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Review by
Calvin
McMillin: |
Deciding
to join a religious cult probably isn't the wisest of choices,
and that's especially true if it's the kind of cult featured
in Lau Kar-Leung's Legendary Weapons of China. Set
around the time of the Boxer Rebellion, the film centers
on the xenophobic Yi Ho Society, a quasi-religious group
that would like nothing better than to drive out all the
"evil" foreigners invading their beloved China.
Dressed in bizarre caped costumes, the devout members rigorously
train in the hopes of one day becoming immune to the fatal
power of Western firearms. And in ritualistic fashion, many
young recruits—relying solely on the faith in their
kung fu—eagerly stand unafraid before an in-house firing
squad.
Since the film has some consideration
for reality, each and every volunteer ends up dying in a
hail of bullets. Their instructor, Ti Tan (Gordon Liu Chia-Hui)
isn't pleased with the results, but instead of scrapping
the project, he decides that the only solution is to train
harder! Of course, the members have no problem at all with
this logic—this is, after all, a group so loyal to
their masters that any one of them would pluck out his eyes
or even tear off his testicles if commanded! And a few do!
Ah, such are the perils of conformity.
Of course, amidst all this
groupthink idiocy there's at least one smart cookie in the
cult, the enigmatic Lei Gung (Lau Kar-Leung). Unwilling
to watch his beloved pupils throw their lives away so recklessly,
Gung dissolves the Yunnan branch of the cult and goes into
hiding. Viewing him as a traitor to their cause, the Yi
Ho Society sends out a group of assassins (all working separately)
to liquidate their former brother.
Hiding in Guandong as a simple
woodcutter, Lee Gung starts a new life as the folksy and
generally well-liked Mr. Yu. His bucolic new world soon
becomes complicated when several drifters show up in town.
There are the baddies: the unremitting taskmaster Ti (now
disguised as a monk) and Lei Yung, a hypnotist/voodoo practitioner
who just so happens to be Lei Gung's brother (and played
by Lau Kar-Leung's real life sibling, Lau Kar-Wing). Then
there's the good guy—or girl to be more precise—the
cross-dressing Siao Ching (Kara Hui Ying-Hung), who recognizes
the folly of her clan's beliefs and wishes to help Lei Gung.
There's also an X-factor that comes in the form of a young,
impressionable Yi Ho society member named Ti Hao (Hsiao
Hou), who despite his orders to kill Lei Gung will find
his once-solid faith to the cause challenged before the
end of the picture.
After a series of fights and
subterfuges, Lei Gung tends to an injured Ti Hao and nurses
him back to health with Siao Ching's assistance. Knowing
full well that he can no longer run from the fight, Lei
Gung trains with all the legendary weapons of China (hence
the title) to polish his skills, now rusty from lack of
use. But while he trains, there's still the question of
where Ti Hao's loyalties lie: will he bow to his cult programming
and help the assassins kill Lei Gung or fight against it
to help his savior?
Overall, Legendary Weapons
of China is more than just a typical kung fu potboiler.
Sure, the mystery of Lei Gung's true identity isn't given
much play in the narrative, but the assassination plotline
is different enough from most to make it stand out from
the traditional "You killed my master!" storylines
that seem to be the bread and butter of b-grade chopsockies.
Although in no way a traditionally
handsome leading man, Lau Kar-Leung carries the film pretty
well, with good support from Hsiao Hou and Kara Hui Ying-Hung,
who lends her normal luminous self to the proceedings. Although
Gordon Liu plays against type as a villain, he's so good
in the role that he pretty much overshadows the film's true
antagonist, one secret that I will not spoil here.
True to his well-respected
reputation for fight choreography, Lau Kar-Leung stages
some pretty impressive action sequences. One standout scene
involves two actors sparring in the crawlspace of an attic
while Gordon Liu's character stabs at the ceiling with his
spear. Perhaps the best surprise is Fu Sheng's short, but
substantial appearance in the early reels of the film. Although
his character isn't that important to the overall thrust
of the plot, Fu Sheng's comic turn as a conman named Wu
results in some hilarious sight gags. To wit: at the request
of his buddies, Wu pretends to be Lei Gung in the hopes
of luring out the real McCoy. To stall for time, he "fights"
his accomplices, who overreact to his phantom punches and
kicks, instantly falling at the power of his "spiritual"
kung fu. The sequence concludes with a spot-on parody of
some of the bloodier films that director Chang Cheh turned
out for Shaw Brothers: Wu, through some low-tech trickery,
finds his stomach cut open and his guts slowly seeping out,
but staying true to the heroic image he's trying to present,
Wu nonchalantly stuffs his guts back into his stomach and
continues fighting his attackers! Just as funny is the sequence
that follows in which Lau Kar-Wing's voodoo master takes
possession of Fu Sheng's movements, manipulating the conman's
body to the point of apparent martial arts mastery! Thanks
to Fu Sheng's knack for comedy (not to mention some nifty
wire work), the ventriloquist act elicits some well-deserved
laughs.
As is typical of Lau Kar-Leung
films, there are too many fights to mention, although I
can't help but single out the fight between Lau Kar-Leung
and Gordon Liu towards the end of the film that makes the
actual final duel seem less than spectacular. But upon final
appraisal, it's a small quibble. With an intriguing storyline,
inventive choreography, strong performances, and some genuinely
funny moments, one can't help but be charmed. Some hail
Legendary Weapons of China as a martial arts masterpiece,
and although I wouldn't go that far in my praise, I would
readily admit it's high entertainment value, and yet another
stellar example of why Lau Kar-Leung is known as "The
Pops."* (Calvin McMillin 2004)
*Coined by Bey Logan in "Hong Kong Action
Cinema".
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