AKA: Si jiao, Sei gok, 死角
Chang Cheh directs the first in a series of youth in rebellion films with Ti Lung making his lead debut alongside fellow newcomer David Chiang. While a good portion of the film deals with a romantic relationship between two young lovers, Chang doesn’t stray too far from his favorite themes of revenge, brotherhood and self sacrifice that are found in most of his martial arts movies.
Chang Chun (Ti Lung) is a restless young man in Hong Kong, going from one menial desk job to another while spending his free time on one-night stands and cruising the city in a hotrod with his friend David (David Chiang) and a nightclub dancer named Mary. While out joy riding, the trio encounter Wen You (Li Ching), a young woman from a wealthy family who is stranded beside her broken down Mercedes. They give her ride home and Chang Chun makes up his mind to see her again. Their first date is less than ideal. They bump into Wen You’s protective brother Wen Kuang (Chen Hung-lieh) who offends Chang Chun by paying their tab. Then on the way back to their car, the couple finds themselves caught up the middle of a police shootout with an armed fugitive. After the criminal is shot and killed Chang Chun impulsively snatches up the dead man’s gun without anyone noticing before taking Wen You home. Chang Chun and Wen You begin seeing each other on a regular basis until Chang’s caught attempting to sneak Wen You into a gentleman’s club by dressing her as a man. Bouncers attempt to stop the two from making a quick exit which results in a fist fight with Chang. This lands the two lovers in jail. After bailing his sister out, Wen Kuang has hired bodyguards beat up Chang Chun and demands that Wen You not see him anymore. Despondent, Chang Chun is unable to stay away and wanders over to Wen You’s home with David in tow to wait outside for her to come out. Instead, Wen Kuang comes out with his thugs to rough up Chang. Wen Kuang’s men end up destroying the hotrod and mortally stabbing David after he comes to Chang Chun’s defense. In retaliation, Chang returns with the gun and shoots Wen Kuang dead in front of dozens of witnesses. Chang runs away and becomes a fugitive considered by police to be armed and dangerous. When Chang arranges to meet Wen You again, police tail the girl to their rendezvous, resulting in a fateful standoff.
While not a martial arts movie, Ti Lung’s character is clearly shown to be trained in martial arts while fighting bouncers and bodyguards in two different scenes. Action directors Tang Chia and Lau Kar-leung choreographed these scenes with a mixture of modern martial arts moves that soon became the standard screen fighting style of ’70s-era “basher” films that were set in the 20th century.
Genre: Drama
Companies: Shaw Brothers
Release Date: July 12, 1969
Producer: Runme Shaw
Director: Chang Cheh
Action Director: Tang Chia, Lau Kar-leung
Starring: Li Ching (Wen You), Ti Lung (Chang Chun), David Chiang (David Liao Ching-shui), Angela Yu Chien (Mary), Chen Hung-lieh (Wen Kuang)
