Killer Clans
(Liu xing hu die jian, 1976)

Chu Yuan

Hong Kong

100 min, color, Mandarin (English subtitles)

Review © 2003 Branislav L. Slantchev

An absolutely stunning, if somewhat confusing, martial arts epic that is closer in tone to a chambara film than the usual stylized Chinese Opera fighting films of the time, Killer Clans is an adaptation of Ku Lung's famous book that was later remade as Butterfly & Sword starring Michelle Yeoh and Joey Wang. With amazingly textured sets, rich costumes, and not a single wide-angle shot, this film arguably outdoes the wire-fu remake despite the star-laden cast of the latter.

Tsung Hua is Meng Sheng Wen, the killer	Yueh Hua, Wang Chung, and Danny Lee

The plot is very convoluted to say the least, and neither Chu Yuan nor Michael Mak did a good job of paring it down to make an acceptable 100-minute story. There's treachery upon treachery, tricks, shenanigans, murder, seduction, romance, and general mayhem that just cannot fit well in less than, say, 10 hours. The director does give it a brave try, and although the first 15 minutes seem exceedingly rushed, most of the film flows much more smoothly. Invariably, character motivation is out the window, as the first victim of crowding out due to the battle scenes.

Lu Hsiang Chuan, the right-hand man	Ching Li is Hsiao Tieh

From what I could gather, there're at least two clans that run a racketeering business (then, and now, also known as 'protection'). There's also a group of contract killers run by a lusty woman who receives her orders from some guy who's apparently very good in bed. One day, Meng Sheng Wen (Chung Wa) is told to kill the Uncle (Ku Feng), the old, but very agile, leader of the Lung Men Society. At the same time the Roc Society butts heads and other appendages with guys from LMS, and a clan war erupts in which Uncle's son gets offed. Still, Uncle has two great weapons, Lu Hsiang Chuan (Yueh Hua), his smart, merciless, and devoted right-hand man, and Han Tang (Lo Lieh), his merciless, devoted, and mysterious killer. Unfortunately, in the melee, the mysterious killer is sliced by some other mysterious killer, so there's treachery afoot.

Lo Lieh right before getting skewered	Ku Feng is the indestructible Uncle Sun Yu

On his way to kill Uncle, Meng Sheng Wen catches a butterfly. Now this is not exactly an explosive development, but he then recites Li Po with the beautiful entomologist Hsiao Tieh (Cheng Lee, aka Ching Li) who just happens to live by the forest where he got the insect. To cut the somewhat short development even shorter, the two fall in love. The snag (there's always a snag), is that Hsiao Tieh is Uncle's daughter and the latter usually takes a dim view of suitors without steady employment.

Chuan finds himself up the ropes	La-la, roses are red, Li Po is drunk

Then about 500 treacheries happen. Uncle is betrayed, then not betrayed, but then he turns out to have been betrayed nonetheless. On the other hand, he turns out to have expected that betrayal although it was not clear that he really had expected the first. Then another betrayer turns out to not have betrayed him after all, which helps snag the real betrayer, who has totally betrayed Uncle even though the latter had expected it. Also, several people with no apparent connection to the betrayals are betrayed and treacherously murdered by the real betrayer. Thankfully, a totally new character shows up just in time to betray the latter, who finally dies. Unfortunately, several loyal people are not betrayed although they die regardless. In the end, we are told, it's all about the lust for power, which is hardly a statement one can dispute.

Gratuitous shot of Ching Li	Chen Ping and Ling Yun (drunk killer)

Despite the bloated storyline, this film is quite entertaining to watch. Whether one gapes at Ching Li's stunning and ethereal beauty or follows the intricate swordplay in amazement, Killer Clans delivers excitement in a way that has aged really well. Although some of the fights are obviously fakes, the emphasis on the rawer component of bloodletting makes the depiction much more realistic. There's less dancing and far more stabbing and slicing. Guaranteed to create new fans.

A romantic duel	Tsung Hua & Ching Li recalling the script

The Celestial Pictures DVD is very nice. Although not anamorphic, the widescreen 1:2.35 transfer is gorgeous, neither too soft nor over-sharpened. There are some artifacts in the darker spots, but nothing too distracting. The English subtitles are fine although they flicker on and off, which is annoying because one reflexively re-reads the line every time it reappears. The Mandarin Dolby Digital stereo soundtrack is very good as well, although the dramatic music may be a bit loud compared to dialogue. There are several extras including trailers, photo stills, the original poster, talent files, and an interview gallery. Unfortunately, only the Paul Fonoroff interview is in English, the rest are in Mandarin without subtitles. The audio commentary track by Bey Logan is excellent.

The only two decent people in the film	Admittedly, it's a pickle

June 3, 2003