REVIEW: ‘Heroes Two’ (1974)

A Manchu general burns a Shaolin monastery, killing its inhabitants who are considered rebels. The fierce fighter Hung Hsi Kuan (Chen Kuan Tai) escapes wounded, only to be caught by hero Fang Shih Yu (Alexander Fu Sheng) who believes the fugitive to be a robber. Fang discovers his error and plots to free Hung from a Manchu dungeon at all costs.

A fresh-faced, nineteen year old Alexander Fu Sheng (The Chinatown Kid) in his first kung fu starring role joins the outstanding martial arts star Chen Kuan Tai (Iron Monkey) in Heroes Two, another rousing Chang Cheh masterpiece of bare-chested he-man heroics and bloody self-sacrifice.

Most fans know about the burning of Shaolin Temple during the Ching Dynasty when the Manchu government felt threatened by the powerful monks and their support of the oppressed Han peoples. The film depicts the burning of a Shaolin monastery by Manchu General Che Kang (Zhu Mu) and his men. One of the escaping students who is not a monk himself since his head is not shaven, is a grizzled fighter named Hung Hsi Kuan (Chen Kuan Tai). Although wounded and on the run, he fairly easily beats every Manchu thug who attempts to capture him until he meets a well known hero and kung fu master named Fang Shih Yu. Fang is duped by Manchus into believing that Hung is a robber who has killed innocent merchants. Fang defeats the bloodied Hung and hands him over to the Manchus. Fang, who is also a student of Shaolin kung fu quickly learns of his mistake and charges into the dungeon where Hung has been shackled. He is beaten by the General’s superior kung fu and returns to his rebel friends to free Hung by tunneling underground. Once freed, Hung joins Fang and the other rebels in challenging the General and his forces to a final battle.

Heroes Two is classic Chang Cheh action, although the ending is a bit more upbeat than most of his films. An interesting visual aspect is the use of red filters throughout the final battle during scenes involving gratuitous bloodshed. In Celestial’s interview, cinematographer Arthur Wong notes that they were meant to obscure the heavy use of blood in the film which was apparently still a bit risqué at this time. But I wonder, since several of Chang’s earlier films such as The Heroic Ones featured Ti Lung and company doused in plenty of that famously vivid Shaw brand of blood. The film is actually a fairly intimate affair with large scale combat saved for the end. The story is much more simple than the Gu Long inspired swordplay epics also popular at Shaw’s during this era. Chen Kuan Tai runs away, is captured and Alexander Fu Sheng frees him in time to fight the bad guy. Without any of Tong Gaai’s oddball weaponry or the more outrageous situations Chang would put his stars through in later years, it falls to master choreographer Lau Kar Leung to carry this film and he does a fine job of it.

Alexander Fu Sheng was not a martial artist by trade and when put next to Chen Kuan Tai you can see this clearly. But there is a reason why Fu Sheng is still a favorite of the genre, despite his early death in a car accident several years later. Even at this early age, he exhibits the same kind of charisma that made Jackie Chan a star. And although not a powerful martial artist, he was athletic and learned quickly. His favored weapon in this film is a fan that suits his flowery persona. Chen Kuan Tai on the other hand was a kung fu user of considerable talent. Plus, he had the ruggedly handsome features to match. I’m sure Lau Kar Leung had little trouble in getting Kuan Tai to perform whatever needed to be done. If you watch closely, you’ll see Kuan Tai exhibit extraordinary speed and technical skill when it comes to forms.

This was the era when wide shots of stacked movements upwards of ten or twelve were called for in a single take. Modern martial arts editing, which admittedly is geared towards viewers with short attention spans and little regard for traditional forms, favors the quick cuts that either obscure mediocre skill or dilute good skill. That’s not the case here where you’ll clearly witness great hand work with multiple opponents. I particularly like the methods used to turn an enemy’s sword against them in fluid motions. Of course, this often happens after the defender has already been mortally wounded and his final action is to kill his opponent. I must say this is an aspect of Chang Cheh’s films that I don’t care for. Once gutted, stabbed or hemorrhaged, a hero is required to fight on until his last breath. Its all tied in with Chang’s obsession with romanticized heroics that will always test your suspension of disbelief. Heroes Two is more moderate in this regard, but there is still little subtlety to Chang’s direction. But then if you want subtlety, you’ve picked the wrong film genre!

Heroes Two is a great little film with Chen Kuan Tai in his magnificent prime and Fu Sheng just getting warmed up for greater success with films like The Chinatown Kid and Ten Tigers of Kwantung. But not all is rosy for the villains are exquisitely lackluster. The lead baddie is the Manchu General played by Zhu Mu who didn’t impress me at all. He spends much of his time sneaking in to throw jabs at the heroes when they’re fighting others. His movements are slow and I had a hard time believing either of the heroes could be defeated by him. Fung Hak On plays one of the General’s lesser henchmen and has had much better roles later in his career, particularly in Sammo Hung’s films. But then, the lead performances plus the top notch choreography makes up for most of this.