
Watches
December 24, 2020
One of Cheh Chang's earliest films. They're usually a bit slower and more elaborate than his later work. That tends to translate in nicer cinematography, often featuring scenes shot in the actual outdoors. On the other hand, the stories are rarely engaging enough to support the longer runtimes, so it becomes a double-edged sword.
Nie Zheng comes from a poor family, but he performs well in school, and he's an excellent sword fighter. He wants to live a simple life with his girlfriend Xia Ying, but fate decides otherwise. His school becomes the setting for a big bloodbath, only Zheng and his best friend manage to escape. They decide to move far away, but not before bringing the one who caused the bloodbath to justice.
The cinematography is pretty stylish, performances are also well above the Shaw Bros norm. The action isn't quite as vibrant though and for a simple story like this, the 110-minute plus runtime is a bit excessive. These early Chang films are well worth exploring, even when they can be a bit long-winded.
More by the director
Cheh Chang

Have Sword, Will Travel

Invincible Shaolin

Legend of the Fox

Life Gamble

All Men Are Brothers

Blood Brothers

Boxer Rebellion

Crippled Avengers

Duel of the Iron Fist

Golden Swallow

Heaven and Hell

Heroes Two

Marco Polo

Men from the Monastery

Return of the One-Armed Swordsman

Shaolin Rescuers

Shaolin Temple

The Bloody Escape

The Brave Archer

The Daredevils

The Delightful Forest

The Invincible Fist

The Magnificent Ruffians

The Magnificent Trio

The Shaolin Avengers

The Weird Man

Trail of the Broken Blade

Trilogy of Swordsmanship

Vengeance!

Five Deadly Venoms

Five Shaolin Masters

House of Traps

King Eagle

Magnificent Wanderers

Man of Iron

Masked Avengers

Na Cha the Great

Ode to Gallantry

Ten Tigers of Kwangtung

The Brave Archer 2

The Deadly Duo

The Delinquent

The Flag of Iron

The Flying Dagger

The Iron Bodyguard

The New One-Armed Swordsman

The New Shaolin Boxers

The Rebel Intruders

The Sword Stained with Royal Blood

The Water Margin

Two Champions of Death

7 Man Army

Boxer from Shantung

Chinese Super Ninjas

Disciples of Shaolin

Four Riders

Kid with the Golden Arm

Shanghai 13

Shaolin Martial Arts

The Brave Archer 3

The Brave Archer 4

The Dancing Warrior

The Demons

The Fantastic Magic Baby

The Heroic Ones

The One-Armed Swordsman

The Pirate

Chinatown Kid

Dead End

Duel of Fists

Journey to the West

Police Force

The Angry Guest

The Anonymous Heroes

The Butterfly Chalice

The Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires

The Singing Killer

The Singing Thief

The Generation Gap
