Return of the Deadly Blade (aka 'Shaolin Fighters Vs Ninja') (1981)

[GOLDEN DRAGON YIN-YANG]

Does anyone know about this film?

Looks good w/ David Chiang.

Went to HKMDB they say it is the Return of the Deadly Blade.

GD Y-Y

[Tacitus Jones]

Does anyone know about this film?

Looks good w/ David Chiang.

Went to HKMDB they say it is the Return of the Deadly Blade.

GD Y-Y

I know where part of the cover art was inspired from...

[Reel Power Stunts]

Its got some good action & a decent cast.

[jmungus]

Its got some good action & a decent cast.

That it has:bigsmile:

I used to revisit this one on a more or less regular basis back in the day.

It guarantees lots of crazy wuxia-fu-action (severely wire enhanced, if i recall correctly) and an overall good fun vibe. Massively entertaining hands down.

But rest assured, the choreography features nice moves and shapes, its not just some wire-frenzy.

Maybe think along the lines of SB`s "Long Road to Gallantry", "Bastard Swordsman" or "Ambitious KF Girl".

If u had asked me 15 yrs. ago about a dozen or two Indie-Fu recommendations, RotDB would have been amongst em.

Add the top notch billing and u basically got yourself a nice little must have gung fu jam.

One last note: it aint exactly a true classic... just to level your expectations.

[Morgoth Bauglir]

A decent cast?

[DrNgor]

Return of the Deadly Blade (1981) - Wuxia film starring David Chiang and Yasuaki Kurata, featuring action direction by Ching Siu-Tung, two years previous to his directorial debut, Duel to the Death. David Chiang plays a swordsman who's impersonating another, more infamous swordsman named Li Wei (Norman Tsui Siu-Keung), in order to draw him out into the open. Apparently, Li Wei slew his father, a martial artist named Gam the Invincible Rings (Legendary Superkicker Hwang Jang Lee), treacherously during a duel 20 years prior. While he's out doing that, hit-it-and-quit-it swordsman (Yasuaki Kurata) Lonely Winner is wandering around, fighting off bounty hunters (hired because he apparently raped some clan leader's wife) and seducing Sharon Yeung Pan-Pan, after which he just avoids her. Chiang and Kurata occasionally cross paths, and later we learn there are other forces in the martial world acting on our protagonists.

Although Ching Siu-Tung had dabbled in shapes-based kung fu before (Stroke of Death; The Master Strikes), his heart has always seemed to be in wuxia. And here we can see him developing his personal obsessions, like people on wires, objects on wires, pyrotechnics (including an exploding kid!), and ninjas. Ninjas figure into two major set pieces, including one that features ninjas on water skis and a swordfight on a rope bridge. It's easy to see how Ching went from this to Duel to the Death two years later. There are some good grounded fights, including Hwang Jang Lee vs. Norman Tsui; Yasuaki Kurata vs. Bruce Leung Siu-Lung, and a three-way duel between David Chiang, Yasuaki Kurata and Lo Lieh, who wields a steel umbrella.

Unfortunately, director Taylor Wong (Tragic Hero; Rich and Famous; Triads - The Inside Story) isn't all that great of a director, and the film drags whenever Ching's magic isn't onscreen. There are a lot of characters introduced, but none of them or their subplots are ever developed all that well. Ching Siu-Tung, had he been director, would've given the film the breakneck pacing he's known for, jumping in between the different stories and bringing it all together with his action. Here, we have a dour and unlikeable David Chiang speaking as little as possible, while Kurata and Sharon Yeung torment each other, and it just feels like there's a dearth of forward momentum. Good action, but everything else is average.