The Kiss of Death (1973) Du nu (original title)

Director:

Meng Hua Ho

Writer:

Kang Chien Chiu (writer)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

Plot Keywords:

Beating | Rape And Revenge | Nightclub Owner | Wrath | Evil

Cast

Ping Chen	...	Chu Ling
Lieh Lo	...	Wong Ta (as Loh Lieh)
Ching Chen	...	Yang Fei Hung
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Shen Chan	...	'Atom'
Tao Chiang	...	'Crocodile'
Mei Sheng Fan	...	Wang Tai (as Fan Mui Sheng)
Ging Man Fung	...	Casino assistant #2
Ricky Hui
Shiu Hung Hui	...	'Pimp'
Ka Ting Lee	...	Harassing patron #1
Sau Kei Lee	...	Nightclub manager
Ke Ming Lin	...	Harassing patron #2
Wen-wei Lin
Han Lo	...	Restroom mugging victim
Gwa-pau Sai	...	Restroom attendant
Yasuyoshi Shikamura	...	Hood (as Lu Chuen)
Choh Lam Tsang	...	Casino assistant #1
Han Chen Wang	...	Casino boss
Hon Wong	...	Doctor Huang
Ying Ying	...	Bargirl
Siu Tien Yuen	...	Bald patron Yuen

Directed by
Meng Hua Ho

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Kang Chien Chiu		writer

Produced by
Runme Shaw	....	producer

Original Music by
Yung-Yu Chen

Cinematography by
Chi Yu

Film Editing by
Hsing-lung Chiang
Yen Hai Li

Art Direction by
Mao-lung Lin

Makeup Department
Hsu-Ching Wu	....	makeup artist

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Ko Hung	....	assistant director
Shen Yeh	....	assistant director

Sound Department
Yung-Hua Wang	....	sound recordist

Stunts
Yasuyoshi Shikamura	....	action coordinator (as Shikamura)

Other crew
Danny Kam	....	title designer

Production Companies

• Shaw Brothers

Distributors

• Filmways Australasian Distributors (1974) (Australia) (theatrical)
• Image Entertainment (2008) (USA) (DVD)

Also Known As:

"Du nu" - Hong Kong (original title)
"Kiss of Death" - Hong Kong (English title)
"Poison Girl" - Hong Kong (English title) (literal title)

Country:

Hong Kong

Language:

Mandarin

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Hong Kong:III | Australia:R (1973)

Filming Locations:

Hong Kong, China

Company:

Shaw Brothers

Trivia:

'Vietnam Rose', the name of the lethal venereal disease that actress 'Chen Ping''s character contracted as a victim of a brutal gang rape by a group of thugs was also considered by Shaw Brothers to be the original English title for the feature 'Du nu' until social activists complained to the studio that the negative connotation of the title was discriminatory and reactionary towards the ethnic Vietnamese community during a time when the growing influx of war refugees populating Hong Kong en-masse after the fall of Saigon. A not too subtle message mirroring then current events where the film's elements and lurid subject matter would became an indirect metaphor for the politically charged issue of illegal immigration and anti-immigrant sentiment in the former colony. The English title for 'Du nu' would ultimately be changed to 'The Kiss of Death'.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in I Spit on Your Grave (1978)

Great set-up for a sleaze pic, lacklustre execution

Chen Ping is fiercely convincing and Lieh Lo steals every scene he's in, but Ho Meng-hua's "Kiss of Death" is not great film-making.

The "kiss of death" is the venereal disease Chen Ping catches when she is viciously gang-raped by a group of low level criminals. After learning that her VD ("Vietnam Rose") is incurable, she decides to kill her rapists and begs Lieh Lo to teach her how to do it in style.

For a sleaze pic, the set-up is perfect and the structure was borrowed for "Kill Bill". Unfortunately, the execution is not so perfect. The action scenes are jagged and unconvincing at times and director Ho Meng-hua has trouble maintaining the momentum. The film stops dead at regular intervals and takes irrelevant detours that do not add anything to the pace or wafer-thin characterization.

There is an oily subplot involving the spiking of drinks and women forced into pornography. Leads excepted, the performances are wildly uneven and over-the-top, although the sleaziest characters come across with conviction.

The film's score and "sting" sound effects perfectly compliment the style. 'Tis a pity a little more professionalism was not applied to the script and staging; several shots are also out of focus.

Recommended for sleaze fans, but best to lower your expectations. Chen Ping shined much brighter in the far superior "The Sexy Killer" ("Du Hou Mi Shi").