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Cast:
Su
Chen Ping
Ng
Tung Kiu
Chen
Chiu
Wang
Tai Lang
Action:
Ng Tung Kiu
Ho Wai Hung
Poon Chuen Ling
Director:
Yu
Ming Ho
Score:
 
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MACHO
MAN
AKA:
Duel In The Tiger Den
Year:
1972 Reviewer: Andrew
Saroch
A
tyrannical warlord resides over his mini-kingdom at the top of
one of China's mountains aiding by his private army. In his
possession is a valuable relic that is the envy of many of the
nearby inhabitants and is well-guarded by his warriors.
However, one day two strangers manage to climb the mountain
and almost steal the relic from the warlord; both of them have
their own private motives yet both are willing to combine to
beat their foe. Into this plot comes another interested party
who decides to help the pair and even up the incredible odds
their faced with. The motives are gradually revealed as their
objective gets nearer to completion and the warlord looks to
be facing defeat.
The
instant plus point that 'Macho Man' has in its favour is that
it is part of Brentwood's great value ten film pack. It also
uses dubbing that sentimental fans like myself will always
associate with the Shaw Brothers' films and therefore anticipate
hearing. Perhaps it speaks volumes for the film when it is
stated that these are the only two positives to emerge from
the production. 'Macho Man' is the kind of early-70s kung fu
drama that created all of the stereotypes that genre buffs
will always despise. A poor script, uninvolving direction and
some tepid fight scenes combine to test even the most
forgiving viewer's patience. Unfortunately it never descends
into the curiosity value that the 'so-bad-they're-good' films
can offer; therefore it simply infuses the audience with a
complete sense of indifference. Early-70s martial arts cinema
was never usually known for its choreography, but here the
action is laborious and gets stuck into this rut all the way
until the end. The one saving grace is the dubbing that has a
nostalgia quality for myself, but outside of this unusual
positive point there's little to recommend.
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