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Cast:
Wang
Yu
Lo
Lieh
Chin
Ping
Cheng
Lei
Tien
Fong
Margaret
Tu Chuan
Fanny
Fan
Ku
Feng
Producer:
Runme
Shaw
Director:
Chang
Cheh
Score:
 
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THE
MAGNIFICENT TRIO
AKA:
Three Heroes of Border Castle ||
Heroic Three
Year:
1966 Reviewer: Andrew
Saroch
One
film I frequently hear about and look forward to seeing when
Celestial release it is the Chang Cheh/Wang Yu hit 'Tiger
Boy', a kung fu drama which is credited as one of the early
milestone productions for both men. Until I am able to see it,
I'll be happy to content myself with this fine swordplay
melodrama, 'The Magnificent Trio'. Uniting the cast and crew
from 'Tiger Boy', 'The Magnificent Trio' features a whole
range of familiar faces in very early roles and a confident
Chang Cheh at the helm.
When
righteous knight Lu (Wang Yu) sees three men kidnapping a
young woman out in the open, it is only natural that he feels
he must intervene and stop the crime. Following them to their
destination, Lu confronts them and demands that the victim
should be released otherwise the kidnappers will incur his
wrath. The antagonists, though, tell a different story; they
are in fact three inhabitants of Mati village who have seen
their crops destroyed by poor weather conditions, but are
still being put under pressure to pay a considerable tax to
the local official. Unable to pay the taxes and with threats
being issued to the village of Mati, these three simple
farmers have taken the law into their own hands and taken the
corrupt official's daughter hostage. On hearing this side of
the story, honourable Lu decides to support them, but insists
that the innocent daughter be treated with dignity. When the
official, General Wei, hears of this rebellious action, he
sends a band of his men to rescue his daughter and put the
Mati men to death as a punishment. Wei's men are soundly
beaten by Lu who sends out a message that, until Wei exempts
the villagers from tributes, he will protect them and support
their actions. Outraged, Wei uses the ruthless bandits - who
have been imprisoned for their crimes - to kill Lu. Joining
this gang is a stranger who accepts the money to help out
despite being unaware of the circumstances and one of Wei's
trusted guards, Yan (Lo Lieh). The ensuing battle sees Lu once
again victorious, but this time the stranger reveals himself
to be Huang (Cheng Lei), a former comrade of Lu during the
recent war against Chinese invaders. Naturally Huang joins the
cause of the Mati villagers while Yan begins to wonder which
side is really the right one to support. A quick succession of
tragic events sees Lu taking the blame for the kidnap and Yan
deciding to support the righteous cause rather than continue
his allegiance with corrupt Wei. Eventually the two sides are
well-defined and the 'magnificent' trio are pitted against a
team of assassins that have been hired by Wei to solve the
conflict.
Unusually,
the first thing that is noticeable about 'The Magnificent
Trio' is how young all the actors look; Wang Yu, Lo Lieh and
even the venerable Tien Fong look almost unrecognisable here
in their varied roles. The actors' make-up is also
disturbingly obvious and they almost look like a New Romantics
tribute band rather than the next generation of action stars.
These strange factors make 'The Magnificent Trio' an
uncomfortable viewing experience for the first few minutes and
give the production a dated, archaic look. However, those who
ignore these faults and stick with it will be rewarded with a
superior, emotionally-charged swordplay film that has
far more qualities than distractions. Certain parts of the
film look dated, but most of 'The Magnificent Trio' seems
remarkably fresh considering its nearly thirty years old and
made near the beginning of the genesis of the genre's modern
era. The themes, emotions and characters are all familiar
Chang Cheh devises though this is certainly no bad thing; Cheh
has used these to great acclaim so many times in the past, but
such timeless displays of chivalry and honour are always
absorbing to watch. The characters are, to some, stereotypes
of the genre though their nuances give them a very human edge
that makes them easy to empathise with. Importantly, the
strength of 'The Magnificent Trio' is the development of what
starts out as a very simple plot while there's also a few
excellent scenes that cement the quality of this fine film.
Chief amongst these is Lu's acceptance of the Mati villagers
terrible punishments; such a moment of chivalry is classic
Chang Cheh and shows how the director uses bold statements to
get his messages across.
'The
Magnificent Trio' benefits from its strong casting and the
successful bonding of the eponymous trio. Despite looking
younger than his character should have been, Wang Yu is a
commanding figure as the heroic Yu while Lo Lieh is a supreme
influence on the narrative as the tortured Yan; his
performance here is a reminder of how Hong Kong cinema will
surely miss his presence. The underrated Cheng Lei is perhaps
the highlight of the film in his role of Huang - although
quite a muscular actor, he shows an admirable aptitude for the
finer emotions in this movie. With a director of considerable
merit, a cast of fine performers and action that, while not
exactly trail-blazing, is certainly very watchable, 'The
Magnificent Trio' is another good release from Celestial. This
is an ultimately tragic swordplay film that is well worth
watching.
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