Sometimes it’s the simplest of plots that result in the best movies. Take BANDITS FROM SHANTUNG. This Golden Harvest wuxia pian from writer/director Huang Feng is one feature-length reason to carry out bloody and epic swordplay unhindered by story or character development. And it’s carried out with boundless energy, style and creativity with the masterful aid of action directors Chin Tai-cheng and the great Sammo Hung, who also co-stars.
The notorious Bandits of Shantung have been terrorizing the countryside and have now set their sights on a new target, a guarded consignment of gold on its way through a small village. The local inhabitants catch wind of this and flee, leaving the small cluster of shops and homes empty save for a lone tea house owner and several strangers who have just arrived. Among them is a swordsman named Yen Tieh-i (Chang Yi), two amateur thieves and three more would-be thieves known as The Heroes of Chieh.
The two thieving parties argue over how to split the gold until several advance members of the Shantung bandits arrive. Bandit Wu (Sammo Hung) tosses bells onto their heads and orders them into formation, with the understanding that anyone who drops a bell will be killed. When the bandits try to use the same treatment on Yen, they find themselves in an all-out battle. When Yen’s girl Ling Ling is kidnapped by the bandits, who also desire revenge for the death of their comrades, Yen forces the arriving escort to use their gold consignment as bait to draw out the bandits so that he can get his girl back and make mincemeat out of the bandits.
In other words, the plot can be boiled down to one recipe combining one good guy with heaps of baddies, add one compelling reason for them to kill each other and stir it all into a blood-soaked batter. So there you have it, a recipe made in kung fu movie-loving heaven. Dialogue is kept to a minimum and individual action scenes stretch on for a wonderfully-long time.
The first 30 minutes is about the scintillating buildup, foes sizing each other up and brave words and laughter tossed about carelessly. Then the fu hits… hard. Sammo Hung, dressed like a burley barbarian or pirate launches into an extended, open-hand battle with Chang Yi. It’s fast, intense and displays a rare amount of sophistication for screen fighting as of 1972. Instead of a break, this follows with an equally-long sword duel between Chang Yi. Both battles are magnificent and end with incredible bloody deaths that must be seen.
The film settles down for a short time before working up to a nighttime battle in a forest and eventually the coup de grace, Chang’s showdown with the entire bandit camp and their leader as played by Pai Ying. This last battle with Pai Ying is an epic sword duel where both parties are evenly matched. It’s brutal, bloody and goes on for a long time. The only complaints may be the number of trampoline leaps and occasionally-noticeable undercranking, but otherwise the choreography is outstanding.
Chang’s weapon of choice is memorable. It’s a fat-bladed short sword with a spiked hand guard and a distinctive red handle. He also wears what looks like a small satchel of throwing daggers on his belt, but for some reason they’re never used. Weapons combat is a major aspect of the action and the swordplay here is well above average.
It’s wonderful to see Chang Yi in the well-deserved lead. He spent most of his career in lesser old school flicks relegated to often average villain roles. He usually stood out because of his hardened looks, intense persona and solid screen fighting skills. As the stoic hero in BANDITS FROM SHANTUNG he claims his rightful place among Hong Kong’s most noble martial screen actors including Ti Lung and Yu Rong-guang.
Judged solely on action, BANDITS FROM SHANTUNG is nearly perfect. It has everything that Chang Cheh and his team of action experts at Shaw Brothers were mustering in films like THE BLOOD BROTHERS and GOLDEN SWALLOW, but I would argue this flick offers action that is even faster and more consistently dynamic.
The swinging score could easily have been out of place in a period piece, but it fits the film’s rapid momentum. The stylized camera angles and acrobatics it catches give the swordplay a modern look that holds up well, while costumes and sets maintain that classic ’60s look. It makes for a terrific blending of vintage and emerging wuxia film styles of the ’70s. For all of these reasons, BANDITS FROM SHANTUNG is highly recommended.
by Mark PollardRelated Topics:
Bandits from Shantung (1972)
