Following his directorial debut in 1974′s drama THE DRUG ADDICT, Shaw Brothers star David Chiang helmed his first martial arts film THE CONDEMNED. Sharing traits with films of his mentor Chang Cheh, this tale of male bonding and righteous vengeance is a well-crafted, character-driven work that builds up to a magnificent series of unadorned kung fu duels.
Choi Wang, with his rough features and build was almost always cast in villainous bit roles and too often in cheaply made productions in the late ’70s and early ’80s. Here he finally gets to shine as the wronged protagonist Feng Dagang, a recently hired guard who shows up just in time to take the blame for his employer being killed by members of a local triad. In prison, he is joined by Yang Lin (David Chiang), a pickpocket who mistakenly lifted a large sum of money from one of the triad’s business associates.
Initially, a chained-up Feng savagely torments Yang until trust is earned and the two become friends. Together, they escape but Yang and his girlfriend (Lily Li) face the wrath of the triad’s leader Mr. Sheng (Ku Feng) after failing to poison Feng while in prison. Concerned for his friend, Feng returns to challenge Sheng and protect Yang as the police close in.
Chiang proves to be a fairly smart director who presents a solid story and frames quality action with little gimmickry. Casting himself as a pickpocket with no kung fu skills suits him, while having Choi Wang as the heroic heavy proves to be an outstanding choice. Lily Li is too refined to be playing a simple maid who loves a street urchin but she puts in a noble effort. Crude rape scenes involving Li, or rather her double, are awkwardly filmed and make the filmmakers appear too eager to show off skin. Yet this is a problem with most of SB’s films that include such content.
The first half of the film features little action apart from the opening massacre but the second half kicks in with some truly great kung fu, especially for old school fans who care not for wires or other tricks. It’s just Choi Wang versus Ku Feng in an empty mansion in a long, suspenseful and gritty duel that is wonderfully shot and choreographed. If anything could be said against this fight, it’s the near-inexhaustible amount of breakaway railings the two plow through.
Pai Ying plays the other lead villain and what a great performance he delivers. As Chiang and Choi battle his underlings, Pai coolly sits nearby, awaiting his turn. The one action gimmick in the film is Pai’s special attack which is a leaping kick with both feet. How this attack is met by our heroes is priceless.
As one of, if not the first martial arts prison movie ever made, THE CONDEMNED is much better than modern efforts such as Jimmy Wang Yu’s ISLAND OF FIRE or more recent films from Steven Seagal and Jean-Claude Van Damme. But then, Chiang doesn’t limit himself to shooting action within the prison. It is a shame that Chiang seems to go out of his way to show all of the women in this film being treated miserably. But this exploitive element is the only detractor in an otherwise spectacular martial arts classic that finishes like a champ.
by Mark Pollard
