Triangular Duel (1972) Wen Chiang-Long, Nancy Yen, Chaing Nan, Liu Ping, Wa Luen

[DragonClaws]

 

Triangular Duel    (1972)

Action Director- Lam Yau-Chuen

Director- Joseph Kuo

Starring- Chiang Nan, Wen Chiang-Long, Nancy Yen Nan-See, Wa Luen, Liu Ping, Miao Tien, Wu Tong-Chiao, Tsai Hung, Shih Cheung-Tien, Chen Shen-Lin.

Plot Synopsis- The scheming pair of Master Chin & Liu Kei-Fang(Miao Tien), want Master Auyang Tin-Kin's(Chiang Nan) Martial Art's school, to merge with theirs. Only Sifu Tin-Kin, doesn’t not approve of them, or their intentions. This sparks off a vicious rivalry between the two factions. Meanwhile, good natured local rickshaw driver Kuen Lung(Wen Chiang-Long), just wants to learn Martial Arts, but will his Sifu agree to it?.

 

"Iron Hand, Iron Foot, Iron Body, it makes an Iron Triangle"

 

 

Produced, scripted and Directed, by Asian action veteran Joseph Kuo, Triangular Duel, tells the old tale of Martial rivalry, between two schools. After the release of Fist of Fury(1972), there were a whole sleuth of knock-offs, with overly patriotic themes, characters, featured in flag waving stories. Only this Kuo production, try's to be a little different. For one, it doesn’t feature a Japanese dojo, going up against a Kung Fu school. The, two-rival schools, are from the same town. Chiang Nan's Maser Auyang character, has been away studying the fighting arts in Japan. He's just returning from his trip, when the film opens, with the usual twangy, up-beat Italian Western influenced tune, blaring over the credit's and opening narration.

While the story is pretty simple and straight forward, the version I watched, didn’t have the best subtitles in the world. The Mei Ah, DVD, features a nice Wide-Screen print, but their English translations, are basic, at their best, or misspelt and confusing at their worst. For this reason, parts of the story I may have missed?, we are given little background in regards to both the heroes and villains of the plot.

"You've marvellous fighting skills, if I teach you any more, you'll kill people"

Part time actor, Lam Yau-Cheun was drafted in to stage the fight choreography here. Yau Cheun, had a short, but prolific career as an action director, working on twenty-two films, between 1969 to 1974, when he retired from the business. He was the choreographer, on another movie, I reviewed late last year, Wild Tiger(1973), which also featured Miao Tien among the cast. What little I've seen of his work, might not have been cutting edge, but it was certainly very powerful and soaked in high-energy. At an hour and thirty-seven minutes, this film's run time is longer than your average early 70's basher. While its equally as action packed, as so many other productions of the early 70's, the fights don’t occur every five minutes. There paced through-out the film, and each one builds on the last fight. With the early scuffles usualy being short and straight to the point, then by the halfway mark, we get treated to longer and larger set pieces. Before we reach the awesome five fight finale, which we will get back to at some point.

For some genre fans there might be too much focus, on the character's, and their struggle to adhere to their schools, strict rules. Which, the villain’s, are more than eager to exploit, for their own gratification. You get the typical old school trope, of three thugs, pushing/slapping the decent, stoic characters around, willing them to break. A small, group of students, have-to sneak out of the school in the early hours of the morning, to partake in a dawn duel. Here we get to see the Iron Triangle in action for the first time. The movie’s title being inspired by three hired fighters, in the story. A Korean with Iron Feet(Tsai Hung), a Japanese fighter with Iron Hands(Wu Tong-Chai), and the Iron Torso(Shi Chung-Tien). Tsai Hung'sKorean, get's to perform some nice kicks, and there's also some excellent flying (Trampoline enhance) kicks from Wen Chiang-Lung's good guy too. Stand-out moments being an early dojo fight, and his later encounter with Master Chin.

"Sooner, or later, we must force him to join"

Wu Tong-Chai's, Japanese fighter, is one of two foreign characters, in the film. Now, unless the subtitles are way off, there's little to no racial slurs or verbal abuse in this film. A real rarity, if you are familiar with the many films, that followed Fist of Fury in 72. Tong Chai's villain uses the tackles and throws, that you come to expect from Karate screen characters. He doesn’t signal/telegraph his punches, or give his opponents any kind of warning sign, he just hits them with short range punches, usually to the torso.

