Former Taiwan's action star Polly Shangkuan Lingfeng had many aliases, but her Asian fans used to call her The Phoenix (they said: "Bruce Lee is the Dragon, Polly is the Phoenix!"). This great performer made more than 50 actioners (mostly Wushapians) then got married and retired. This LIE HUO is another one in her line of her sword-armed heroines, but if you like the genre you'll enjoy it because, aside Polly, the valuable Pai Ying stars as her ally against the Ching Dynasty guards. They both acted in King Hu's masterpiece DRAGON INN, and this is not a masterpiece for sure, but the cast is filled by so many Martial regulars, and most of them appeared in DRAGON INN too. Colorful costumes and setting fills the eye and even if the camerawork by director Yang Shi Ching (A GIRL FIGHTER, also with Polly) is merely adequate, who cares about it when THE ONE-ARMED BOXER's stuntmen Lung Fei, Shan Mao, Chang Yi kwai and Chen Shi Wei fights all around as Ching's soldiers? Director King Hu's wife Hsu Feng (A TOUCH OF ZEN) was also in the rich cast, but for some reason she was deleted from the final cut. Don't be cheated by the sentimental title: the only Grand Passion here is for blood-spitting battles. Released in Taiwan 10/24/70. Also known under the titles THE GRANT PASSION and THE FLAMING VENGEANCE.
2 Reviews
Well made
BandSAboutMovies24 April 2023
Warning: Spoilers
Lu Xiao-Ling (Polly Shan-kuan) and her brother Lu Liu (Pai Ying) are young rebels and part of the Southern Song Dynasty. Tasked with moving a document that will allow two allied armies to finally come together to defeat the despised Jin army that has occupied China, this film is about the clandestine meetings and secret paths that the two will undertake to save their homeland. Also, Lu Xiao-Ling has the wildest martial arts weapon ever: she can throw coins with deadly efficiency.
This week, I've touched on how it took King Hu years and years to make A Touch of Zen. In fact, it took so much time that assistant director Tu Chung-hsun made A City Called Dragon while the cast and crew was waiting. But it also took so long that Yang Shih-Ching also took the cast and crew to make this movie. And when you have fights between Polly aand Pai Ying against Lung Fei, Shan Mao, Chang Yi kwai and Chen Shi Wei, well, the results won't be boring.
This week, I've touched on how it took King Hu years and years to make A Touch of Zen. In fact, it took so much time that assistant director Tu Chung-hsun made A City Called Dragon while the cast and crew was waiting. But it also took so long that Yang Shih-Ching also took the cast and crew to make this movie. And when you have fights between Polly aand Pai Ying against Lung Fei, Shan Mao, Chang Yi kwai and Chen Shi Wei, well, the results won't be boring.
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
