Shen dao (1968)

User Rating:

7.1/10   

Director:

Kang Cheng

Genre:

Action | Drama

Cast

Yu Wang	...	Ling Tseng-hsiao
Pei-pei Shu	...	Ling Ku
Chung-Hsin Huang	...	Shang Kwan-wu
Feng Tien	...	Fang Shih-hsiung
Miao Ching	...	Mei Lin-chun
Chih-Ching Yang	...	Ling Han
Sha-fei Ouyang	...	Old woman
Yunzhong Li	...	Tau Peng-fan
Ching Lin	...	Madam Ling
Hao Li	...	Ma Wu
Chia Tang	...	Sun Chiu
Tung Hu	...	Village Chef
Ching Lee	...	Pai Feng
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Hsi Chang
Chuan Chen
Yunhua Chen
David Chiang
Kuan Chin
Li Jen Ho
Pak-Kwong Ho
Sung-hao Hsu
Pei Chi Huang
Man Lai
Wei Lieh Lan
Hang Lee
Chia-Liang Liu
Chia Yung Liu
Wai Lo
Ai Lien Pan
Lao Shen
Ching Wang
Chung Wang
Kuang Yu Wang
Leng Gwong Wan
Hsiu Wen
Mei Wong
Shi-Kwan Yen
Cheung-Yan Yuen
Woo-ping Yuen

Also Known As:

Holy blade (Hong Kong: Mandarin title) (literal English title)
Sun do (Hong Kong: Cantonese title)
The Sword of Swords (Hong Kong: English title)

Country:

Hong Kong

Language:

Mandarin

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Company:

Shaw Brothers

Satisfyingly violent

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

Cheng Kang is one of the Shaw Brothers directors that has yet to garner extensive praise on the internet outside of the truly die-hard fans of wuxia and kung fu genres, although were his work easier to get ahold of, I imagine that would change. Working more often as a writer, and not really having been prolific as a director, Cheng just doesn't get as much attention as, for example, Chang Cheh, Lau Kar-Leung, or Chor Yuen. But those familiar with his work in the early sixties will tell you that his films are polished, occasionally innovative, and usually very entertaining, which is a good combination. SWORD OF SWORDS has all of those things, as well as being one of Jimmy Wang Yu's best performances.

The story concerns a sword that, literally, can knock down trees with the air pressure generated by a slash. This treasured weapon of Sung dynasty generals finds its way into the hands of a more or less gentle martial artist, who, nearing the end of his life, decides that he needs to pass it on to one of his students. Holding a tournament among them, the obvious winner is a villainous young man played by Tien Feng, although one student who has not participated -Wang Yu, as I'm sure you anticipated- is not only a better human being, but also a more skilled swordsman. Knowing these things, Wang Yu inherits the sword, and that's when things start to really crap up for him. Not being content to let somebody else have the most powerful sword ever made be possessed by somebody other than himself, Tien Feng starts making things miserable for poor Jimmy, kidnapping and raping his girl friend, burning his home, killing his family, blinding him, and goading him into fights that he has carefully devised to play out in his favor. Tien Feng is a cruel, cruel character in this movie, which means that Wang Yu is tortured in horrific ways, even worse than anything that was thrown at him in ONE ARMED SWORDSMAN. There has never, ever been a more sadistic treatment of the protagonist in a martial arts film, I'm fairly certain. In most films of this type, the heroes will often undergo brutal training, but often it's softened by humorous visual anecdotes, crappy comic relief characters who suck, or an old master character who's funny just because he's an old guy doing crazy kung fu. None of that is to be found here, and every single time that something unpleasant happens to Wang Yu, it's only a matter of time before something else comes along to top that.

Another interesting facet is Wang Yu getting blinded, which is an obvious nod to the ZATOICHI franchise from Japan. There's no telling how much influence the Blind Swordsman's adventures had on this era of Hong Kong cinema, the hero using martial arts to overcome a physical set back became unbelievably common by the time the genre petered out in the nineties. But while the characters do cool training scenes, or pull off some deftly executed martial arts moves, something else is usually going on, something called drama. Dramatic moments are difficult to use in the Wuxia or Kung Fu genres, with so much riding on the expectations of crazy fight sequences and wild characters, but this is Cheng Kang's first Wuxia film as a director, after having previously done melodrama, and thankfully, he knows how to handle the drama in a compelling way. The interplay between Jimmy Wang Yu and his abused wife played by Li Ching may seem somewhat corny in the way that it's filmed by today's jaded standards, but it's incredible that a genre film would try to tackle such a subject with any degree of class or even sympathy, when by the end of Shaw's run they would be filming bizarrely misogynist drek like JOURNEY OF THE DOOMED. Such restrain is not common in an exploitative genre, and neither is the equally sincere attempt at family dynamic, although that is not handled quite so well.

But let it not be said that Cheng Kang is unaware of the genre conventions which are expected of his movie, and thankfully, that's where the action direction of Lau Kar-Leung and Tong Gaai comes in. For most of the film, Wang Yu is glazed over, looking sorry for himself and emotionally damaged. When he starts with the ferocious, violent, bloody fight sequences, he comes alive not just as a character, but as a screen fighter as well. Wang was never really known as a great martial artist, but with the competent hands of Lau and Tong he manages to come off as a powerhouse. Another welcome idea is that when blinded, Tien Feng takes advantage of his inability to see, causing him to do damage to himself and kill bystanders. The choreography here isn't exactly what those accustomed to the Venom Mob films or LEGENDARY WEAPONS OF CHINA might expect, but compared to TRAIL OF THE BROKEN BLADE or MAGNIFICENT TRIO, which had not been terribly older films at the time, the progression of fast timing and intricate movement is striking. All things considered, SWORD OF SWORDS actually fills in every single expectation for a Wuxia film of its time, and actually exceeds quite a few of them. Cheng Kang would make more popular films, and higher grossing fare like 14 AMAZONS, but none of those movies are as much fun as this earnest, entertaining, and sadistic swordplay melodrama. I love it.