Ren xia ren

This film is just hilarious and definitely worth the two times me and my little sister have stayed up to watch it at three in the morning (or whatever daft time Channel 4 - UK tv channel - have put it on at). My only wish is that I could get a couple of copies of it on video so that me and my sister could watch it whenever we wanted for the rest of our lives. This film is excellent and if it's on a tv near you...WATCH IT!!!!

Bonkers chop-socky that is part satire of ludicrous Hong Kong supernatural martial arts films, and part brilliant example of how it should be done. A rare wheeze that actually does have something for everyone:

Excellent slapstick comedy - the hero is pompous and fat, not lithe and Jackie Chan-like; getting into daft, self-generated scrapes, he is kicked about by every one, and guards a dead friend who isn't really dead in an hilarious scene that has him fending off curious gold thieves. He is repeatedly buffeted by otherworldly menaces, first his mischievous friend, then Satan's minions, who turn him into a lime-covered bug.

Action - Choreographed with great skill, played mostly for laughs, but there is one sequence - the friend's murder - that is filmed with rare beauty.

Horror - Again, mostly comic, with a remarkable use of somewhat cheap special effects.

Historical costume drama - not very precise, but the costumes and set-design are an immense, guilty, Orientalist pleasure.

Satire - under all the laughs is a serious study of repressive social and gender codes, and the last scene is spectacularly subversive in its implications.

"Ren xia ren" (1982), also known as "Human Lanterns," is a peculiar blend of martial arts, horror, and drama that showcases both the creativity and excess of Hong Kong cinema in the early 1980s. Directed by Wu Ma, this film offers a unique viewing experience that, while flawed, manages to leave a lasting impression.

Set in ancient China, the story revolves around a rivalry between two wealthy men, Tan Fu and Lung Shu Ai, who compete to create the most beautiful lantern for an upcoming festival. Their competition takes a dark turn when they enlist the help of Chao Chun-Fang, a skilled lantern maker with a sinister secret. Chao, seeking revenge for past humiliations, begins crafting lanterns from human skin, leading to a series of gruesome murders.

Wu Ma's direction is ambitious, if not always successful. He attempts to balance elements of traditional wuxia films with horror tropes, creating a unique atmosphere that sets "Ren xia ren" apart from more conventional martial arts movies of the era. The film's visual style is often striking, with vivid colors and imaginative set designs that enhance the otherworldly feel of the story.

Chen Kuan-tai delivers a standout performance as Chao Chun-Fang, the vengeful lantern maker. His portrayal of a man driven to madness by his desire for revenge is both chilling and oddly sympathetic, providing the emotional core of the film. Chen's ability to shift between calm craftsman and deranged killer is particularly impressive and contributes significantly to the film's unsettling tone.

One of the most memorable scenes in the film involves Chao's workshop, where he creates his macabre lanterns. The sequence is a masterclass in building tension, with Wu Ma using clever camera work and lighting to suggest the horrific nature of Chao's work without resorting to excessive gore. This scene encapsulates the film's ability to create horror through implication rather than explicit violence.

The martial arts sequences in "Ren xia ren" are competently choreographed, though they sometimes feel at odds with the horror elements of the film. When they do work, however, they add an extra layer of excitement to the proceedings, particularly in the film's climactic confrontation.

Despite its strengths, "Ren xia ren" is not without significant flaws. The pacing can be uneven, with long stretches of dialogue and character development interrupted by sudden bursts of action or horror. This inconsistency can make the film feel disjointed at times, potentially alienating viewers expecting a more traditional martial arts or horror experience.

The film's treatment of its female characters is problematic by modern standards, with women often relegated to roles as victims or objects of desire. While this was not uncommon in films of this era and genre, it does detract from the overall quality of the narrative.

The special effects, while ambitious for their time, have not aged particularly well. Some of the more fantastical elements of the story are undercut by unconvincing practical effects, which may take modern viewers out of the experience.

For fans of martial arts cinema looking for something off the beaten path, or horror enthusiasts interested in exploring the genre's manifestations in different cultures, "Ren xia ren" offers an intriguing, if flawed, viewing experience. Chen Kuan-tai's performance and Wu Ma's creative direction provide enough highlights to make the film worth seeking out for cinephiles interested in the more obscure corners of Hong Kong cinema. While it may not reach the heights of the best examples of either the martial arts or horror genres, "Ren xia ren" remains a fascinating cultural artifact that demonstrates the willingness of Hong Kong filmmakers to push boundaries and blend genres in unexpected ways.

The excellent physical humour of Sammo Hung really comes through in this supernatural comedy of escalating errors. Complicated, or if you like to say messy plotting thick with a conspiracy narrative (which as a viewer you're in on it watching Sammo's Fat boy trying to put the pieces together of his friend's death - Wu Ma. Then finding himself in an even worse predicament). This is where the laughs are centred around. Eventually it does change course in the last half hour where the over-top-eccentrics meets the atmospheric spirit world. Cartoonish fx, glowing greens and levitating objects. That's when the imagination comes into the picture. After somewhat of a less interesting set-up. The film's energy sorta comes and goes, and it's noticeable whenever Sammo is not on screen. Some scenes can linger on too long. As for hoping for some martial arts. It had its moments. Cue in the slow motion, but mainly its put on the back burner in favour of the buffoonery and last minute FX.

This is a rough one. I've sometimes described Hong Kong action movies as "a sequence of things that happen." That problem is among the worst in this movie. It takes a solid half of The Dead and the Deadly to finally have anything even remotely resembling a real plotline (a life insurance scam).

The whole entire first half is just a collection of scenes featuring Sammo Hung as he pals around town doing random things. He pretends to be a mannequin, he gobbles down aphrodisiac, he rebukes a clingy would-be wife, and he gets into trouble at the funeral home. None of it ever really feels like its in service of any kind of over-arching story or even much character development, it's just 45 minutes of a guy kind of doing whatever. It wasn't particularly funny and there's not a whole lot of fighting to be had.

Even once the actual life insurance story finishes out, the movie still keeps going for at least another ten minutes. The whole thing is just a total pacing disaster. At best, it leans on a very small handful of pretty decent special effects, but it's all limited to a handful of shots in the last act. The same goes for fight scenes -- there's maybe three action set pieces in this whole movie, and all of them are brief and come very late.

I think you've gotta be a big fan of Sammo Hung to get much out of this one.