Femme Fatale

Reviewed by Dennis Schwartz

King Hu’s (”Dragon Inn”) unique and visually stunning martial arts
epic is set in the 14th-century Ming dynasty. In contemporary times it’s
best known as the film that most influenced Ang Lee for his mega-hit Crouching
Tiger, Hidden Dragon. There are shades of Kobayashi’s 1964 Japanese ghost
story film Kwaidan in Hu’s work, which is an unclassifiable film built
around a martial arts narrative that is not easy to define as just a fighting
film as it moves from a ghost story to a political thriller to only conclude
with a memorable metaphysical battle scene (the film’s highlight) involving
the mysterious monk swordsman Hui Yuan (Roy Chiao) following the principles
of Buddhism to overcome his foes.

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It opens to a dilapidated town outside of Peking, where the struggling
nerdy twentysomething scholar/artist Ku Shen Chai lives with his nagging
mother in a supposedly haunted house (an abandoned rundown fort). Alarmed
by the presence of otherworldly creatures he comes home in an attack mode,
only to be confronted by his mom and his new neighbor, the beautiful Yang
Hui-ching, who view him as a madman. His mom tells him Yang’s poor and
single, and lives with her bedridden 90-year-old mother who approves of
her marriage to him but the daughter doesn’t wish marriage at this time.
Ku soon learns that Yang is a wanted fugitive; that her nobleman father
in the Tung Lin sect offended the evil Eunich Wei of the rival imperial
East Chamber and was arrested and subsequently tortured and killed, and
thereby she and the entire family are also wanted on political charges.
Ou-Yang Yin is also newly arrived in town and poses as a customer for Ku,
wanting his portrait painted. But he turns out to be in the service of
the secret police as a swordsman in pursuit of Yang: dead or alive. Yang
turns out to be a masterful swordswoman who, with the help of her colleague
(Ying Bai), posing as a blind fortune teller, easily repel her would-be
captor and fellow policemen. Ku sides with Yang, having fallen in love,
and lends his scholarly knowledge to help in the battle strategy (setting
traps
in the field) as the rival factions prepare for war. It leads to the great
sword fight in the bamboo forest, where the good guys, aided by some powerful
monks, gracefully swirl through the air in ballet fighting movements to
defeat their foe.

Though its history lesson is on shaky ground, Hu’s film defies such
lessons to wow the viewer with its magnificent special effect fight scenes,
earnest tale of love and beautifully realized battle against tyranny. One
of the more thoughtful and mature martial arts pics, well-worth seeking
out.

Short Takes

Surely the most pedestrian of drive-in king Al Adamson’s dalliances in blaxploitation. This meandering crime story chronicles an international drugs-for-guns scheme seasoned by sleazy Vegas hijinks and NFL running back Timothy Brown’s quest, as bare-knuckled copper Kicks Carter, to avenge his partner’s gangland murder. Doesn’t get more stock than that, but with typical Adamson panache, there’s a grittier subplot featuring Jana Bellan as an addicted gambler who bets her bod, loses and is gang raped by a rough bunch of her poker cronies. CineSchlockers may find greater amusement by flipping to Adamson right-hand-man Sam Sherman’s commentary for a detailed saga of the flick’s other two incarnations as Girl’s Hotel and The Murder Gang. He also fires a few choice barbs back at the Medved Brothers’ “Golden Turkey” basting of Al’s “breezy sleazy” career. But by bailing 45 minutes in Mr. Sherman, who’s recorded several exemplary tracks, seems to acknowledge that even a three-headed beast such as this can be a bore. Two breasts. 14 corpses. Gratuitous rooftop shootout. Skinny dipping. One Regina Carrol piano solo. Hiney biting. Mini-sledge to the gut. Hand hacking. Gratuitous Flip Wilson reference. Al Richardson shines as an undercover brother, “Low profile? I’ll turn sideways, Jack, and you won’t even see my black ass!” (1976, 94 mins, Fullframe, DD 2.0, Alternate “Girls Hotel” titles, Two fleshy deleted scenes, Trailers, Extensive liner notes.)

Producer Anthony Nelson-Keys had scripter John Doyen take a somewhat fanciful (and unbelievable) approach to the subject of Russia’s bad boys. As a issue, the dastardly villain has been noted some attributes that are certainly colorful. Christopher Lee’s Rasputin is down to the ground in character - huge, resounding-voiced, compelling gawk. He’s a proper rascal.

Religious aspects of l’affaire Rasputin are skimmed over, the only two dignitaries portrayed as colorless and dull. Of the Russian court, the Czarina (Renee Asherson) and the Czarevitch (Robert Duncan) are the only Romanoffs shown, the plot revolving (after the monk’s entry into court affairs, accredited to his hypnotic influence over a lady-in-waiting) on a revenge plot by the would-be fiance (Nicholas Pennell) of the seduced lady-in-waiting (Barbara Shelley). His principal accomplices are an alcoholic doctor (Richard Pasco), and an Army officer (Francis Matthews), whose sister (Suzan Farmer) has been lined up as Rasputin’s next victim.