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Cast:
Ti
Lung
Yueh
Hua
Lo
Lieh
Ku
Feng
Derek
Yee
Lily
Li
Shih
Szu
Fan
Mei Sheng
Tsui
Siu Keung
Director:
Chu
Yuan
Score:
 
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THE
JADE TIGER
AKA:
N/A
Year:
1977 Reviewer: Andrew
Saroch
If
the David Chiang/Ti Lung/Chang Cheh's partnership is known as
the 'Iron Triangle', there should surely be a similar term for
the triumvirate of Ti Lung, Chu Yuan and Gu Long. The
combination of star, director and writer have produced some
popular hits while also having a unique stamp that reminds the
viewer that the film is a definite work of the three. 'The
Jade Tiger' is another labyrinthine kung fu mystery that
plunges the viewer into the world of martial rivalry and
subterfuge.
Just
as he is about to marry his sweetheart, Zhao Wuji is informed
that his father - who is the head of Dafeng Hall's clan - has
been murdered. Rushing over to the scene of the crime, Zhao is
traumatised by the sight of his father's corpse and cancels
his marriage, instead concentrating his efforts on revenge.
The prime suspect for the murder is a master swordsman who has
fled to the sworn enemies of the Zhao's family in order to
seek refuge. These enemies, the Tang Clan, decide to send out
their top fighters to stop Zhao Wuji before he has any chance
to carry out his act of vengeance. However, Zhao is rescued on
more than one occasion by various 'friends' with their own
unusual motives. He quickly appreciates the magnitude of
defeating the Tang Clan and so decides to infiltrate the
family, adopting the name Shangguan Ren to achieve his goal.
As he gets closer to the truth, Zhao is surprised to learn
that his father's murderer is not the heinous villain he was
lead to believe and it is only by trusting him that he will
destroy the ambitious Tangs.
When
sitting down to watch a Chu Yuan adaptation of a Gu Long
novel, it is to be expected that the viewer may get sucked
into the confusing whirlwind of double-crosses and
triple-crosses; the fact that, most of the time, Chu Yuan
pulls off the these betrayal with panache helps this no end.
Unfortunately, 'Jade Tiger' takes the usual plot twists to an
all-time apex of confusion and bewilderment. The narrative
starts promisingly, developing gradually into the kind of
mystery that is essential to a Chu Yuan film while also
throwing the usual eccentrics into the blend. However, this
interest is short-lived as the constant barrage of motives and
characterisms begin to verge on self-parody. By the final
thirty minutes, 'Jade Tiger' gets lost in its own plot
twists while many of the lead players begin to lose most of
their emotional punch as the film unravels. Chu Yuan's usual
meticulous control is found wanting with 'Jade Tiger' -
there's just too much disorder here to make it a fully
worthwhile production.
'Jade
Tiger' does have some assets to rely on in its weakest
moments. Ti Lung, at his best, was one of the best straight
actors in the Shaw Brothers' stable; while his performance
here may not be on the same level as his very finest moments,
he is always a leading man of great value. Alongside Ti Lung
are performers such as Yueh Hua, Lily Li and Ku Feng in solid
supporting roles, while Lo Lieh steals the film as the
arch-villain of the piece. Chu Yuan still bathes the picture
with his extraordinary visual splendour, filling the frame
with rich colours and superior set design. With these areas
enjoying guaranteed quality, it is clear that this is a film
that does retain much of its superior elements. It's
unfortunate that such a visually vibrant production lacks so
much substance.
Among
the multitude of collaborations between Chu Yuan, Ti Lung and
Gu Long, 'Jade Tiger' is one of the least memorable efforts.
With far too much interest in the twists of the storyline and
too little in creating a film the viewer can care about, Chu
Yuan belies his real talent as a director. Even fans of the
convoluted martial world of the swordplay genre may find 'Jade
Tiger' a tiresome 90 minutes.
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