A mix of fighting styles in a mixed bag film
Lee Tso Nam, the kung fu director who brought us THE HOT, THE COOL & THE VICIOUS, is the man behind this Taiwanese-made follow-up that features not one, not two, but three hard-hitting martial arts stars in its cast. It's also a film that showcases three differing styles (dragon, snake, and spider) which immediately adds interest for this viewer. The American title is CHALLENGE OF DEATH, but I prefer DRAGON AND SNAKE IN THE SPIDER'S WEB, which is a title that has it all.
In terms of the staging, it's a routinely ordinary production, with a couple of rivals forced to team up as they track down some arms dealers. The plot is a light piece of fluff with a few average fight scenes mixed up with some of the typical lowbrow comedy and cross-dressing shenanigans familiar from this genre. The two stars are the unlikely-named Delung Tam and Don Wang, each of them proficient in a single style, while the villain of the piece is regular kung fu star Chang Yi, whose spider technique seems to be heavily indebted to Spider-man!
As is inevitably the case with these films - you could even put money on it - by far the best part of the production is the final extended two-on-one fight scene. It's set in a wood and features all manner of aerial acrobatics and power moves, and by itself serves as a fitting showcase for the three styles mentioned in the title. The cheesy, super-power fighting techniques bring to mind the later excesses of the ninja action genre. A shame the rest of the film couldn't match this high point.
In terms of the staging, it's a routinely ordinary production, with a couple of rivals forced to team up as they track down some arms dealers. The plot is a light piece of fluff with a few average fight scenes mixed up with some of the typical lowbrow comedy and cross-dressing shenanigans familiar from this genre. The two stars are the unlikely-named Delung Tam and Don Wang, each of them proficient in a single style, while the villain of the piece is regular kung fu star Chang Yi, whose spider technique seems to be heavily indebted to Spider-man!
As is inevitably the case with these films - you could even put money on it - by far the best part of the production is the final extended two-on-one fight scene. It's set in a wood and features all manner of aerial acrobatics and power moves, and by itself serves as a fitting showcase for the three styles mentioned in the title. The cheesy, super-power fighting techniques bring to mind the later excesses of the ninja action genre. A shame the rest of the film couldn't match this high point.
- Leofwine_draca
- 28 may 2016