Originally posted on 7/22/19
"Wuxia" is a film genre celebrating the adventures of martial arts heroes in ancient China, one which I liken to tales of the 19th-century American West but with swords instead of six guns and rowdy roadhouse inns instead of saloons.
Chinese film auteur King Hu (A TOUCH OF ZEN) conveys this feeling and more in his engaging action thriller THE FATE OF LEE KHAN, aka "Ying chun ge zhi Fengbo" (Film Movement Classics, 1973), a first-class entry in the genre and one which eschews its sometimes hokier aspects.
The plot can be boiled down to this: Lee Khan (Feng Tian), a ruthless official for the Yuan Dynasty, has acquired the war plans of the Chinese rebel army, which must be recovered by resistance fighters as soon as possible.
These include a group of warrior women posing as waitresses in a remote desert inn which will soon serve as a stopover to Lee Khan during his travels. Thus, with the help of some male rebels posing as employees and a spy within Khan's ranks, the stage is set for a no-holds-barred confrontation that will include the genre's requisite swordfighting, kickboxing, and other assorted mayhem.
Till then, though, the wait for Lee Khan's entourage to arrive gives us a chance to spend much time in the colorful, lighthearted atmosphere of the Spring Inn, a warm, welcoming location which will dominate the film the same way Joan Crawford's rustic saloon does in the Nicholas Ray classic JOHNNY GUITAR.
We get to absorb some fascinating ancient Chinese culture by watching the antics of eccentric and often boisterous customers interacting with the inn's sassy waitresses or whooping it up at the gambling table. The cheeky young ladies (including Hong Kong favorite Angela "Lady Whirlwind" Mao) are a joy, as is their no-nonsense mistress, Wan Jen-mi (Li Hua Li), who must keep things together until Lee Khan's impending arrival.
Also of interest are a couple of frantic fight scenes that erupt in the film's first half, one due to an invasion by a gang of thieves that quickly turns against them when the girls go into action.
All the well-choreographed mayhem (coordinated by a young Sammo Hung) seems more explosive within the confines of the inn, with convincing physical action devoid of fake-looking wirework (but plenty of springboard leaps). Most of it is kept to simple non-lethal fun, and the whole thing is enjoyable as, in Quentin Tarantino's parlance, a "hang-out film" wherein the pleasure comes from simply spending time with these people in this setting.
It all changes, of course, when Lee Khan makes his auspicous entrance along with his equally formidable and fearsome sister, Lee Wan-erh (Feng Hsu) and their deadly guards. The plot to steal the rebel plans away from Khan turns the formerly lighthearted mood dead serious when any wrong move or ill-spoken word can result in instant execution.
Director King Hu wields a sure hand in his eye-pleasing depiction of rural ancient China, which often has the look and feel of an Italian western (especially in its barren exteriors which resemble the wastelands of Spain). Camerawork is always well-placed but never draws attention to itself.
The engaging story benefits from a very capable cast who handle not only the dramatic aspects but the action as well. While not as consistently kinetic as many wuxia films, this one builds to an extended final battle between the rebels and Lee Khan's forces which should satisfy any fan of the genre, wrapping things up in gripping and sometimes surprising fashion.
The Blu-ray from Film Movement Classics is in 2.35:1 widescreen with 5.1 surround sound and 2.0 stereo. Mandarin with English subtitles. Picture and sound quality are fine. Extras consist of a featurette ("The Fate of King Hu"), trailers for this and other Film Movement Classics releases, and an illustrated booklet with an essay by Stephen Teo.
Devotees of this kind of entertainment are in for a treat with THE FATE OF LEE KHAN, but you don't have to be a wuxia fan to appreciate its winsome charms. This finely-rendered trip back to a colorful, exotic ancient time may have you yearning to hang out at the Spring Inn again and again.
Buy it at Film Movement Classics
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