All, round lethal lady Miss Auyang, played excellently by the stunning, sleepy eyed, Taiwanese born actress, Nancy Yen. Appears in just one of the films, best dust-up's, when she gets caught up in a street fight, with Liu Kei Fang's men. I'm not sure how much formal training Yen had?, but she clear's house here, and is the films sole warrior woman. She only gets overcome, when the Iron Triangle, appear yet again. They sound like an Asian heavy metal group, but the only beats these guys make, are on their opponents, body's. It's here, that we finally get to see the heroic teacher Master Auyang(Chiang Nan), finally bust out some really solid moves.  When he just happens to be passing by in his rickshaw.

"You dog's, what do you want?"

You could say Chiang Nan's character, was an early proponent of MMA, learning from Judo, Karate and the Chinese fighting arts. He's portrayed as a mysterious person, who's nobody knows too much about. The film really steps up a few notches, when he finally faces the hired muscle, from the rival school, in a berserk encounter. Which could have potentially been the finale, in most other films, but not this one. For we still haven’t seen Kuen Lung, break his abstinence from violence. You really start to feel for Lung at this point, he's dating the rival school’s daughter, Pai Chin, which clearly doesn’t go down well, with her father. When he gets beat, for seeing her, he refuses to raise even a finger, against his attackers. Only to stagger into his own school, and receive another beating from his Master, who thinks he's broken his vow not to fight again.

The, film really gets you frustrated with the character's, not only with the school’s actions, but how the hero refuses to fight back. They did a really-effective job with this, and with the rousing training montages, of which there are two. One at the start of the picture, where Wen Chiang-Long's character, is beaten across the chest with a wooden board. Until the wood slowly turns into pulp. Kuen Lung might not have hands of steel, like Chan Sings Black Panther character, but he can still hit the balk of a tree, with his unprotected knuckles.

"They are dating at Shan-Shui bower"

Now, back to the finale, of which features five separate fights, within twenty minutes, now that’s some value for money. Once you've viewed the pinnacle moments of the picture, you'll feel like you've spent a whole day fighting yourself. Again, the choreography is not shape’s orientated or smooth, it’s the definition of a basher film.  Kuen Lung runs into the towering Chinese silver grass, breaking up his four foes. Epic, doesn’t cover what follows next, but he eventually makes it back to town. To confront the king pin behind it all, played superbly by actor Liu Ping (The 18 Bronzemen).  The tough, looking Ping, made his name in the Taiwanese film industry, before working with Joseph Kuo, on a series of movies. He plays a cripple here, who still-remains a powerful opponent, to counter. He might be rotten to the core, but he still believes in a fair fight, and refuses to use the sword concealed in his cane.

"You bastard, let my Iron Fist, beat you down"

Wen Chiang-Lung makes for a solid hero, even he's not the most charismatic old school Kung Fu performer. He's one of those actors, who work has mostly evaded me over the years. I can only compare him here, with his starring role in Joseph Kuo Directed, Shaolin Kung Fu(1974). This movie is certainly the stronger of the two, and his physical performance, is certainly a lot stronger too. He really shares the starring role, with Chaing Nan, who is also on top form, as the stoic teacher, who believes you just stick to the rule's. This is as much a film about principles, as it is swinging your fists at someone. Special mention should go to Miao Tien, who's at his cackling and leering best here. Sadly, his only real fight in the film, is a bit of let, down. Despite getting on in year's here, he still looks tougher than a hammer head. Actress Wa Luen(Matchless Conquer), is given the role of love interest, in a Romeo & Juliet influenced relationship. The part gives her little chance to flex her acting chops, and I don’t think she was trained in form of fighting styles?.

Overall, this is more than worth watching, if you enjoy these early 70's independent pictures, from Asia. The score is the usual patch work quilt of sounds, with John Barry and Ennio Morricone scores being raided for the soundtrack, among other songs. The wide-screen print I watched, was sent to me by @NoKUNGFUforYU and while the picture and sound are of a good quality, the Mei Ah subtitles, as mentioned before, are very basic.

 

 

 

 

[DragonClaws]

 

Thought I'd stumbled upon the original trialer for this movie, but it appears the publisher of the video on Daily Motion. Hasas got it mixed up with a Shaw Brothers title. The description fits Triangular Duel that I reviewed above, but the trialers clearly for another movie. I tried to post a link to the site, but only the trailer would appear here.