CrazyFrog
02-25-2008, 10:04 AM
Ninja in Ancient China (1993)
Perhaps Chang Cheh's last movie, Ninja in Ancient China has a seriously good action quotient but sadly suffers from several technical flubs and confusing editing.
A Taoist master by the name of Yu is introduced as the master of Chinese 'five element' ninjas (sounds familiar!). He is also a healer and all-around swell guy with a horrifingly yellow smock. Unfortunately, this is the early part of Chinese history leading up to the Three Kingdoms and subjugation is afoot. General Suen-Chak is a hardened warrior and rather brutal administrator but also displays (on occasion) a soft side. Unfortunately for Taoist Yu, it doesn't include the rebels Yu and his students have trained. Suen-Chak goes after and kills Yu and hangs him in front of the fortress. His students seek revenge, of course, and to do it requires subterfuge to reach the General's inner circle. I won't give away too much more but it's a Chang Cheh film, so blood and death with as side dish of honor are on the menu.
Well, first the bad news. Though filmed in 1993, it has a print that looks more like early 1970's with squiggles occasionally popping up. Not so bad in itself, but the subtitles are burned in and hard to read at times due to their placement in the frame. Compounding that is the rather confusing translation that will throw even some used to poor translations. That subject itself could be a whole review! Audio is ok but volume comes in and out at times.
The editing is done in such a way to make you feel like you missed 4 or 5 seconds of action at certain points during the film . Not a show stopper, but annoying anyways. The movie feels confusing at times when it deals with the mechinations of politics and war; names and places come in and out of conversation, but honestly it is hard to keep up or care when the translation is as poor as it is. Ultimately, the war and politics are merely a backdrop for the main revenge plot. And heroic ninja bloodshed. At least in this movie, the ninjas are the protagonists.
The good news? Action is hot and gets better as it goes on. Much better then the 1983 Five Element Ninjas in my opinion (even though that movie is classic in it's own right). The ninjas are fun to watch as colored smoke billows up and ninjas fly up into the air (reminiscent of the more far-fetched ninja movies out there). But everyone in Taoist Yu's cadre kicks serious ass and when it gets down to fights, I was floored. A nice combination of wushu, northern styles, wuxia, and ninja weaponry blends together in a startingly fast and often visceral combination. Standouts include the young student who infiltrates the General's staff and the General himself (apologies but right now haven't figured out some of the main cast yet). The cast as a whole is remarkable for the quality and talent level. Other things I liked were the historical setting (a period which has some interesting garb), the mainland locations (with a suitably badass fortress), and the action (did I say that already?). The choreography was awesome and Tung Chi Hua is on my list to watch for.
Despite my misgivings about the technical stuff, I don't mean to imply that it is Greenfan's fault for any of that. Great liner notes and extras show the commitment they have for putting this somewhat rare film back out in circulation. A big hand goes out to them for this effort. Ultimately, it is a definite recommend for the diehard kungfu fan, but not so much for the casual kungfu grazer.
4 out of 5 ninjas (for diehard genre fans)
2 out of 5 ninjas for the rest of y'all
Perhaps Chang Cheh's last movie, Ninja in Ancient China has a seriously good action quotient but sadly suffers from several technical flubs and confusing editing.
A Taoist master by the name of Yu is introduced as the master of Chinese 'five element' ninjas (sounds familiar!). He is also a healer and all-around swell guy with a horrifingly yellow smock. Unfortunately, this is the early part of Chinese history leading up to the Three Kingdoms and subjugation is afoot. General Suen-Chak is a hardened warrior and rather brutal administrator but also displays (on occasion) a soft side. Unfortunately for Taoist Yu, it doesn't include the rebels Yu and his students have trained. Suen-Chak goes after and kills Yu and hangs him in front of the fortress. His students seek revenge, of course, and to do it requires subterfuge to reach the General's inner circle. I won't give away too much more but it's a Chang Cheh film, so blood and death with as side dish of honor are on the menu.
Well, first the bad news. Though filmed in 1993, it has a print that looks more like early 1970's with squiggles occasionally popping up. Not so bad in itself, but the subtitles are burned in and hard to read at times due to their placement in the frame. Compounding that is the rather confusing translation that will throw even some used to poor translations. That subject itself could be a whole review! Audio is ok but volume comes in and out at times.
The editing is done in such a way to make you feel like you missed 4 or 5 seconds of action at certain points during the film . Not a show stopper, but annoying anyways. The movie feels confusing at times when it deals with the mechinations of politics and war; names and places come in and out of conversation, but honestly it is hard to keep up or care when the translation is as poor as it is. Ultimately, the war and politics are merely a backdrop for the main revenge plot. And heroic ninja bloodshed. At least in this movie, the ninjas are the protagonists.
The good news? Action is hot and gets better as it goes on. Much better then the 1983 Five Element Ninjas in my opinion (even though that movie is classic in it's own right). The ninjas are fun to watch as colored smoke billows up and ninjas fly up into the air (reminiscent of the more far-fetched ninja movies out there). But everyone in Taoist Yu's cadre kicks serious ass and when it gets down to fights, I was floored. A nice combination of wushu, northern styles, wuxia, and ninja weaponry blends together in a startingly fast and often visceral combination. Standouts include the young student who infiltrates the General's staff and the General himself (apologies but right now haven't figured out some of the main cast yet). The cast as a whole is remarkable for the quality and talent level. Other things I liked were the historical setting (a period which has some interesting garb), the mainland locations (with a suitably badass fortress), and the action (did I say that already?). The choreography was awesome and Tung Chi Hua is on my list to watch for.
Despite my misgivings about the technical stuff, I don't mean to imply that it is Greenfan's fault for any of that. Great liner notes and extras show the commitment they have for putting this somewhat rare film back out in circulation. A big hand goes out to them for this effort. Ultimately, it is a definite recommend for the diehard kungfu fan, but not so much for the casual kungfu grazer.
4 out of 5 ninjas (for diehard genre fans)
2 out of 5 ninjas for the rest of y'all