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HEROES TWO (1974)
IVL/Celestial Pictures
Directed by Cheng Cheh
Produced by Run Run Shaw
Written by I Kuang & Cheng Cheh
Cinematography by Kung Mu To
Music by Chen Yung Yu
Fight Choreography by Tang Chia & Liu Chia Liang
Cast: Chen Kuan Tai, Alexander Fu Sheng, Wong Ching, Fang Tsin, Zhu Mu, Fung Hak On, Tino Wong, Bruce Tong, Chiang Nan, Lee Chiu 
Video: Widescreen (2.35.1)
Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1
Subtitles: Mandarin, English, Thai, Malaysia
Packaging: Keepcase
Chapter Stops: 12
100 Minutes

The Godfather of the Martial Arts Film, Chiang Cheh, varied slightly from his usual formula for the production of his 1974 epic, HEROES TWO. The director decided to forego the winning combination of Ti Lung, David Chiang, and Ku Feng in favor of the popular Chen Kuan Tai and newcomer Alexander Fu Sheng (who was only 19 when this motion picture was made). The plot of HEROES TWO combines the lore of two legendary Chinese heroes, Fong Sai Yuk (called Fang Shih Yu here) and Hung Si Kuan, with both heroes teaming up to fight against a corrupt regime following the burning of the Shaolin Temple. Chen Kuan Tai and Alexander Fu Sheng are joined by a first rate cast including Fung Hak On (BREAKOUT FROM OPPRESSION, SENTIMENTAL SWORDSMAN, THE YOUNG DRAGONS), Wong Ching (NIGHT OF THE ASSASSINS, MASK OF VENGEANCE, THE BEASTS), Zhu Mu (MAD MAD SWORD, UNCONQUERED, INVINCIBLE IRON PALM), Bruce Tong (THE SWIFT SWORD, KING EAGLE, BLOODY AVENGERS), and Chiang Nan (TIGER KILLER, THE MAD MONK, DEATH BLOW). Celestial Pictures seems to be on a roll with these early Chang Cheh classics, so they saw fit to release HEROES TWO early on in their distribution deal with IVL.

Like hundreds of martial arts films of the day, HEROES TWO begins with the burning of the Shaolin Temple, and chronicles the efforts of Fong Sai Yuk and Hung Si Kuan as they combat the forces of oppression, fighting alongside the Chinese revolutionaries. This time the baddie is Manchurian General Che Kang (Zhu Mu), a clever Warlord who capitalizes on the naïveté of Fong Sai Yuk. Neither man realizes that they fight for the Shaolin cause, and General Che Kang tricks Fong Sai Yuk into believing that Hung Si Kuan is a renegade bandit. With the help of the General’s henchmen, Fong Sai Yuk defeats a bloodied Hung Si Kuan. Then the tough rebel is put into shackles inside the General’s castle. Word quickly spreads that Fong Sai Yuk beat the unbeatable Shaolin hero, and the local faction of the rebellion attacks the unknowing Fong Sai Yuk for his rash actions. When the rebel leader reveals the true nature of Hung Si Kuan, Fong Si Kuan is beside himself. The naïve martial artist initially intends to correct his mistake by sneaking into the General’s dungeon and liberating his cohort from the grasp of the Manchurians. However, General Che Kang himself is a powerful Kung Fu practitioner who foils Fong Sai Yuk’s plans. Once Fong Sai Yuk joins his Rebel brothers, they devise a plan to tunnel into the underground prison and rescue Hung Si Kuan. After several tenuous attempts at freeing him, the Shaolin heroes succeed in their task. Now reunited, Fong Sai Yu, Hung Si Kuan, and their Rebel brothers must endure the assault of General Che Kang and his Manchurian army.

