Xue fu men

Feng Huang's "Xue fu men" is an operatic martial arts spectacle that delivers a visceral punch. With a title that translates to "The Crimson Charm," the film certainly lives up to its name, offering a bloody and dramatic tale of revenge.

"Xue fu men" stars Ivy Ling Po in a breakthrough performance as a vengeful warrior, exuding the same fierce energy as Michelle Yeoh in "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon." Ling Po's character is a force to be reckoned with, showcasing some absolutely breathtaking and brutal fighting sequences. Her graceful yet ferocious swordplay is a highlight, seamlessly integrating dance-like choreography with intense, gory violence. The film earns its namesake with ample bloodshed and crimson hues adorning the screen during these action set pieces.

However, "Xue fu men" stumbles in its overly dramatic and melodramatic storytelling. The histrionics are dialed up to eleven, with exaggerated performances and emotional outbursts that border on comical. While this style of theatrics may have been common in this era of martial arts cinema, it often distracts from the film's momentum and emotional core. The plot, though filled with potential, feels meandering and convoluted, burying its intriguing revenge narrative under layers of operatic flair.

In conclusion, "Xue fu men" is a mixed bag. It boasts impressive action choreography and a standout performance by Ivy Ling Po, but it's bogged down by excessive melodrama and a disjointed narrative. For fans of martial arts cinema, the film is worth a watch for its visceral combat and technical prowess. However, the overly dramatic elements may deter those seeking a more streamlined and contemporary take on the revenge genre. Thus, "Xue fu men" settles for a middling rating, leaving viewers with a sense of untapped potential amidst the blood and theatrics.

On their way home a sword master and his daughter encounter the son of a general of the Crimson Charm gang harassing a young woman at an inn. The sword master kills the son which brings down the wrath of the Yellow General and the entire gang. They are protected at one point by Blood Palm master Ling, the son of Bloody Granny who was defeated by the grand master of the sword school. Ling and the daughter have a crush on each other but haven't seen each other for ten years. Back at the school the sword master decides to expel his top student Han (an adopted orphan) before the Crimson Charm gang attacks to protect him from the wrath of the Crimson leader, Lin. The gang attacks killing the sword master and every student of the school except Han who is protected by the mysterious Godly Sword, the sword master's daughter and the top female student, Feng Feng, although her arm is chopped off. In the chaos of the school's destruction, the three are separated. Han is trained by the Godly Sword, Ling takes the severely injured daughter to a cave to treat her and Feng Feng is rescued by the Grand Master of the sword school, an old nun. Got that? And that's the first 30 minutes.

Decidedly old school with lots of theatrical overacting, camera and editing trick martial arts and a convoluted story line. Consistency isn't one of the plus points here as characters demonstrate incredible martial arts in the middle of the film only never to use them again. The villains are a colorful bunch with weird weapons. One guy has an entire skull covering his fist with the spine hanging off, alas he dies immediately and never fights. The fight scenes are dubbed over by what seems to be two guys doing all the death screams and dozens of gang members die! Although she is mentioned a number of times, Bloody Granny is never seen. I want to see Bloody Granny fight!

Despite the drawbacks, this film moves at a great pace and manages to be entertaining the entire length of the film. While no classic it's a good time.

This is the third time I watched this movie in the past six years so I decided to add a review. Typically I start by summing up the initial action to make sure we are talking about the same movie. Some of these old martial arts movies have many titles. No chance of that problem with this movie. Chang Yi started as a leading man at Shaw Brothers in 1967 with King Cat. He had no martial arts skills initially but anyone can tell by watching his progression of movies over just four years that this guy has been training hard off camera. I estimate he is at black level in this film and he gets better in years to come. He will continue with many lead roles then to lead villains. But not at Shaw Brothers as his star is dimming there already. His last lead roles at Shaw Brothers were in 1972 and he even was even deleted from a movie that year (Finger of Doom). Ivy Ling Po was a top star for Shaw Brothers. (If the only movie she ever made was "The Love Eterne" she would be no less famous.) She started acting as a young teenager in the 1950s but by now she was in her thirties. Asian actresses tended to marry wealthy men at that time and disappear from the public eye. Ivy did just that and retired to Canada. Suddenly in 2002 she had a career resurgence and a concert tour. Overall this was a good movie for story and action. I have two small complaints. I did not like the hokey weapons such as the Shaking Trident and the Retractable Dragon Sword and the Shield of Smoke and Darts. I can understand the action directors wanting to be creative but I think China has plenty of interesting authentic weapons and that's all you need. Also the large cat head or devil head (I can't even tell what it is supposed to be) behind Ku Feng's throne looks like a toddler drew it. The pulsating lights in the eyes made it look dumber still. Anyway, still rated above average and recommended by this fan.

This classic "Martial Arts World" tale begins with the elderly teacher of a fighting school preventing the delinquent Crimson Charm gang from killing/raping a young girl. During this fight, the son of the leader of the Crimson Charm gang gets killed. The rest of the movie deals with the gang's vengeance, and then later the vengeance of the school in return. In fact there are 3 major arcs, the tale of the teacher's bravery and journey back home, the defense of the school, and then 3 years later the fate of the Crimson Charm gang.

To appreciate a film like this it's necessary to think of it almost like an opera of Wagnerian proportions. Swordmen and women who are part of the "Martial Arts World" have near-godly powers of fighting and survival. In fact one character has a death scene which lasts virtually 2 and half years! So of course the histrionics and drama are equally amplified. Western audiences were exposed to this kind of thing most recently with Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon. In many ways this film has a lot of that. In fact Ivy Ling Po's character here is cut from the same cloth as Michelle Yeoh's portrayal in Crouching Tiger. She has some absolutely kick-ass fighting scenes. In later years the martial arts would become far more stylized (especially anything choreographed by Lau Kar Leung, ie - Liu Chia-Liang) but the martial arts in films of this era are more straightforward (comparable to Zorro or Errol Flynn's stuff I suppose). I am a HUGE fan of Lau's work but his films are more about the fight scenes. The Shaw films from this era (67-73) were more about the drama, and the fight scenes IMHO serviced the story more than the other way around. Both eras are great, but tonite I was in the mood for an epic story of love and revenge and this fit the bill. Even compared to other films of this type and era, this was a bit above-average, mainly because of Ivy Ling Po. She's not the main character in this one but her presence demands engagement in each scene she's in. To see a younger Ivy Ling Po in another memorable role, check out Lady General Hua Mulan (which the Disney animated film also covered).