REVIEW: ‘Heroes of the East’ (1978)

Marital and cultural conflicts have existed in cinema for years, but never have they been put forth so literally until kung fu movie Master Lau Kar-leung delivered with this amusing and thrilling clash of Japanese and Chinese martial arts, husband and wife, and misunderstood customs.

In the Hollywood classic ADAM’S RIB (1949), Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn engaged in the ultimate verbal battle of the sexes. In HEROES OF THE EAST, Gordon Liu, fresh from establishing himself as the newest kung fu movie sensation following the international success of THE 36TH CHAMBER OF SHAOLIN, joined Japanese actress Yuko Mizuno in creating the ultimate martial battle of the sexes.

Wearing a wig to hide his distinctive shaved head, Liu is Chinese gentleman Ho To, whose initial reluctance to fulfill his part in an arranged marriage turns to enthusiasm at the sight of his lovely Japanese bride-to-be Kung Zi (Mizuno). But despite her Chinese name, Kung Zi turns out to be anything but the dutiful Chinese wife. She is a proud and high-spirited woman, well-trained in Japanese martial arts who turns their household upside down with her destructive, early-morning training. This is quite an impressive achievement considering that Mizuno had no martial arts experience prior to this film.

In an effort to temper her unorthodox ways, Ho To attempts to teach her the value of Chinese martial arts but he is only met with distain. Tempers flare and fists tighten as the pair break out into open combat.

Finally bested by her husband, Kung Zi returns to Japan in a fit of anger. In an attempt to draw his wife back, Ho To sends a challenge letter that denounces Japanese martial arts. It ends up in the hands of her furious martial arts masters who take the letter as an open challenge. As a result, Ho To succeeds in getting his wife to return to China but she is not alone.

As misunderstandings stack, Ho To is forced to contend with seven Japanese martial artists each specializing in a different style. To do so, he draws on the experience, advice and support of his kung fu master (Simon Yuen) and fellow students. This bitter contest finally climaxes with a duel between Ho To and the greatest of the seven, ninjitsu master Takeno (Yasuaki Kurata). Takeno uses every ninja trick in the book in his effort to outfight and outwit an increasingly tired Ho To.

It’s easy to deride kung fu movies for their frequent lack of originality, yet there isn’t anything quite like HEROES OF THE EAST. Films pitting Japanese against Chinese have been popular ever since Jimmy Wang Yu took on Japanese fighters in THE CHINESE BOXER (1970). What makes the conflict in HEROES so distinctive is also what makes Lau Kar-leung the undisputed master of classic kung fu moviemaking.

Lau’s greatest objective with his movies has always been to promote kung fu in a positive light. In this film he does so again, but also while paying tribute to Japan’s distinctive martial arts. Rather than present a movie where Chinese and stereotypical Japanese martial artists tear each other apart for revenge or sadistic pleasure, fighters from both countries are treated with respect and are ultimately drawn together by their common interest in what the film refers to as a universal “martial way.” This is a theme Jet Li explored in FEARLESS (2006).

Adding conflict among newlyweds as the catalyst for action is also quite unusual, although not surprising considering that Lau’s own films virtually never dealt with the typically shallow revenge themes of most kung fu movies.

Before HEROES OF THE EAST, few Japanese actors had stepped onto a Hong Kong martial arts movie set, although there had previously been many Japanese villains in Hong Kong cinema. One notable exception was Yasuaki Kurata who first became an instant star in Hong Kong after displaying his substantial skills and screen presence in THE KING BOXER opposite Meng Fei.

Lau rightly gives Kurata the leading position among the Japanese fighters, but also casts other Japanese actors to fill out the remaining roles. In addition, he takes the same care he lavished on his orchestration of classical kung fu techniques on the Japanese arts of judo, kendo, karate, ninjitsu, and others. In fact, it is his extensive depiction of ninjitsu, as performed by Kurata that deserves recognition for kick-starting the ninja movie craze in the early ’80s.

