Killer Darts
This Shaw Brothers wuxia film from 1968 is a colorful
and enjoyable mix of murder, revenge and raging teenage hormones at work.
One part of it follows the basic I must revenge my parents death syndrome
but threaded through this is a teenage love triangle that gives it a
very human angle. At times it resembles Archie being pursued by Veronica
and Betty and though these teenagers are extremely deadly with a variety
of weapons, like teenagers everywhere they are confused about their own
feelings of love and agonize over every perceived slight.
Revenge is in the air. The Evil One kills the
wife of swordmaster, Liu Wen Lung, and for a few years Liu wanders the
countryside with his disciple, servant and young son, Yu Lung, trying to
track him down. In an unexpected twist the disciple, Hu Chi Feng, attempts
to rape a woman and ends up stabbing the husband to death and murdering
the woman with a killer dart the secret weapon of his master. Before
the woman dies she pleads with her young daughter, Yu Shan, to revenge
them to find and kill the man who uses the killer dart. The girl hides
the bloodied dart in her clothes and tearfully pledges to avenge her parents
someday. The disciple runs away cursed by his master and the following
day Liu spots the girl walking on the road and takes her in as his
own daughter and promises to teach her sword fighting skills. He also decides
that it is time to give up the chase and to settle down in a small village
and bring up his son and daughter.
Jump ahead ten years and Yu Lung and Yu Shan are
now very accomplished martial artists and also very much in love though
neither has the courage to tell the other. Into this picture enters a keen
eyed archer - the daughter of a wealthy landowner who sets her sights on
Yu Lung. Every time he pays any attention to her, Yu Shan pouts and stomps
into the forest where she takes out her anger by chopping down some trees
with her hands! Then she takes out the killer dart and swears revenge
once again. Events soon take a serious turn though when a large group of
thugs headed by The Green Mountain Bandit threaten the small village and
the father, son and daughter decide to protect the villagers. It is soon
revealed that behind the bandits are both The Evil One and Hu Chi Feng
and a bloodbath of long delayed revenge lies ahead. But before that though,
Yu Shan discovers that her master is the creator of the killer dart and
though horrified and broken hearted she mistakenly concludes that she must
kill the man who has raised her and the father of the man she loves.
Though told in broad strokes, as the film heads
towards its denouement it becomes fairly riveting with loads of action
and a fair amount of suspense. Yu Shan drives the narrative torn apart
by mixed feelings of love and hate and a filial duty to her dead parents
she cannot make up her mind what to do a Hamlet like situation. The
action is great fun not brilliantly choreographed by any means but
fairly imaginative with the utilization of various weapons, a bit of flying,
interesting sets (in particular the underground dungeon filled with trap
doors and booby traps) and an intensity and purpose to the killing that
gives it some emotional impact. There is a certain Western (as in film
genre) feel to the film with it taking place in the wide open country,
a small town threatened by despicable and colorful villains that chew up
the scenery as much as their victims and a few heroes who walk into their
lair to settle ten years of payback.
I am afraid I don't know the names of any of these
actors though I believe Yu Shan is Chin Ping. If anyone can attach a name
to any of the pictures I would be grateful
My rating for this film: 7.5
Trailer