Last Hurrah for Chivalry

John Woo's early swordplay film. Kou's father has been killed. He wants revenge, but the man he faces is strong and he is not enough. He finds two swordsmen: Chang, an assassin who works for money, and Tsing Yi, who has taken to drink and given up fighting. He brings them together. The real subject is the bond between the two swordsmen. They know each other first as rivals, then become friends, and finally find themselves inside a plan that has used them. That structure is the core of Woo's later films: loyalty between two men, promises given, betrayal, and violence saving nobody in the end. Years later he would build the same idea again with guns, in a modern city. The fights follow the Hong Kong swordplay tradition of the time: wire work, fast cutting and mastery of choreography. Damian Lau and Wai Pak lead. It drew little attention on release and it took another decade for Woo to become known. A valuable discovery for anyone curious about Hong Kong cinema and Woo's origins. For a viewer expecting modern action, this is a costume film and the pace follows the older line of the genre.