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Cast:
Fu
Sheng
Derek
Yee
Ku
Feng
Jason
Piao Piao
Yueh
Hua
Angie
Chiu
Lam
Fai Wong
Hui
Tien Chi
Cheng
Miu
Ku
Kuan Chung
Action:
Tong
Gaai
Producer:
Mona
Fong
Director:
Chu
Yuan
Score:
  
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HEROES
SHED NO TEARS
AKA:
N/A
Year:
1980 Reviewer: Andrew
Saroch
While
director Chu Yuan's most popular works tended to gravitate
towards Ti Lung, 'Heroes Shed No Tears' allows fellow Shaw
Brothers legend Fu Sheng to take on the dramatic mantle.
Naturally, the martial world and the usual twists associated
with it form the main framework of the production with Chu
Yuan's exemplary eye for visual design also present again.
After
his lengthy training nears completion, expert swordsman Gao
(Fu Sheng) is entrusted with an unusual mission by his elderly
master. The task involves taking the fabled 'Teardrop Sword'
down into the martial world and solving the petty squabbles of
a few supremely skilled individuals, while also deciding the
fate of the seemingly cursed weapon. Gao takes his master's
words on-board, descends from his mountain retreat and
prepares to meet the weird and wonderful pugilists he has
heard so much about. Gao's arrival in town is noticed by the
so-called 'Unbeatable' Sima Chaoqun (Piao Piao) and his
fiendishly intelligent aide Zhao (Yee) who decide to keep a
close eye on the stranger as they prepare to host a lavish
ceremony. Unfortunately for Sima, the celebration is disrupted
by an assassination that leaves the whole of his clan rocked
by the vicious attack. Gao insists that he has no involvement
in the murder, but is happy to side with Sima's long-time
enemy Zhumeng of 'Braveheart Hall' when the rival clan leader
is ambushed by a troop of killers. Though the histories of
both swordsmen is familiar to Gao thanks to his master's
instruction, he is less sure of the enigmatic killer (Yueh Hua)
who continues to appear during the most intriguing moments.
Although
I tend to associate Chu Yuan's movies specifically with Ti
Lung, Fu Sheng manages to give 'Heroes Shed No Tears' the kind
of superior central performance that the former had always
succeeded to produce. With a very dramatic narrative that
thrives on emotion and the convolutions of the Gu Lung-esque
world, 'Heroes Shed No Tears' treads on the familiar ground
that productions like 'Killer Clans' and The Magic Blade'
established before. Chu Yuan's world is full of characters who
are impossible to predict and whose motives can change in the
twinkling of an eye; this aspect, while succeeding to alienate
newcomers to the swordplay world, continues to be one of the
film's major features. While the hero is the central focus for
the audience's sympathies, the rest of the characters are
never merely black or white and their actions can be somewhat
baffling for the uninitiated.
Few
of Shaws' contracted directors could compare to Chu Yuan when
visual composition is discussed; even using the restrictive
backlot, Yuan fills each of his frames with a vast array of
colour and detail. In 'Heroes Shed No Tears', Yuan once again
guarantees that all of the swordplay battles take place in
carefully constructed surroundings and incorporate a certain
sophistication that few of the genre's film-makers could
match. Nevertheless, his weakness are still easy to identify -
though sometimes the task of transferring Gu Long's
labyrinthine
plots to the screen would be beyond most of the world's
directors. When he directs drama, Chu Yuan treads the fine
line between emotional power and melodrama very delicately.
Though he mostly succeeds in expressing the former, he does
fall into the latter at times; one particular scene involving
a sacrifice by the character Graceful is overwrought enough to
induce unintentional laughter. Despite scenes of this nature
taking their toll on the overall qualities of 'Heroes Shed No
Tears', the moments when the lead characters are emotionally
destroyed by the actions of their enemy still pack a
significant punch.
'Heroes
Shed No Tears' is the kind of complex swordplay film that was
attempted after the demise of the Shaw Brothers movie making
empire, but often lacked the skilled control that Chu Yuan
offered. Though this is by no means devoid of flaws, the
exemplary cast, careful pacing and enigmatic characterisation
make 'Heroes Shed No Tears' a worthy purchase. This is a
challenging genre piece, but an ultimately satisfying one.
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