Green Dragon Inn (1977)

The son of a prominent landowner murders an entire family and the royal court sends their top swordsman Martial Lau to bring him to trial. After the capture, the father amasses a small army to get his son back. With the aid of two skilled swordsmen and a handful of loyal men, Lau makes his final stand at Green Dragon Inn.

A rarity among independent Hong Kong films of the late seventies was The Green Dragon Inn, a superior swordplay adventure that recaptured the heyday of Shaw Brothers wuxia epics by bringing together a cast of Shaw veterans and creating an engaging variation on the plot of the original Dragon Gate Inn (1967).

Yueh Hua, who made his name alongside Cheng Pei Pei in King Hu’s Come Drink with Me (1966) plays a royal officer named Martial Lau, otherwise known as The Bold Dragon. He gets a chance to live up to his nickname by attempting to bring a notorious criminal to justice. Hung Bing Chun (Ching Ching) has killed a noble family and while his father Gai Loi (Ting Ming) does not approve, he’s willing to protect his only heir at all costs. After a well staged battle in a teahouse, Lau and his men capture Bing Chun and begin their long and dangerous journey through Gai Loi’s territory. Lau splits his force to distract his pursuers and heads for Green Dragon Inn where the Four Assassins wait in ambush. On the way there Lau’s men are aided by a noble swordswoman named Cheung (Polly Shang Kuan) who eventually joins them at the inn. After foiling the trap, Lau and his remaining men fortify their position with various traps as Gai Loi and a small army surround the inn. Within is an enigmatic swordsman known as The Silent Tracker (Lo Lieh) who has been trailing our heroes. He joins Lau in a dash to escape Gai Loi’s territory with Bing Chun in tow. This results in a final battle with Gai Loi and a deadly Iron Fist expert played by Sze Ma Lung (The Smart Cavalier).

Although not exactly original, this is great premise for a film and its played out well. Yueh Hua is suitably commanding in his role as the Martial and adds a lot of flair to his fights. In a smaller role, Lo Lieh is outstanding as a mysterious swordsman whose loyalties are hard to discern. His only action scenes towards the end are well worth the wait. But for sheer martial prowess, Polly Shang Kuan takes the cake. She’s one of the few women in Hong Kong film that really knows how to get down and play rough while keeping her femininity.

The costumes and sets are more than adequate with the interior of the Green Dragon Inn featuring detailed ornamentation, along with some nice exterior shots. Yet, most of the outdoor settings are mundane, especially during the finale. The other negative factor is the score which uses stock music that you’ve likely heard on other genre films from the era. Otherwise, Green Dragon Inn is a real treat. Its not often you get to see screen legends like Polly Shang Kuan and Lo Lieh battle side by side and that is reason enough to see this classic.