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Cast:
Sammo
Hung
Lam
Ching Ying
Wu
Ma
Cherie
Chung
Chung
Fa
Hui
Lung Mei
Action:
Hung
Ga Ban
Producer:
Sammo
Hung
Director:
Wu
Ma
Score:
 
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THE
DEAD AND THE DEADLY
AKA:
The Dead & The Deadly
Year:
1983 Reviewer: Tony
Ryan
Compared
to most of Sammo's starring roles, this one is surprisingly
unknown. Possibly Wu Ma's best directed feature, and in the
same vein as the classic 'Encounter
of the Spooky Kind', it is surprising that it has not been
more widely released.
The
convoluted story sees Sammo unwillingly help Wu Ma to bring
his killers to justice. Unfortunately, Ma is only pretending
to be dead so that his pregnant wife can claim from his will,
although the baby is not even his. Ma, eventually, does get
murdered, and Sammo lends his body to the spirit to get
revenge. As with most Wu Ma directed films, he lacks a little
cohesiveness, and it can get confusing. However, the pace of
the film stops us getting confused for too long, and comedy
interludes frequently keep you entertained.
Sammo
as always plays the naïve butt of everyone's jokes to
perfection, and Lam Ching Ying gives his first performance as
a Taoist priest, in a glorious tongue-in-cheek forewarning to
'Mr
Vampire'. Chung Fa also gets another chance to shine, and
does well, showing that he is a good actor as well as an
impressive physical performer.
The
action is sparse, but very impressive. There are 2 major fight
scenes of note, which are expertly choreographed, perfectly
edited, brilliantly executed and are among some of the 80's
best. The comedy can be quite broad at times, but this is
nothing new to fans of HK cinema. All in all, another quality
Sammo production that deserves a wider audience, and may
hopefully get a UK DVD release from Hong Kong Legends in the
future.
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