
Watches
January 04, 2021
Another early Cheh Chang flick. It's a pretty good precursor to the 70s highlights of Chang's career, a film that is already quite epic in nature, offers a fair bit of martial arts and a very typical revenge plot. It's not quite up there with his best work yet, but it's no surprise this is the path Chang would choose to pursue.
After avenging his father, Li goes into hiding. There he meets Fang, a capable martial artist who gets mixed up in a bitter fight with some goons. Li tries to stay out of Fang's affairs, but as he grows closer to Fang it becomes increasingly difficult to turn a blind eye, especially since Fang's adversaries don't care for a fair fight.
The cinematography (including the scenes shot on location) look better than Chang's later work (as is typical for the Shaw Bros productions), the fights on the other hand can still feel a little flaky. Still, Trail of the Broken Blade is an entertaining film and no doubt part of the blueprint that would lead the Shaw Bros to big success in the following decade, so well worth a watch.
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

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 Assassin

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
