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Cast:
Chen
Kwan Tai
Yueh
Hua
Lily
Li
Danny
Lee
Lo
Dik
Chiang
Nan
Betty
Pei Ti
Chiang
Tao
Action:
Tong
Gaai
Liu
Chia Liang
Director:
Chang
Cheh
Pao
Hsieh Li
Score:
 
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IRON
BODYGUARD
AKA:
N/A
Year:
1973 Reviewer: Andrew
Saroch
'Iron
Bodyguard' is a film that may create immediate curiousity by
the joint directing credit that it proudly proclaims. One half
of the team is a man who needs no introduction; Chang Cheh is
one of the master craftsmen of the martial arts genre and
regular readers will know of my admiration for his skills. The
other part of the duo is Pao Hsieh Li, a director who started
as a cinematographer and later moved into the director's
position with numerous Shaw Brothers films and the above
average independent feature 'Kung Fu Emperor'. The only
question that emerges from this directorial teaming is what
does each man bring to 'Iron Bodyguard' - this is something
that will be featured later.
Wang
Wu (Chen Kwan Tai) is the honourable head of a
bodyguard/escort company who works in the capital. Though
righteous and always willing to help out those in need, he
does not involve himself in the political turmoil of the land.
All of this changes when he intercedes in an arrest and stands
up to the Ching troops, refusing to accept an obvious
injustice. His actions are not unnoticed by others though and,
from a nearby restaurant, Mr. Tan (Yueh Hua) watches the
proceedings with great interest. Tan is committed to the
reformist movement that is bubbling under the surface of the
government, much to the anger of the power-hungry Empress
Dowager; Tan also sees Wang Wu as a powerful ally in his
battle against the ruling powers. However, Wang Wu is in no
particular rush to meet Tan and happily continues without
accepting his invitation of a meeting. Tan is determined to
meet this righteous hero though and so includes himself in a
fight that Wang Wu is involved in against an old adversary.
Following their victory, Wang and Tan become firm friends and
the former becomes more and more interested in the political
cause of the latter. While Tan gets promoted to the
privy council, Wang agrees to help the reforms in any way
possible despite the threat of a backlash from the Empress
Dowager's forces. When this backlash finally strikes, Tan sees
his reformist colleagues arrested and put on trial throughout
the capital; alongside his loyal 'brother' Wang, Tan tries to
escape the slowly tightening grip of the Ching. Unfortunately,
Tan is finally captured by the authorities and subsequently
sentenced to execution. In a race against time, Wang Wu vows
to rescue the reformists and, along with his band of
employees/fighters, hatches a plan to ambush the execution
party on their way to the public square.
The
idea of having two directors responsible for a film is not a
very inspiring one; the immediate thought is of conflicts of
styles and overall control. 'Iron Bodyguard' quickly dispels
these fears and, by the time the credits roll on its 94 minute
duration, the feeling is that it has achieved its goals. There
have been various thoughts about who actually deserves the
lion's share of the praise (or, in some people's eyes, blame)
for this production, but it mostly appears to be the work of
two directors who have successfully combined their visions.
Naturally, there are certain traits of each director present
within the film: Chang Cheh implements his common themes of
brotherhood and the sacrifice for one's beliefs; Pao Hsieh Li
reminds all of his background as a cinematographer with some
intriguing shots and nicely framed images. The team make good
use of Chen Kwan Tai and Yueh Hua in their two lead roles -
both men are given opportunities to flex their acting muscles
in varied scenes - while Shaw Brothers' famed screenwriter I
Kuang fleshes out the characters with an above average
screenplay.
Despite
'Iron Bodyguard' earning plaudits, the pairing of two
directors could hardly be expected to be problem free. At
times it seems as if Pao Hsieh Li's style restrains Chang
Cheh's full thematic flow; the friendship between Wang and Tan
develops at a lightning pace which occasionally sacrifices the
weightier of elements of the characters. The fact that 'Iron
Bodyguard' doesn't have Chang Cheh's stamp on it throughout
perhaps lends some credence to the idea that Pao Hsieh Li was
the real commanding force of the production. If this is true,
Pao Hsieh Li can still be happy with what is a noble kung fu
drama - there's weaknesses in some of the plot twists, but
there's also good action, fine performances and the kind of
bold visual statements that linger in the mind. A polished
slice of entertainment from the Shaw Brothers' vast back
catalogue of quality.
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