The Magnificent Chang Cheh

Chinese director Chang Cheh, also known as ‘The Godfather’ of Hong Kong Cinema’, was one the Shaw Brothers Studio’s most prolific directors. Two of his films, presented here as a Limited Edition Blu-ray release, showcase his unique talents and trademark characteristics. The films are ‘The Magnificent Trio’ and ‘The Magnificent Wanderers’.

THE MAGNIFICENT TRIO (1966) sees Jimmy Wang Yu in one of his earlier roles and before he became a big name within the martial arts genre. Here, he plays Lu Fang, a skilled swordsman who has returned from battle and all he wants is to lay low for a while… Alas, he won’t get his much needed rest because no sooner does he return, he unwittingly finds himself embroiled in a tricky situation: three men, namely Kao Chi-sien (Cliff Lok, his father Kao Pao-shi (Feng Tien) and Yen Tzu-ching (Lo Lieh), are fed up with local magistrate Wei Hsiang-Yuan (Ming Lei) and his tyrannical ways - especially his unfair taxation system. Out of anger and frustration they kidnap Wai’s spoiled daughter Wei Wen-chen (Ping Chin) while at the same time, a petition waits to be handed to Minister Yuen (Ying Li) and the villagers hope that he will take pity on them and listen. But Magistrate Wei, a real dodger if ever there was one, recruits various unsavoury individuals, including a martial arts expert by the name of Huang Liang (Lei Cheng) whose task it is to free the damsel in distress. However, during the standoff - and with Lu Fang having entered the scene - Huang recognises Lu as a fellow traveller and jumps camp so to speak in order to fight the dastardly magistrate. Along the way, matters of the heart (not to mention heartbreak) also play a part and as the fighting becomes more relentless, what with Magistrate Wei leaving no stone unturned to save his own neck, the clever construction of the plot comes to the forefront… in particular when Wei Wen-chen finally realises that no good will ever come from her father (although she does plenty of good courtesy of her hairpin). Even during his arrest her father does not change his ways and It is a realisation that will ultimately change her outlook on life…

The choreography is, how else could it be, superb and what is particularly arresting are the opening credits - unusual and in your face. Although the film is supposedly the Hong Kong version of the 1964 film ‘The Three Outlaw Samurai’, the emphasis ‘The Magnificent Trio’ is not just about bloodshed and fighting but on human emotion and melodrama.

In complete contrast stand MAGNIFICENT WANDERERS (1977) - a curious hotchpotch seasoned with comedy, martial arts, more comedy and a generous amount of violence which doesn’t quite work. That said, the opening sequence with its deeply saturated colours, Spaghetti Western style music and hugely innovative introduction to the three main players is worth it alone. The three main players, ah yes. They are Li Yi-min (Guan Fei), Lin Sai-yu (Fu Sheng) and Shi Da Yong (Chi Kuan-chun) are three ne’er do wells whose pitiful attempts to carve out a living by telling passers-by their fortune usually ends up in failure but fate takes pity on them and they actually earn enough to head to a restaurant for a proper meal… A place they are not welcome due to their shabby appearance. Fear not, because a stranger by the name of Chu Te-sa (David Chiang) invites them to his table and makes it known to staff that the three conmen are friends of his. Better still, Chu turns out to be a very, very wealthy individual, albeit one with an agenda. That is to say that one of the big missions in his life is not just making more money but he wants to destroy the invading Mongol army.

In order to achieve this goal, Chu has already invested a considerable amount of money into setting up his own rebel army though as it turns out, those allies are not only pretty useless but are more interested in Chu’s wealth than in playing patriotic war games against the Mongols. Just as well then that Chu has found new allies in our three hapless ‘fortune tellers’ who, despite being lousy conmen, are pretty darn good when it comes to their fighting skills. Before they know it, they are the chosen ones selected to save the day (or China, rather) and one of their assignments involves the destruction of a munitions facility. Cue for some tongue-in-cheek action involving (invisible) wirework and trampolines. Such gravity-defying techniques are ill-placed during a battle which is supposed to be taken seriously though of course, this being a comedy (of sorts…) it simply comes across as slapstick - for example, when a group of Mongol warriors is skewered by a massive sword, which makes the warriors look like a human shashlik. It’s just silly really and the seemingly never-ending antics tend to dominate to the point that one begins to lose interest in the actual characters - and there are plenty of colourful characters on display, including a blond Mongol guard. If you like that sort of thing and don’t have your expectations too high, then you fill find plenty of entertainment here!

This Limited Edition box set is presented in a sturdy O-card slipcase and comes with a collector’s booklet. Further bonus material includes various audio options, new audio commentaries, plus ‘Chang Cheh Style’ - an insightful video essay by Gary Bettinson.