Though the plot is fairly straight forward, there are some prime elements of intrigue that only screenwriter I Kuan could devise. The villains completely take control of Fong Sai Yuk, taking advantage of his arrogant demeanor. The suspense comes from the viewer wondering how long Fong Sai Yuk will catch on to the deception. Even though Alexander Fu Sheng delivers some rough shod martial arts exhibitions at his young age, its clear that he has not come into his own as a fighter at this point in his career. Fu Sheng does demonstrate his charisma and comfort in front of the camera, though. Chen Kuan Tai kicks ass throughout the movie as usual, and actually gets beat! Chang Cheh exploits the vulnerabilities of his star Chen Kuan Tai. The only weakness to HEROES TWO is the depiction of General Che Kang by Zhu Mu, an actor who lacks the necessary acting and physical skills. Had Chang Cheh gone with someone like Ku Feng, the presence of this character would totally dominate the picture. The fight choreography by Tang Chia and Liu Chia Liang is sporadic, with the best stuff saved for the final act. There is slim-to-none weapons work in HEROES TWO, with mostly Liu Chia Liang’s trademark hand-to-hand combat takes center stage.

SIGHT

Celestial presents HEROES TWO in the original 2.35.1 Shawscope ratio, with no 16x9 enhancement. Keeping in mind the 1974 vintage of the movie, Celestial have delivered another mesmerizing transfer. The image delineates all the picture information without any loss of film-like quality. Chang Cheh makes excellent use of exteriors with the lavish interiors, and they all look quite beautiful on film, bursting with dark hues such as blues, browns, and reds. Liu Chia Liang’s hand to hand combat sequences are captured with vivid detail. Chang Cheh packed this picture with violence and death and its all presented with disturbing flashes of red to suggest the bloody graphic violence. Flesh tones are full and blacks are deep. The easy-to-read subtitles are presented below the black letterboxed area. Outside of some film grain, this is another superb effort from Celestial.

SOUND

Celestial has forsaken the original mono soundtrack in favor of a souped up Dolby Digital 5.1 remix. Yes, this is going to piss a lot of folks off, but viewing these old classics in an all-encompassing sound field with true stereo separation is truly a pleasing aural experience. The soundfield for HEROES TWO brims with the sound of bashing blows, crunching kicks, and battling brawlers. Also heard are ambient noises like chirping crickets, echoing footsteps, and rushing winds. The disc includes the original Mandarin dubbed dialog track, which boasts crystal clear fidelity. The score is by Shaw Brothers’ top composer, Chen Yung Yu. The music track has been artificially enhanced by means of synthesizer, but at least there’s no Rap Music in here.

FEATURES

From the Special Features menu, you can view the original Chinese theatrical poster and the access a gallery of Photo Stills. Don’t forget the Production Notes and short Bios for Cheng Cheh, Chen Kuan Tai, Fu Sheng, and Fang Hsin (in English yet!). Also included are remastered, original language widescreen trailers for these recent Celestial DVD releases: HEROES TWO, CAVE OF THE SILKEN WEB, WE LOVE MILLIONAIRES, and LOVE WITHOUT END. Interviews are usually the highlight of these DVDs, and only occasionally does Celestial even involve the participants of the actual film (the exception being a lengthy David Chiang interview on their ANONYMOUS HEROES disc. Anyway, there is an interview here with noted Hong Kong cinematographer Arthur Wong (who didn’t even work on HEROES TWO). Wong did his homework on the film though, and his comments are better than nothing.

CONCLUSION

HEROES TWO is heralded as one of the better of Chang Cheh’s early efforts. Though I was entertained by the film, I feel it is a bit overrated by those who have been praising it all this time. The main problem with the film is what drives the whole plot—the fact that the great warrior Fong Sai Yuk is so gullible to the point that he comes off as an imbecile. As for the DVD itself, it’s another great job from the folks at Celestial/IVL. Extras are a bit slim, and its too bad Celestial could not get any of the cast or crew members to contribute. I must mention that Celestial has used a truly ugly design for the cover and sleeve design for HEROES TWO.

HEROES TWO is available from HKFlix.com

-- Tony Mustafa

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