After his partner (Lo Lieh) is killed, policeman Meng Hu (Don Wong) retires from crime-busting riddled with guilt until a local opium dealer attempts to force the town’s new authorities to allow shipments of drugs to be brought into the territory.
A true oddity among independent kung fu classics is this dramatically staged film which features the combined talents of Don Wong, Lo Lieh and one of Taiwan’s best kung fu directors, Lee Tso Nam.
I must agree with Ric Meyers who intoned with his commentary how this film really shines in its dialogue and slower pacing. Hardcore action fans beware, while Fatal Needles has terrific fights, at least half of the film is strictly drama. But for patient viewers, Lee Tso Nam’s careful direction pays off with a genuinely entertaining film that sports a surprisingly intelligent script.
Meng Hu (Don Wong) and Capt. Chow Lung (Lo Lieh) are local supercops who are cracking down on crime with a vengeance. That is, until several fighters get the drop on Chow who ends up dead. Meng blames himself and retires from crime fighting to become a pathetic drunk, drowning in shame. He finds work at a brothel for a time, until a patron’s abuse of one of the girls causes him to interfere despite his refusal to fight. After being wounded, he stumbles to the doorstep of a martial arts school run by Magistrate Chen (Chui Chung Hei). Hoping to stay away from conflict, Meng finds work there, but trouble finds him anyway. A white-haired master named Chung Tung (Chang Yi) tries to bribe Chen into letting opium smugglers into the city. Chen refuses and has acupuncture needles thrust into him that will kill him unless removed by Chung Tung who hopes to control the magistrate. Pushed to the limit, Meng finally comes up with a plan to help beat Chung Tung and save Chen. Sadly, Chen believes his son and daughter are giving into Chung Tung and he removes the needles himself. With nothing holding them back, Meng and Chen’s offspring leap into action to take out this pack of drug pushers.
What makes this film so unique is the director’s somewhat realistic approach to the standard kung fu scenario. Lee Tso Nam is a Taiwanese director who created a number of the best independent kung fu films including The Hot, The Cool, and the Vicious (1976) and Eagle’s Claw (1977). What these films all share in common is careful attention to detail and storycraft which few kung fu directors excepting Chang Cheh were known for. What surprised me was the fact that the film’s villain, Chung Tung is almost reluctant to kill. He’d rather get the good guys on his side. Also, the straight forward anti-drug message and Don Wong’s antiheroics add grounding to the film which still manages to contain hairy-chested thugs and a villain who throws acupuncture needles like a champion dart tosser.
Fatal Needles might be Lee’s slowest paced film, but the acting and story is quite good. Its a shame that Lo Lieh is killed off so soon, but Don Wong offers up a great performance and his explosive martial arts technique is always entertaining. The film’s action director, Tommy Lee also shines as Chung Tung’s vicious associate, while Hwa Ling, who also appeared in Eagle’s Claw is simply one talented beauty.
Apart from a mildly disappointing finale filmed on a soundstage and several periods of inaction, Fatal Needles vs. Fatal Fists is a rock solid kung fu classic.
by Mark PollardRelated Topics:
Genre: Kung Fu
