Here we go, folks - it's Iron Triangle time again! The holy kung fu movie trinity of Director Chang Cheh and actors Ti Lung and David Chiang are at it once more, and this time they brought along Chen Kuan Tai as their Plus One. This time around, not only do lucky viewers get a history lesson, but a valuable life lesson as well.
Chang Wen-Hsiang (David Chiang) and Huang Chung (Chen Kuan Tai) are bandits ekeing out an existence sticking up travelers who pass by their stretch of road. As you might have surmised by their last names (remember kids - last name comes first in China!) they're not brothers, but blood brothers who've taken an oath to stick by each other through thick and thin. Huang Chung is also married to the lovely Mi-lan ( Li Ching), but the three of them live together happily.
Then one day, the bandit brothers come across Ma Hsin-yi (Ti Lung) on his way somewhere important. He looks fancy and he's alone, so it's stick-up time! Not so fast! Seems like Ma Hsin-yi is quite the martial artist! He takes on both of them and fights to a draw. Everyone is mutually impressed with each other - so much so that Ma asks Chang, Hung, and his wife to join him in ridding the countryside of the Long Hairs. Since this movie is based on real life and the main characters were all really real, it helps to know a little history:
This movie takes place during the Taiping Rebellion. From 1850 to 1864, a rebellion was led against the ruling Qing Dynasty by a man named Hong Xiuquan. He had converted to Christianity, and believed himself to be the reincarnated brother of Jesus. He established the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom at Nanjing in southern China. He sought to replace Buddhism, Confucianism, and folk religion with a form of Christianity. At it's height, there were around 30 million people in the Heavenly Kingdom. They were called Long Hairs, because at that time the only legal way you could wear your hair was in a queue (a single long braind down your back), but the rebels didn't do that, so they were crushed. Not just for that, but still....
Since this movie opens with David Chiang being led away in chains, and people yelling that Ma Hsin-Yi has just been assasinated, it's not too much of a stretch to figure out just what becomes of these blood brothers and their unbreakable bond. Most of the movie is in flashback, while David Chiang recounts just why he did what he did. This is where the valuable life lesson comes into play. If you must learn only one thing from this movie (but really, you should also look into the Taiping Rebellion - it's really interesting), it's this: Bro's Before Ho's. Seriously. And I do mean Seriously.
I gotta admit, it was a little strange to see a woman with such a big part in a Chang Cheh movie. He's notorious for hating women, or at least relegating them to extremely minor roles. I kept wondering when something horrible would happen to her ( Not for any personal reasons, you understand. It's a Chang Cheh movie. That stuff always happens in a Chang Cheh movie!) and then I finally had my "OOOH!" moment. He seems to be saying, "You want me to put a woman in my movies? And you want me to make her an actual character? Fine. See what happens? Are you happy now?" Then we get what we asked for....in spades.
It's also worth noting that John Woo was an assistant director on this film. If you've seen John Woo's movies, it's all there. Slow motion deaths, slow motion male bonding ( I think his experience on this film greatly influenced his Bullet In the Head. If you can find that movie, watch it now!) and slow motion rolling down hills for extended periods of time. Ok, that last one doesn't happen in his movies so much, but it happens here enough to never have to see it again. There aren't any doves, though. That's a plus.
Blood Brothers has finally been released on DVD here in the US by Dragon Dynasty. There's not much to say about the DVD other than, well, it exists. The picture looks good, but the subtitle translation is horrible - almost as bad as the old VHS bootlegs of Hong Kong movies in the 80's. There is an English Dub track, but I stay away from those. Other than that, you get nothing and are forced to like it. This movie kicks ass, so at least it's a fair trade.
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