|
 he
Golden Lion" is a re-release of the 1975 Shaw
Brothers swordplay film directed by the prolific
Ho Meng Hua, probably best known for "The
Flying Guillotine". As well as being
responsible for a good number of traditional wuxia
films, Hua actually worked for the studio across a
wide range of genres, from modern day horror in
"Black Magic", through to the sleazy
"Kiss of Death", and perhaps more
unfortunately, the trash classic "The Mighty
Peking Man".
Although "The Golden
Lion" takes its title and character names
from the works of novelist Jin Yong, as with so
many other films it bears no real resemblance to
the author's rich and complex stories. Wisely,
there is no real attempt at adaptation here, and
so the film does not suffer by comparison and
remains a fun and action packed genre effort.
The plot begins as the Golden
Lion (Chao Hsiung, also in "Chinese
Boxer"), a bandit with mysterious strength
who robs from the rich and apparently gives to the
poor, is ambushed and poisoned by the evil bounty
hunter Wang Hsieh and his gang, who are hunting
him at the behest of the authorities. Golden
Lion's friends take him to the home of a righteous
doctor, who agrees to help cure the wounded bandit
despite the threats of Wang Hsieh.
Needing to find a special
ingredient to create a life-saving antidote, the
doctor sets out for a distant mountain, taking the
injured Golden Lion along in a cart, and
accompanied by his surly son and courageous
daughter (popular studio star Li Ching, "The
Fourteen Amazons"). However, the road is
long and perilous, and they are beset at every
turn by Wang Hsieh, who will stop at nothing to
catch his quarry.
As with many of the studio's
swordplay films, the plot is basically an excuse
for a series of fight scenes in a variety of
familiar looking locations. However, Ho Meng Hua
does manage to work up a fair amount of tension,
and puts a twist on the formula by having the
titular character remain injured and debilitated
throughout the film, meaning that the martial arts
duties are shared amongst the rest of the cast.
Although there are no real surprises, the film is
a tense, fast moving affair that has a definite
hard edge, with plenty of spurting blood and a
rather ruthless decimation of the supporting
characters.
Having said this, the film is
frequently hard to take seriously, especially
since the villains have a habit of lurking in
bushes en masse, cackling deviously as they wait
to pounce, despite the fact that they are
spectacularly poorly hidden. Similarly, no reason
is ever given for the Golden Lion's incredible
strength, which allows him to pick up his foes,
sometimes two at once, and hurl them great
distances.
Despite the obvious ups and
downs of his career, Ho Meng Hua was arguably one
of the studio's better directors, and he gives
"The Golden Lion" a handsome look,
making the most of the beautiful scenery with a
number of panoramic shots. He handles the action
scenes with real cinematic flair, switching
between wide angles and high impact close ups
which works very well in both the
multi-participant battles and the bloody one on
one duels at the climax. The opening scenes in
particular, featuring a rain lashed forest brawl,
are both atmospheric and exciting.
Since the action comes thick
and fast, with very little in the way of
exposition and a commendable brief running time,
the film is efficient and thrilling. Though
perhaps lacking the spark of originality to make
it truly memorable, it is definitely a superior
studio effort and makes for highly entertaining
and exciting viewing.
|
