Like many Taiwanese wuxia films, DUEL WITH THE DEVIL blends soap opera drama with fantasy-tinged martial arts action in sprawling outdoor locales. It features most of the stars from SORROWFUL TO A GHOST (1970), a popular first entry in a Taiwanese wuxia trilogy that paved the way for a string of similar films for the next two years. Actress Cheung Ching-ching teams once again with the baby-faced Kong Ban in a classic genre tale of a revenge-seeking swordswoman both blessed and damned by her parents’ martial legacy. The bushy-browed Yee Yuen is the scurrilous Devil who earns the scorn of both heroes.

Like any respectable wuxia saga of the day, the film’s story comes with a scandalous history that directly affects the present. In years past, a young swordswoman named Lo Shan-shan is abandoned by her lover and shortly after is raped by a notorious swordsman known only as the Devil (Yee Yuen). He also apparently killed the rest of Lo’s family although this is never shown. The woman gives birth to the Devil’s child (no, his name isn’t Damien) and leaves her with a reclusive martial arts master named Tsui (Ma Kei).

Eighteen years later, Lo’s daughter Yu-shuang (Cheung Ching-ching) is a headstrong young swordswoman determined to avenge the deaths of her family members. At this point she hasn’t been told who her real father is. She sets out to find the Devil and initially mistakes a young knight named “Devil” Teng Shih-le (Kong Ban) as her man. Teng actually has his own reasons for wanting to duel the real Devil and put a stop to his wickedness. He offers to duel Devil for her at an appointed time but Yu-shuang impatiently begins her own search. Although skilled, Teng and Yu-shuang both have a challenge on their hands. Devil has a nasty Soul Seizure sword technique that blinds his opponents and has so far proven deadly against all comers. He also has the ability to chew up and swallow metal darts tossed his way.

What’s a wuxia story without a few complications? Just when Yu-shuang is all set to confront Devil and cut him down, her mother Shan-shan reappears and discloses the full truth about Devil. She must decide whether to pursue what would be an act of patricide or try to patch things up with her old man. If this weren’t enough drama, Yu-shuang ends up kidnapped by the local swordsmen of Five Tigers Fortress simply for being the daughter of the notorious Devil. Failing to reason with her captors, Tsui, her aging martial arts master, battles his way into the heart of their fortress. He is met by bare-chested, staff-wielding henchmen with painted faces who surround him and employ nasty formation tactics involving ropes.

Action in DUEL is slightly better than average for its day with lots of varied swordplay, highlighted by plentiful aerial combat. While typical cutaways are used, creative camera placement keeps much of the fighting interesting. The filmmakers use fairly advanced framing and perspective techniques such as shooting through broken windows or from underneath carts. Often, objects are intentionally put into the foreground, partially blocking or framing a scene in order to enhance the depth of a set or location. Another neat trick is shooting up from chest level for actor close ups. It gives characters a more dynamic look onscreen.

The choreography itself isn’t especially exciting. The action lacks the proficiency and clarity that Hong Kong action filmmakers were able to produce. Likewise, none of the actors are particularly known for their screen fighting abilities. Still, Kong Ban, Yee Yuen and Ma Kei all deliver lively performances, sometimes doubled for more acrobatic routines, but often not in what frequently amounts to long takes involving a complex set of moves. Cheung is probably the least impressive fighter onscreen but part of the fault is the script which often sidelines her while her male counterparts get the lion’s share of the sword-fighting heroics.

The soundtrack doesn’t sound original at all and is possibly borrowed from at least one spaghetti western. There is a fun, reoccurring musical motif involving an organ that is very reminiscent of old-time radio thrillers like THE WHISTLER. It’s matched quite nicely.

There isn’t anything particularly memorable about DUEL WITH THE DEVIL. It rates as a very average wuxia film with little to distinguish itself from the many swordplay films coming out of Taiwan in the late ’60s and early ’70s. The exception might be the limited formation fighting in the film that involves flags and ropes. This type of choreography foreshadows elements of the Venoms style that Robert Tai and his associates under director Chang Cheh produced for Shaw Brothers in the late ’70s. It doesn’t help that the film’s cast is virtually identical to several wuxia films released around the same time. With less money to spend, Taiwan had an even smaller pool of talent to draw on than Hong Kong so for instance we can see Cheung Ching-ching and Kong Ban paired and backed by the same supporting cast in a whole string of films from different studios and filmmakers.

Putting its modest nature aside, this isn’t a bad way to spend 90 minutes as competent action is plentiful enough and evenly distributed through a mildly engaging plot.

DUEL WITH THE DEVIL is a film I was unable to successfully track down online to find additional credits. It isn’t listed in any of the standard film databases such as HKCinemagic.com and no clear alternate title has become apparent. After doing a little cross checking on Chinese-language sites I believe it possible that this film may be director Kim Lung’s PAID WITH BLOOD, a 1970 wuxia film from First Film Organization. I had previously thought it might be a Joseph Kuo production and I haven’t ruled that out either. What I do know is that it is a Taiwanese production and stars Cheung Ching-ching, Kong Ban and Yee Yuen, three actors who appeared in many of Taiwan’s martial arts movies at the time. Any further tips as to the proven identity of this film, its director or the film company behind it would be most appreciated.

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