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To Kill with Intrigue 1977

#To Kill with Intrigue #Lo Wei #Jackie Chan #Feng Hsu

A Touch of Zen

Feng Hsu, Chun Shih, and Ying Bai Rating: ★★½ Ku Shen Chai (Shih) is a painter who lives in a small village with his mother. One day, a lady fugitive (Hsu) meets Chai and receives his help to hide from the authorities.

The 1971 Chinese feature is a staple in martial arts, considering it paved the road for other films like Lady Snowblood, and inspired actors such as Bruce Lee. However, at three hours and twenty minutes, the film can feel more like a staple in walking segues than martial arts.

Director King Hu takes a Buddhist approach for the martial arts, to make the action meaningful. Hu felt that the action in some films may distort the plot, and may feel overbearing. Although his intentions are in the right place, the buildup to its exciting ending is dull.

The first hour and a half consists of Chai hilariously arguing with his mom and a bunch of chasing sequences. These slow chasing sequences last for practically ten minutes a piece and amount to very little. It is intended to increase the intensity; however, it feels more like a waste of time. Additionally, the chase scenes are so dark that it is hard to make out who the person is after.

At the hour and a half mark, we finally get our Touch of martial arts. The choreography for the sequences are beautiful, with each punch and kick landing hard. There are also incredible moments when the characters are jumping high in the air and pouncing on the enemy. The best martial arts parts come from the Buddhist monks, who handle each enemy in a calmly manner. When a bad guy charges towards a monk, the monk stands perfectly still and takes care of the person with ease. It is also noted that the bad guy is not hurt when against the monks, which contradicts most of the other martial arts films.

Although the martial arts are engrossing when on screen, there is simply not enough. Those moments are especially missed during the many walking segues the characters endure. Sure, the cinematography is nice during these segues, by capturing waterfalls, forests, and villages, but there are just way too many. Cutting out the time spent on walking segues could reduce about twenty minutes, which could make the film tighter.

With its length considered, it is also difficult to keep up with the characters and their names. For a simple plot, there are too many ranked military officials who go after the protagonists. There are generals, commanders, officers, and it is overwhelming to understand their roles in the situation. It would have been much better if there was a single bad guy with a henchman.

The film which laid the foundation for others to follow has its exciting moments, but there are some flaws. Its run time is overbearing at three hours and twenty minutes, along with not having a story to fit the great amount of time. During this large time capacity, it is still difficult to keep up with the antagonists and what they contribute to the situation. However, the Buddhist monks are a feature of this film the viewer may never forget, plus its other action sequences are beautiful. Unfortunately, this film has not aged well over the past fifty years and could use a Touch up.