Two Assassins of the Darkness
 
                    
Director: Ting Chung
Year: 1977
Rating: 5.0
Dubbed

When a Taiwanese period kung fu film has more twists and surprises than I can follow, I feel somewhat embarrassed. I had no clue what was going on in this film till the very end and even then I was wondering who were the good guys and who were the bad guys and why is practically everyone dead. Of course, you can just not try and follow the plot and instead focus on the action which is decent if not great - till the finale which is terrific. Three big stars in Don Wong Tao, Chang Yi and Doris Lung and a number of other recognizable faces. One who would become a major choreographer within a decade.  When I watch these films, I tend to want a simple plot so that I don't have to think - you killed my father, I have to kill you sort of things. After all the complications, this in fact turns out to be just that.



There is an assassin in town. Chopper Hsiung Fei (Chang Yi) has a large order to fill given to him by an unknown employer. A group called the Six Gentleman are on the list and he begins to knock them off one by one - darts to the head seems to be his specialty. Kao Pei Ching (Stephen Tung-wei) is on the list and trying to get out of town. A man with a nifty dapper fedora and a beguiling smile intervenes to save him from the Chopper. Cute guy. It is in fact Hua played by Doris Lung disguised as a man who is Kao's sister. On the third or perhaps fourth kill, another assassin turns up - Dagger Kuan (Don Wong) - but they play by the rules and split the fee.



It all goes back years when a jade statue was stolen by one of six men - not really gentlemen - and someone is killing them - but who. For that you will have to watch till the end. In the meantime, there is a lot of fighting - Chopper and Dagger go after one another, Hua keeps saving her brother, lots of minions get beat up or killed. Betrayals go every which way. Up and down and sideways. Are we supposed to root for the assassins? Hua seems to be falling in love with one when she isn't stopping him from killing her brother. The final 10 minutes makes it all clear. As mud. But a very good fight when our two assassins have to take on a busload of killers with ropes and claws and somersaults.