Knight of Knights, The (1966)

Six heroes are killed while investigating rampant lawlessness at Zhaoqing Temple where villains are posing as monks. The dead heroes’ senior brother Su-chen and his two apprentices pose as scholars in order to infiltrate the temple. When the life of the Emperor’s Inspector and his daughter are threatened, the trio leaps into battle as government troops prepare to storm the temple.

Review: Released at a transitional period for Hong Kong martial arts movies, The Knight of Knights expertly combines old fashioned swashbuckling and classical romance with deliciously gruesome bloodshed and heroism. Built around one of Chang Cheh’s earliest swordplay scripts, the film bristles with the kind of bravura action that would define his entire, illustrious career.

The Knight of Knights begins in the thick of it as six heroes, led by the burley Cheng Lui and lanky Chen Hung-lieh, confront the Abbot of Zhaoqing Temple. It seems the monks are not really Buddhist monks at all, but rather lawless thugs linked with a king who wishes to usurp the Imperial throne. Their abode is riddled with traps that whittle the heroes down before they are finished off. Yet this doesn’t happen before the film’s most gruesome battle establishes the tone. Arms and legs literally fly off amid gouts of blood. The film never quite matches this initial mayhem, but it does settle into a very solid swordplay adventure with rousing action evenly scattered throughout.

One of Shaw’s early male leads is Kiu Chong (AKA Chiao Chuang) who appears in the title role. He’s a Jimmy Wang Yu prototype appearing as peerless swordsman Wen Su-chen, with a modest build and stagy facial makeup, but a cool charisma and capable of striking a dashing pose. He was instructed by the Emperor’s Chief Inspector to investigate the temple and had sent his brothers ahead. After learning of their fate, Su-chen and his two apprentices enter the temple while posing as simple scholars. Secret tunnels leading under the temple are discovered where women are being kidnapped to service the villains, if you know what I mean. Su-chen dons a mask to hide his identity and cuts through 10 monks in order to free the women.

As ordered by the Emperor, the Inspector comes to investigate the rumors of misconduct at the temple and by the local governor who is in league with the Abbot. While they publicly deny everything, an assassination attempt on the Inspector’s life is foiled by Su-chen. The villains then set an ambitious trap to dump the Inspector into the sea that nearly succeeds, yet Su-chen and his two young helpers arrive just in time. Su-chen next saves the Inspector’s daughter, the beautiful Hong-yu (Lily Ho) from a fate worse then death. A fetching scene of classy eroticism occurs as they dry their clothes while separated only by a ragged cloth flung over a line. They each internally sing of their secret love for one another without ever actually expressing it.

Reality hits home when its discovered that Hong-yu’s mistress (Lily Li) and Su-chen’s apprentice Wen-lung (Cliff Lok) are missing. For no good reason Wen-lung brought the lass back to the temple after saving her from the same watery trap. The monks suspect he is the masked knight and attack. Su-chen arrives ahead of the Inspector’s army to find the pair and an important scroll hidden away by the abbot. He ultimately battles with the Abbot as government soldiers clash with hundreds of monks in the temple’s courtyard.

There is much to like about this film. Chang Cheh puts together a classic adventure that is definitely Chinese in spirit, but isn’t too difficult to grasp. There isn’t any character development and Kiu Chong as the hero is never challenged enough. But simplicity in storytelling is only a fault when the story is poorly presented. For what it is, the filmmakers present The Knight of Knights quite well.

The action predates Hong Kong’s fascination with realistic kung fu and is therefore fairly romanticized and also influenced by Japanese filmmaking. This accounts for the heavy bloodletting, constant tossing of projectiles including shurikens, and the limited amount of sparring. People just don’t stay alive long enough to spar for twenty minutes as in the films of a decade later. None of the lead actors are particularly accomplished at fighting or acrobatics, but they all look good. Casting Wu Ma as one of the leading villains is example that the filmmakers were not too concerned with impressing their audience with martial feats. Expect to see Simon Yuen (Drunken Master) fighting on numerous occasions and Guk Fung (Duel of Fists) in a non-fighting role. Tong Dik gets the most colorful role where fighting is concerned by playing the villainous Abbot. He doesn’t do much until he’s forced to fight Kiu Chong. But when he does, we get to see a great, exaggerated example of internal kung fu. He literally puffs up through breathing, leaves beads and hand prints in stone walls, and exerts a force to push Kiu away. Its fun stuff, but ultimately doesn’t do him any good.

I would be remiss to not mention the leading ladies. This was one of Lily Ho’s first starring roles and she is a beauty who appears willing to show off more than just her face. But she’s still outgunned by her co-star, Lily Li. This is Lily Li’s first screen role and she’s downright gorgeous. Knowing that she would go on to become one of the reigning queen’s of martial arts movies and would age so gracefully helps to appreciate her presence in this film. But she stands apart just in this role and I cried foul at the injustice of her fate.

If you don’t mind swordplay action that cannot compare to the athleticism and power of modern martial arts films, you’ll find The Knight of Knights is still a gem with a simplistic, but well-crafted story. Fans of Come Drink with Me or Golden Swallow should be quite happy. If this film had a headline it would read, “Righteous, Brave, and Intelligent Hero Goes Toe-to-Toe With Womanizing Baddies and Gets the Girl.” Sure it’s quaint, idealistic, and bereft of the cynicism that dominates today’s culture, but it doesn’t hurt to dream a little every now and then.