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Cast:
Liu
Yung
Yueh
Hua
Jason
Piao Piao
Ching
Li
Sun
Chien
Tang
Ching
Choh
Seung Wan
Ngai
Fei
Kwan
Fung
Director:
Chu
Yuan
Score:
 
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THE
DUEL OF THE CENTURY
AKA:
N/A
Year:
1981 Reviewer: Andrew
Saroch
After
impressively fleshing out the Gu Long character of Lu Xiaofeng
in 'Clan
Of Amazons', Liu Yung returns for this follow-up which
once again throws the debonair protagonist into the
intrigue-filled martial world. Later filmed as the CGI-filled
'The
Duel', this is the swordplay genre at its most alienating.
A
duel has been arranged between the two most formidable
combatants of the martial world: Shimen Chui-Shiue (Yueh Hua),
master of the 'Wavering Sword' style and the reclusive
exponent of the 'Floating Goddess' technique, Ye Gu-Cheng
(Jason Piao Piao). While the duel is creating tremendous
interest in the betting world, there also seems to be a
plethora of nefarious characters who also getting involved in
the much-publicised event. Into this complicated series of
events steps self-confident hero Lu Xiaofeng who is well known
for his intelligence and blade-catching skills. Lu meets the
two participants, but is baffled as to who and why such a duel
was originally organised. When Lu's investigations begin to
uncover a few hidden conspiracies his life is threatened by
the various unusual assassins who are well known in the
cut-throat martial world. Though Lu manages to survive these
attempts, the mastermind behind the intrigue is expertly
concealed and Shimen and Ge find themselves under suspicion
despite their pleas of innocence.
'The
Duel Of The Century' is a tangled web of motives and elaborate
swordplay action, all within the exotic world created by Gu
Long and perfectly-harnessed by Chu Yuan. Though such a
judgment sounds like it could apply to all of Chu Yuan's
collaborations with Gu Long, the result here is far less
satisfying than it should be. By 1981, it seemed as if Chu
Yuan was gradually in decline after his late-70s zenith and
'The Duel Of The Century' is a perfect example of how this
manifested itself. Of course the martial world as penned by Gu
Long is, by its nature, convoluted, but previous efforts to
bring it to the screen were often far more able to balance the
necessities of the narrative with the characters and the
action.
Comparing
this maddening mess to the hugely enjoyable 'Clan Of Amazons'
really shows up the deficiencies of this sequel. Though the
former had a storyline full of double-crosses and clandestine
plotting, it was never the overall focus and the other facets
of the film therefore did not suffer. 'The Duel Of The
Century' throws one eccentric after another into the story and
never manages to develop any genuine sense of tension. Every
subsequent scene then begins to resemble the last: Lu arrives
at the scene, is faced with some noted assassin who he easily
dispatches, then he rushes to find out who hired the said
killer only to go through the process all over again. As many
of the background characters are merely a means to an end, it
is difficult to feel involved when yet another villain cackles
a threat at our hero. By the time the great revelation takes
place, interest is definitely on the wane.
When
'The Duel Of The Century' reverts to its main purpose - to
entertain with well choreographed duels - it again falls short
of much of Chu Yuan's past work. The tone of the fights is
tired and repetitive with the extras beginning to sleepwalk
through the moves by the films end. Though there is a fine
clash between Lu, Shimen and a fire-spouting clan, it merely
acts as a reminder of the tedium inherent within the rest of
the action. This, along with the tiresome crosses and
double-crosses, is what will undoubtedly dissuade most
seasoned viewers from watching this.
The
saving grace of 'The Duel Of The Century' is again the
character of Lu Xiaofeng. With enough arrogance to make Jose
Mourinho blush, Lu smirks, mocks his opponents' intelligence
and never loses his cool despite the increasingly outlandish
attempts on his life. It is quickly understood that Lu is at
least two steps ahead of any of the dastardly villains who
cross his path; though even this is in danger of becoming
tired, such an invulnerable and sly hero is a real breath of
fresh air in the clichéd genre. Liu Yung may not be an
accomplished screen fighter, but it is his portrayal of Lu
Xiaofeng that earns this a moderate rating that it otherwise
would not deserve. Three stars though only a marginal
recommendation.
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