This incredible martial arts drama originally premiered in 1993 as YAT DO KING SING, which literally translates as One Dagger Collapsed City. The film is directed by the now famous Sammo Hung, a veteran Hong Kong actor and director. Hung’s directing skills are wildly underrated and he proves what he’s capable of with films like EASTERN CONDORS and BLADE OF FURY. In fact, I’d like to see Hung quit network television and tackle US directing. Sammo also has a neat cameo as a prison guard and gets to briefly fight Brother Wu. The only thing that is not very Sammo-like, is that his trademark humor is not evident in the film; its all played seriously.

This film tries hard to add a dimension of history and storyline to the action scenes and it works for the most part, except it slows down the momentum during the last act. The acting is very good all around, and there is a lot of good intentions written into the script. You are unsure of who the actual antagonists are until the very end of the film. Although the villains are initially the Japanese, with whom China has had poor relations with during the time period this was set in (namely the late 1800s), there are also traitors in the midst. The theme throughout the movie is the rebuilding of Imperial China, which many of the characters are prepared to give their lives for.

In the opening sequence Brother Wu, co-leader of the Black Flag Troops, a nationalistic strike force, prepares himself and the troops for battle against a Japanese encampment. Because the Japanese have firearms and superior numbers, the Black Flag troops are nearly wiped out. Only Brother Wu survives, and he is so spiritually devastated that he dramatically jumps off a cliff, horse and all. Of course to his chagrin he survives and later he takes up residence in a nearby town as a blacksmith.

Meanwhile, Tan Szu Tung (played by Ti Lung of A BETTER TOMORROW), a government official who seeks to restore order to Imperial China travels with high strung assistant Nine Catties (sexy and kick-ass Cynthia Khan) arrives in the same small town. Oddly, Nine Catties appears to be a female disguised as a male, but this is never explained. Ti Lung and Nine Catties get involved in a local skirmish between a battalion of thieves and the Chinese army whose confrontation intersect with a parade of fleeing refugees. In the skirmish, it is revealed that they both are well versed in the martial arts and swiftly save old women and children refugees by running on top of the combatants heads! Brother Wu, the blacksmith, comes out of hiding to help the refugees as well. His efforts are noticed by Tan Szu Tung and the a leader of the Chinese army, Yuan Shin Kai. After the crisis, Tan Szu Tung, Brother Wu, Nine Catties, and Yuan Shin Kai become fast friends as they share the same philosophy regarding China.

The Emperor welcomes them all back to the fold, and seeing as he has a strong interest in the martial arts, he requests that Brother Wu open up his own kung-fu school to teach the soldiers and people alike. The Emperor also schedules a tournament, where all the masters will fight including a samurai/ninja master from Japan. Eventually the times comes when Chinese patriot Tan Szu Tung attempts to reform the Chinese government and liberate the oppressed. He insists that all the friends must choose to join him or oppose him, since there is no middle road. This leads to Tan Szu Tung being arrested by the Emperor’s guard and placed in jail. Brother Wu attempts to break him out, but Tan Szu Tung wants to remain and have his case heard by the people. The Emperor’s verdict states that he be executed for his views. And in the most melodramatic part of the film, Tan Szu Tung willingly goes to the chopping block, with the belief that once he is gone, the people will become enraged and follow his teachings. He wants the movement he began to spread throughout China. But the Emperor knows the best way to end the movement is to end Tan Szu Tung’s friends and followers including Brother Wu, Nine Catties, and Yuan Shin Kai. The stage is set for the dramatic showdown.

Lest you think this is just a Chinese drama, think again. When the fight scenes come, they are very well done, and almost too quick in their execution. Sammo has a natural way with the camera and capturing combat scenes on film. The action is truly ferocious and in some brief scenes sped up. Other scenes use slow motion to great effect. In addition to the combat scenes, there is the following additional mayhem:

This is just some the violent action that occurs in BLADE OF FURY. The movie is very well photographed and the use of lighting is very good. Sammo proves he’s a master at filming, editing, and lighting techniques as well as the martial arts techniques. Some scenes have a very poetic effect, such as Brother Wu practicing at dusk, with the yellowing sun in the background. Another scene takes place on a boat where Brother Wu compliments a woman musician who is playing the Chinese harp; these scenes are all poetically photographed.

SIGHT

The widescreen 1.85.1 transfer looks great, but it is not perfect. There is incredible detail in the images. The combat and tournament scenes are striking. Some grain is visible in many scenes but most people won’t even notice it. This transfer looks very polished and glossy and has a look similar to BRIDE WITH THE WHITE HAIR. The colors are genuinely bright and appear accurate. Contrast and brightness are good with decent shadow detail. A few of the night action scenes appeared a little soft. The film uses background lighting to great effect, and it helps bring out the detail. In the opening scenes where the Black Flag Troops are practicing their kung-fu at dusk, there is a yellow haze in the picture. But this is attributable to the falling sun in the background. The haze is not a problem throughout the film. My one major gripe with the transfer is not with the quality of image, rather it is the subtitling that bothers me. The subtitling is not in the DVD mastering, it is in the print itself (similar to most HK laserdiscs). You cannot turn them on or off. The printing is small, hard to read, and does not appear to be translated %100 correctly. Maybe, I’m a little spoiled with recent Tai Seng releases where the subtitles are large, unobstructed, easy to read, and are in the black bar. But if you are a fan of HK cinema, don’t let this subtitling problem put you off from buying or renting this DVD.

SOUND

The Dolby Digital Stereo soundtrack is also very good. Don’t expect LUCASFILM THX quality sound and directionality though. The mix is fairly active and particularly lively during the fight scenes. The forward soundstage has most of the activity with the rears speakers adding ambience or echoing the martial arts blows. The final battle scenes utilize the most directionality mix-wise. Frequency response is good, but the bass is inconsistent at times. The score is mainly Chinese traditional music (in keeping with the tone of the film) and is used sparingly for dramatic effect and does not get much action in the mix. The dialogue sounds natural and is limited to the center channel. Overall a very crisp, ambient soundtrack, but nothing dynamic.

FEATURES

None. * Lack of extras brings the overall rating down half a point.

CONCLUSION

If you are looking for some melodrama and some history lessons with your slam-bang action films, then you may be interested in this Sammo Hung directed film. This is one of the only Sammo Hung films that has virtually no humor, so if that is a requirement for you, you may want to avoid this one. The fighting and stunt work is awesome. A couple scenes involving cable-fu appear a little cheesy. But on the whole, this is a beautifully photographed film with lush cinematography. The DVD mastering is above average, however there are no extras.

                                                   Rating (out of 5):