Ninjas had appeared in Japanese cinema for years and even in the James Bond classic YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE (1967). Yet it took Lau’s colorful exaggeration of their arts performed Hong Kong style that really captured the imagination of audiences.

In Lau’s hands, Kurata becomes a shadowy harbinger of mayhem as he disappears in a cloud of red smoke, unleashes a hail of shuriken and still goes toe-to-toe with Gordon Liu’s elaborate kung fu technique without losing his own distinctive style.

The way in which Lau blends Chinese and Japanese arts is amazing. The first half of the movie is a warm up. Lau uses Mizuno’s character to introduce, often in a humorous fashion, each Japanese weapon and style that will later come into play as Gordon Liu faces the masters. This also serves as a rare chance to size up the similarities and differences between Chinese and Japanese weapons. By the end, Gordon Liu is able to ideally match each Japanese weapon and technique with an appropriate Chinese one.

Essentially, Lau uses this to show off kung fu’s greatest strength, its wide-ranging adaptability and variety. Kendo is matched with Wudan-styled swordplay and the katana matched with the Chinese broadsword. The hard and direct style of karate is matched with the soft and unpredictable style of drunken boxing, as hastily taught by a drunken master played comically by the director himself. Spear is matched with spear, where the only real distinction is the red tassel that Liu puts to good use. A combination of nunchaku and side-handled baton originating from Okinawa are matched with the three-section staff. Sais, wielded by a mousy character who twitches his nose are met with Wing Chun butterfly knives. The more esoteric aspects of ninjitsu like disguises and hidden weapons are matched with varying elements of kung fu reality and fantasy from wuxia legends.

This fight between Gordon Liu and Yasuaki Kurata is the longest and most varied, as techniques, weapons and locations change frequently. It is at this time that Liu unleashes the rope dart to counter Kurata’’s own hidden weapons and sees his crane style matched with an unusual crab style from Japan. Interestingly, Lau seems to pay the most respect to judo, for Liu never musters an effective counter style for this potent grappling art. His only way out is through a bit of comedic help from his friends.

This may be one of Lau Kar-leung’s best films, but it still reveals a few very minor chinks in its armor. The initial premise of husband and wife pitted against each other is what makes the first half of the movie so entertaining, yet it’s all but forgotten in the second half as Lau makes a heavy shift to nearly non-stop action. It’s nothing to complain about considering how well it’s all executed, but it still shows an imbalance that shoves poor Yuko Mizuno into the background. This is really reinforced by the abrupt ending that strongly punctuates Lau’s main interest in emphasizing the brotherhood that all martial artists share.

While some nice outdoor locations are used, that distinctively unreal look of the Shaw Brothers sets dominates the production. This is especially true when corners can be seen in the “sky” behind the actors.

Gordon Liu, though very good at what he does is still obviously doubled for a few scenes, such as where he twirls the three-section staff behind his back. Lau does his best to hide this, but this minor discrepancy where select weapons handling and acrobatics comes into play is admittedly what separates the intensely trained wushu and Peking opera stars like Jackie Chan and Jet Li from most studio-trained Hong Kong stars. The only other complaint of even less significance is with Gordon Liu’s wig. I don’t know if it’s anything like his real hair once looked like, but he certainly looks better bald than with that rat’s nest he’s stuck with.

HEROES OF THE EAST embodies the very best of the kung fu movie genre, yet remains unique among its peers. It is a superb example of Lau Kar-leung’s ability to draw the viewer into his meticulous fight choreography with compelling storytelling seamlessly woven into the action. It also stands as perhaps the greatest match up of Japanese and Chinese fighters. It’s all the more impressive that he’s able to pull this all off so well without resorting to any real bloodshed, death or dismemberment. There is a place for that as I’m sure Chang Cheh and Sonny Chiba would argue, but Lau rises above this and just gives us great martial arts action packaged in a very accessible story for even non-fu fans.