Member paimeifist Posted March 21, 2020 Member Share Posted March 21, 2020 What Price Honesty? He Zhong, Luo Zhang, and Ying Hao (Pai Piao, Sun Chien, and Danny Lee Sau-Yin) are fresh out of the academy, and joining the Police Force. (Note: This is a period film.) Eager to perform their duty to society, they break up a gambling racket. They quickly learn of corruption in the government/police force when the gambling racket is let off scotch free after bribing the police chief (Keung Hon). Next, a poor man is apprehended for stealing a potato, punished, beaten, and imprisoned. The corruption only gets worse from here on out. The three righteous cadets learn what it takes to face corruption, and bring justice to an unjust system. The story and plot was wonderful, possibly among the best when it comes to Shaw films. With good pacing and a followable story, there were realistic characters in situations that tested and showed their morals, some intrigue, and a good ending. It’s nice when these movies have scenes purely meant for establishing character, and this had a few of those. The acting was solid all around, with a stand-out performance by Piao Piao and Sun Chien as the leading men. Sun Chien got to show off his acting chops a bit more than most Venoms movie probably gave him the chance to. Lily Li has a small role, and performed well, but no fighting. Lo Lieh was great in a supporting villain role (but the main "fighting villian"), the other main villains got the job done, who were comprised of less famous, but oft-used Shaw baddies. I was also impressed by the action, which after I watched the movie and looked up the action director (Yuen Cheung-Yan) it was no surprise. Still, the action in this film felt ahead of its time. Fights and chases felt like something you would find in a modern movie. Moving cameras, with an erratic feel, as people flip tables, kick things at each other, all with some great weapon work and swordplay mixed in. I have seen many great Shaw Brothers movies, and when I watch one I haven’t seen, I typically have lower expectations at this point. This one certainly makes its case for being among the best for me, whatever that’s worth! If you’re looking to see a Shaw movie with a solid plot, and more modern style action, this is definitely one to check out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member DrNgor Posted March 21, 2020 Member Share Posted March 21, 2020 6 hours ago, paimeifist said: Sun Chien got to show off his acting chops a bit more than most Venoms movie probably gave him the chance to. How's his kicking in this one? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member paimeifist Posted March 21, 2020 Author Member Share Posted March 21, 2020 30 minutes ago, DrNgor said: How's his kicking in this one? Great per usual, but he didn’t get much fighting time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member DrNgor Posted March 21, 2020 Member Share Posted March 21, 2020 10 minutes ago, paimeifist said: Great per usual, but he didn’t get much fighting time. Story of his life. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member ShawAngela Posted March 21, 2020 Member Share Posted March 21, 2020 Great review, @paimeifist ! I enjoyed this movie a lot the first time and the second time I watched it, and you are right that Pai Piao and Sun Chien shine in it. Great story, great development of the characters and great fights ! What more to ask for ?! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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