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Cast:
Fu
Sheng
Tien
Niu
Ku
Feng
Danny
Lee
Tong
Yim Chaan
Shen
Shu Pau
Kuo
Chui
Wang
Lung Wei
Guk
Fung
Li
Yi Min
Jamie
Luk
Lu
Feng
Hui
Ying Hung
Dick
Wei
Fan
Mei Sheng
Chiang
Sheng
Action:
Robert
Tai
Lee
Ka Ting
Producer:
Runme
Shaw
Mona
Fong
Director:
Chang
Cheh
Score:
 
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THE
BRAVE ARCHER
AKA:
Kung Fu Warlord ||
Shaolin Archers
Year:
1977 Reviewer: Andrew
Saroch
Imagine
taking a famously complicated novel and making it into a
star-packed 2 hour film. Then imagine a DVD version being
released with at least thirty minutes cut out. This baffling
DVD version is the one reviewed here.
An
orphaned child is 'adopted' and raised by a group of kung-fu
masters who decide to teach him their respective skills. When
he grows up though, he proves to be far from proficient at
kung-fu, much to the frustration of his teachers. He therefore
decides it is time to travel and attempt to further his
experiences. His first escapade sees him encounter a
mischievous beggar who he takes pity on and pays for when in
trouble. The beggar is not what he seems though and reveals
himself to be a she. She's also not just any she, but the
daughter of an influential official known for his incredible
kung-fu. Before trying to win her hand in marriage - a
decision not too popular with his masters - 'The Brave Archer'
goes on his travels again and studies with a few new kung-fu
masters he meets. By the end of his training, the student is
finally proficient enough at kung-fu, but this will not help
him pass the three tests needed to win the hand of the girl he
loves.
Chang
Cheh can direct kung-fu dramas of an epic scope; as was seen
with the excellent 'Blood
Brothers', Cheh can flesh out
characters and plots within a complex context. With 'Blood
Brothers' though, Cheh concentrated the scope on the major
narrative and didn't try to fill in all of the viewer's
knowledge about the historical setting of the film.
Unfortunately 'The Brave Archer' is one of Chang Cheh's least
assured efforts as he foolishly tries to fit in all of the
sub-plots and characters of this vast novel. Naturally this
makes for difficult viewing with scores of characters
appearing and re-appearing with little development or
consequence. Fu Sheng and most of the cast acquit themselves
well in the production, but it is impossible to become
absorbed in such a convoluted plot. Without the coherence and
maturity that Chang Cheh usually weaves into his films, this
is a definite waste of an all-star cast. Matters are not
helped by this severely cut DVD version which makes things
even worse; huge gaps appear in the film, so much so that
characters refer to things that the viewer never saw. The
original version would probably be slightly better, but this
is still a lost cause. Scrapes three stars for its all-star
cast, but nearer to two-and-a-half.
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