Chu Yuan: Jade Tiger (1977)

Cast: Yueh Hua, Ti Lung, Ku Feng, Lily Li Li-Li, Fan Mei-Sheng
The master of Dafeng Hall is beheaded by a traitor on the eve of his son’s marriage. Thus begins an epic and tragic tale of suspense and subterfuge as members of the Zhao Clan hatch an elaborate plot to bring down the evil Tang Clan from within.
Spies, counter-spies, double-crosses, and misunderstandings make up one of the most convoluted swordplay plots in history. Chor Yuen’s Jade Tiger is essentially the Hatfield’s versus the McCoy’s as two sword clans with a 100-year old grudge plot each other’s destruction and everyone suffers as a result. Many colorful characters, memorable weapons, elaborate sets, and a jazzy soundtrack make this tragic actioner an entertaining and epic one.
Stuck in the middle of this fight is Zhao Wuji (Ti Lung) who discovers his father’s headless corpse on the eve of his own wedding. A turncoat named Shangguan Ren (Guk Fung) is the culprit after accepting a bribe by the Tang Clan to assassinate the head of Dafeng Hall. Wuji goes looking for revenge but soon becomes the victim of the Tang’s infamous mastery of poison after taking on a blind Tang fighter with explosive eyeballs. He escapes after meeting a neutral party of former swordsmen all living under the leadership of the ‘Chief of the Hate-free Hall,’ otherwise known as ‘The Unique Man on the Carriage.’ An odd character named ‘Zombie’ who lives in a coffin sends Wuji to a brother and sister who heal his wounds. The Tang leader’s son attempts to fool Wuji in an elaborate plot, but it backfires and Wuji unmasks a Tang spy and counters by infiltrating the Tang base by posing as a swordsman from another village. Confusion mounts as Wuji courts a Tang woman, his fellow clan members believe him to have defected to the enemy, and one of Wuji’s former enemies becomes an ally. As Tang’s leader attempts to discover the truth, a carefully planned assault of the Tang’s poison making factory and base of operations by members of Dafeng Hall erupts with Wuji fighting to save his friends on both sides.
As writer Chor Yuen does just about everything he can to confound and frustrate the viewer with endless u-turns meant to keep everyone guessing. It gets to be a bit too much to tolerate by the final act, but by then the action picks up enough to keep the momentum going strong. Chor revisits a popular theme in swordplay films which is the despair of fighting for seemingly nothing of value other than prestige in the martial world. It’s like actually seeing what would cause old battle weary swordsmen to become jaded. In a world where peerless fighters are nothing but “pawns” the only answer is for them to give up their martial ways and form a new society of uncommon commoners as Wuji witnesses when he enters the Hate-free Hall. Of course for action fans, nothing is more important than keeping the swords swinging and Chor is well aware of this. But be warned for you may find yourself dissatisfied with the conclusion.
Jade Tiger is truly an all-star epic with most of Shaws’ leading actors best known for their swordplay roles in attendance. Ti Lung is right at home as the heroic lead and the only swordsman with a conscience. He delivers a very solid performance with great swordplay. Lo Lieh is more playful than usual and shows off his charisma brilliantly. This was only Derek Yee’s second film with Shaw Brothers and he comes off quite strong despite sharing company with so many heavyweights. Two of the genre’s top female performers also share the limelight. Si Si plays Ti Lung’s second love and is not surprisingly one of the film’s strongest onscreen fighters. She gets to cut loose on several occasions in the second half. The lovely Lily Li is Ti Lung’s sister who has a smaller role, but cannot be ignored.
Tong Gaai’s choreography is excellent, particularly in the large-scale brawls. Some of the duels will appear slow and stagy by modern standards, but even the least of them are tolerable. The fun and fantastic elements like the exploding eyeballs and poisoned darts help to keep things interesting. Like many of Tong’s movies, the weapons in Jade Tiger are unique. Swords containing smaller hidden swords and poles with removable ends that become spears are highlights. The film’s greatest action moment comes as Yueh Hua effortlessly lays into a crowd of swordsmen with fluid motion and single-handedly disarms or throws them to the ground in a single take. After watching this scene over at least five times, it still looks incredible.
Jade Tiger is like so many of Shaws’ swordplay films and despite many strengths it will likely not appeal to some viewers. The indoor sets are magnificently detailed and lush, yet unreal. Corners or wallpaper seams can be seen in the ’sky’ and there is a claustrophobic feel from the lack of panoramic outdoor locations. This inhibits the epic feel of the film that mainland Chinese and some independent kung fu movies are able to capture. There is also a fair amount of melodrama, that coupled with the film’s many plot twists becomes tedious. In some ways, this feels like a very elaborate stage production. Yet for fans of the Shaw brand of filmmaking, this is one of Chor Yuen’s finer film achievements and will surely not be a disappointment.






PW: malamute