Meng mian da xia (1967) User Reviews

For fans only to watch once to say you did

[ckormos1 · 5/10 · 1 December 2018]

This movie includes two Korean actors which seems unique for Shaw Brothers. The rest are older actors and the only ones I recognize are Tien Feng and Fan Mei-Sheng. It opens with a masked man prowling rooftops. Also unique is that these rooftops are certainly not on the Shaw Brothers movie town set. Shaw Brothers movies were filmed inside a studio as much as possible and when outdoors rarely wandered beyond their property line. Considering the Korean actors I wonder if this scene was filmed in South Korea? Our masked man over hears some royals ordering an assassination. He intervenes and escapes with the evidence. Perfect timing right down to the conversation! Masked man delivers the proof to his majesty, Tien Feng. I must complain that the palace set is pathetically cheap and appears a small stage only. Other indoor scenes were elegant as expected. Overall, this movie is relevant to few people today. Unless you are a hardcore fan of Shaw Brothers or martial arts movies there is nothing to see here. I rate it at best mediocre and at worst below average. This grading is on a curve adjusting for the year and genre. Even as a fan it is just a watch once to say I did then done.

Who was that masked man...?

[poe426 · 10/10 · 16 May 2013]

THAT MAN IN CHANG-AN begins with an Imperial edict being issued: King Dai, accused of collaborating with the Mongols to overthrow the Han, is to be beheaded. Before the edict can be delivered, a mysterious masked man (known, appropriately enough, as The Masked Man) intercepts the message and tuns it over to Dai. Dai tries to have him arrested on the spot, but The Masked Man escapes. Dai sends his sister, the stunningly beautiful Wen, and her assistant, the oh-so-cute Hong Er, for help. No sooner are they on their way than the evil Lu Kun's men arrive to fulfill the edict. Princess Wen, meanwhile, is betrayed by General Tian, her escort. She and Hong Er are sent toppling off a cliff. When they come to, they're in the lair of the mysterious alchemist, Zhuang Bai. When Bai lets down his guard, Wen and Hong Er escape- but not for long: they're immediately captured by Kun's men. Bai later arrives at Kun's castle, feigning an infatuation with both Wen and Hong Er (he clings to the latter's injured foot as he's being pulled away and literally drags her across the floor). Bai is kept on hand to magically produce enough gold for Kun to bribe an ally. Will the mysterious Masked Man arrive in time to save our two lovelies, or will the evil Kun win the day? Well made and never really boring, THAT MAN IN CHANG-AN is yet another of those early kung fu movies worth seeking out.