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Cast:
Ti
Lung
Yueh
Hua
Ling
Yun
Ngai
Fei
Derek
Yee
Chan
Si Gai
Candy
Yu
Tsui
Siu Keung
Chong
Lee
Yuen
Wah
Action:
Tong
Gaai
Wong
Pau Gei
Director:
Chu
Yuan
Score:
  
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LEGEND
OF THE BAT
AKA:
Clans Of Intrigue 2 ||
Bat Island Adventure
Year:
1978 Reviewer: Andrew
Saroch
The
hybrid kung fu drama/murder mystery that was 'Clans
Of Intrigue' proved to be a reasonable enough hit to spawn
a sequel, 'Legend Of The Bat'. The original cast and director
return in-front on and behind the camera while a Gu Lung novel
once again acts as the source material for the production.
Also repeated from the original is the attempt to combine the
standard conventions of the genre with a more intriguing layer
of mystery and investigation.
Following
on directly from 'Clans Of Intrigue', 'Legend Of The Bat'
begins with martial hero Chu Liu Hsiang (Ti Lung) and unusual
ally/professional assassin Li Tien Hung arriving on a strange
island after their previous adventure has ended. It takes
little time for the pair to realise that this is an
environment where danger appears to be round every corner and peculiar
incidents are to be expected. Soon after arriving, Chu is targeted
by a band of killers who have been hired to eliminate him.
However, after uncovering the identities of the assassins, Chu
hears their unfortunate story; one of the clan is slowly dying
of an illness and can only be cured by a rare poppy to be
found on a nearby island - a cure that has been offered if the
clan kill Chu. On hearing this, Chu elects to help the
otherwise righteous band and go to the island with Li
assisting - for his own unusual reasons. The island is heavily
guarded and run by the clandestine figure known as Mr. Bat, a
man involved in the martial underworld who surrounds himself
with wealth and opulence. During their journey to the island,
the two heroes meet up with other people keen to get to the
island of Mr. Bat and manage to use their savvy to get into
the otherwise fortress-like base. As the warriors approach,
each motive is fully revealed and new alliances are formed
among the travellers as they face their ultimate challenge.
As
with the original Li Tien Hung adventure, 'Legend Of The Bat'
is a sumptuous visual feast that combines its on-screen
brilliance with another dizzying storyline full of outrageous
characters and situations. Chu Yuan's directorial style means
that 'Legend Of The Bat' boasts a multitude of colours and
ornate sets that make an otherwise baffling film easier to
appreciate. Yuan's swordplay dramas always have a certain
sophistication that lift themselves above the normal genre
film and, despite their convolutions, retain the viewer's
interest. These convolutions will be discussed later, but
first its worth noting the productions other strengths. Ti
Lung once again shows how important his presence is to any
film; simple scenes and moments are given notable distinction
by Lung's exceptional handling of his character. After fitting
comfortably into the character of Li Tien Hung in 'Clans Of
Intrigue' sees Ti Lung excel once more. Meanwhile supporting
players like Yueh Hua are given plenty of opportunities to add
another level of quality to the film.
'Legend
Of The Bat' suffers from the same problems as its predecessor,
namely its headache-inducing twists and turns. The film starts
off with a reasonably straight-forward premise then pummels
the viewer with a plethora of bizarre characters and
double-crosses. Added to this is a tendency to rely on
incredulous twists and turns in answer to various situations;
one scene in particular sees the heroes locked in an
impenetrable cage only for one of them to announce that they
have a special hammer that can break the bars. Moments like
this will undoubtedly alienate some viewers. There is, though,
a certain charm to the whole adventure that makes it
compelling viewing despite these unwieldy twists.
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