Ai nu

This movie is much more than I expected, the 70s mainstream movie by a mainstream director has more eroticism and violence in it than most movies dared now. However, it is not a movie that simply tries to shock and push boundaries, it is a movie about injustice done to women and poor while the persecutor only care for the rich. The revenge story is restrained at first deliberately and the revenge escalates into a full blood bath at the end when Ai Nu finally let all of her fury comes out, it is easy to see the feminist movement connection.

I also thought the cinematography is beautiful, especially at the beginning when camera captures the slow dance of Ai Nu in contrast to the corpse covered by snow.

The fight scene is also rather good. In other words, a perfect 10/10.

This film is really hard to classify in one genre,many people would say is an erotic film, some would say is a martial films but this film is unique...Lily Ho is amazing as the deadly Nv, a girl who accept her destiny just for change it but for me the real star of the film, the queen of this magnificent film is Betty Pei Ti as the evil mistress, she is able to give to the character all the evilness that she needs but at the same time she gives her some kind of tenderness that makes impossible to hate her..The end of the movie is amazing,but I will not spoil it here...I'm a big fan of the Shaw brothers films and this is one of my favorites, maybe I'm the biggest fan of this movie in the world..If you really want to have a great time, do not hesitate on watch it

Overall, this is a pretty good Wuxia story, with a brothel context and revenge story at its centre. The original Hong Kong title is more honest - if less salacious-sounding - and, apart from some appropriate toplessness towards the beginning and end, there's not much titillation. It is of course wildly patriarchal and sexist but presumably that's supposed to be a historical given?

Meanwhile, I'm not an expert in the genre but, for me, the action scenes aren't really a patch on fare such as House of Flying Daggers or (my favourite) Hero. This predates both by quite a while, of course.

Worth a watch if you like this kind of thing, but I'm not sure I'd recommend it.

A woman learns martial arts to assassinate the men who raped her. She uses sexual wiles to get close to them. A memorable scene is where one of her victims is wary, having heard of the deaths of several colleagues. She reassures him that she cannot be the assassin. She takes off her clothes to show she is carrying no weapons. He fails to notice that her hair is held up by a large pin...

A woman named Ainu is kidnapped and sold to a brothel. She tries to resist & escape but fails being caught immediately. Given the choice between dying or accepting her position in the brothel she chooses the latter. Soon after is rented to four wealthy clients and secretly vows revenge. Also becoming the lover of the brothel's lesbian Madame.

There is several scenes of martial arts action. Something Shaw Brothers were well known for. Included is a little blood, of course a bright red color, another thing the Shaws were known for. But wait, there's more. The storyline is still the main focus. It's an interesting story on its own. Throw in a little minor nudity as well.

From beginning to end is a strong script. The action for the most part is well choreographed. The acting is good to excellent. This is one of the most well known Hong Kong films of its type. A true classic.