong Ping, who plays the sister of Ti Lung's amorous wife, which makes her a sister-in-law to Chiang, who happens to be Ti Lung's younger brother. I forgot to mention that the brothers are also actors, which returns the plot back to the Elizabethan drama, completing the literary cycle.

Hard to fight with axe in stomach	ILM, eat your hearts out!

Given all the blood and mayhem in the first few minutes of the film (Ti Lung battles off several dozens of would be assassins, all while sporting a fashionable axe stuck in his stomach), we know that we are in for a treat. Chang Cheh has never skimped on red paint either, although some of the special effects would have been better if not actually shown.

Wong Ching Ho, Chuen Yuen, & trophy widow	David Chiang, the valkyrie

As usual with I Kuang scripts, there are way too many named characters organized in an overly complicated array of evil. The story seems to have been taken from a 2,000-page novel without getting sufficiently pruned. The unwarranted introduction of the fat warlord, for example, is a case in point. It does nothing to advance the plot (the trap could have been set with any of the other four main bad guys), and the warlord does not actually appear to have participated in the initial plotting of Ti Lung's death, even though he did lust after his wife.

Wong Ping is distressed	No one wants to play with Chan Sing

The love story between Wong Ping and Chiang is strained although the two seem to have the maximum amount of chemistry allowed by misogynist Chang Cheh and the ultra-cool Chiang. Unlike most of this director's other films, the female does not show up merely to screw up the good life... wait, wait, her sister did, in fact, fuck up Ti Lung's brilliant stage career by getting a lot of unsavory characters attracted to her like bears to honey. At least Wong Ping was entirely innocent. I repeat, entirely innocent, despite sleeping with Chiang as often as possible, probably ruining his kung fu and concentration in the process. She killed him.

Never trust Yeung Chi Hing, ever	David Chiang is atmospheric

Then there's also the entirely improbable ability of characters to survive things that any normal person would have died from in an instant. Of course, this ability only extends to the main characters, especially Chiang. As usual, this makes all the fights one-sided and undramatic because we know that even if Chiang dies (and in these films the protagonists almost always do), it will happen at the very end, and in slow motion. No scene that is not in slow motion can get me ruffled.

The Last Supper (for everyone)	If you scratch my back, I'll stab yours

It is, of course, somewhat gratifying to see so many familiar faces giving the story their best shot, but Chang Cheh isn't really that strong in telling beautiful stories. He does have an eye for atmospheric shots (example included) and can stage very bloody fighting sequences like it's nobody's business. Unfortunately, he usually displays a predilection for using David Chiang more than Ti Lung, which is a total waste because the latter blows the former out of the water in looks, charisma, and acting skills.

The Stairway to HELL	David Chiang: dying but cool

The Celestial Pictures DVD has a Dolby Digital mono soundtrack in Mandarin and readable English subtitles. The picture transfer is anamorphically enhanced and in the original 2.35:1 aspect ratio. The disc offers plenty of extras: trailers, still gallery, interviews (David Chiang), and a documentary on the director. I would own this film because it's by Chang Cheh and because it has Ti Lung and David Chiang. If you are not a fan, give it a shot before purchasing.

October 23, 2003