Leofwine_draca Back in the early to mid 1970s, the Shaw Brothers studio put out a lot of films in which a band of all-star heroes fought against overwhelming odds in a bid for justice and humanity. These tales were invariably heroic, filled with great action and tragedy, and had more than a hint of SEVEN SAMURAI or indeed THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN about them. THE SAVAGE FIVE is such a film, featuring the 'Iron Triangle' of director Chang Cheh and stars Ti Lung and David Chiang, and it's a real masterpiece.The tale is simple enough: the stereotypical ruthless gang of bandits show up in a small town and proceed to wreak havoc by bullying and then killing the put-upon townsfolk. A bunch of oddball characters (a farm labourer, a drunk, and a thief) have soon had enough of this carnage so decide to mount a resistance. The action comes thick and fast, with martial arts mixed up with the more modern elements of gunplay and explosives, and Cheh ensures that the pacing just zips along with barely a moment to draw breath.THE SAVAGE FIVE is also blessed with an exemplary cast. Chiang and Lung as are good as you'd expect from them, with Lung a stoic and powerful presence and Chiang excelling as the youthful joker with a heart. Alongside them we get Chen Kuan Tai as the simple woodsman who bags the film's best role (he goes berserk with an axe), Danny Lee as an engineer, and Wang Chung as an ailing acrobat. The action is frequent and bloody, building nicely to an appropriately savage climax. Sometimes I find that these smaller-budgeted Shaw films are even better than the big budget epics like THE 14 AMAZONS, and that's the case here.

poe-48833 Do the Math: The five stars who make THE SAVAGE FIVE must-see are the four main stars- Ti Lung, David Chiang, Chen Kuan Chi, and Wang Chung- and director Chang Cheh. Not a bad lineup by ANY standard. The only real problem I had with THE SAVAGE FIVE was the gunplay: I prefer my Martial Arts movies SANS "the Great Equalizer" simply because it bespeaks an inherent WEAKNESS in the user(s) of said weapon(s). If a villain has to resort to using a gun, s/he's not much of a villain, in my book. ANYBODY can use a gun, including a five-year-old (which we here in America know all too well); the use, therefore, of firearms doesn't make a villain particularly POWERFUL- no more than driving an automobile makes one a Nascar driver.

Brian Camp THE SAVAGE FIVE (1974) was the 19th collaboration of director Chang Cheh and his star duo, Ti Lung and David Chiang, a team responsible for many great kung fu films made at Shaw Bros. in the 1970s, aided and abetted by this film's fight choreographers, Tang Chia and Lau Kar Leung, who performed the same duties on most of the previous collaborations. This one doesn't have the flashy kung fu setpieces or elaborate settings of the team's earlier films (THE HEROIC ONES, THE NEW ONE-ARMED SWORDSMAN, BLOOD BROTHERS, etc.), but it's still a worthy effort with a strong storyline and a series of fight scenes designed strictly to serve the story. The five lead actors, Ti Lung, David Chiang, Chen Kuan Tai, Danny Lee, and Wang Chung, play characters with kung fu skills who decide to offer some resistance after their town is taken over by a robbery gang. The outlaws want the town silversmith, Wei (Danny Lee), to open the safe that they robbed from a bank in a neighboring town. But when Wei flees town to try and summon help it has tragic repercussions for the townsfolk. After a number of failed attempts which leave several townsmen dead, the remaining four heroes finally get the best of the bandits, only to get sent back to square one after the rest of the outlaw gang shows up, along with their vicious leader (played by Frankie Wei), who is armed with automatic pistols and uses them to regain the upper hand.The other fighters are played by David Chiang as a petty thief with a past; Ti Lung as a drunken scion of a once-wealthy family; Chen Kuan Tai as a simple woodcutter; and Wang Chung as a traveling acrobat who's fallen ill and is recuperating in the town. Wang Ping plays San Niang, a restaurant owner and female friend of the heroes who is quite a cool customer in the face of danger. At one point, she steps forth boldly as the outlaws begin picking out screaming young girls from the town to take with them for the night and offers herself in their place. This encounter and the aftermath in the morning are powerful dramatic scenes in the midst of this kung fu action tale.There are a few contrivances along the way that threaten the film's credibility, but overall it's a lean, mean suspenseful thriller that plays like a western and may indeed have borrowed its plot from one. In fact, there are three earlier films I was reminded of as I watched this: Andre de Toth's Hollywood western, DAY OF THE OUTLAW (1959); Duccio Tessari's Italian western, A PISTOL FOR RINGO (1965); and Hiroshi Inagaki's Japanese samurai drama, MACHIBUSE (1970). The music score in SAVAGE FIVE consists of cues ripped off from Ennio Morricone soundtracks for Italian westerns, including THE RETURN OF RINGO, the sequel to A PISTOL FOR RINGO.The film has come out in a restored, remastered edition in Mandarin with English subtitles available on R3 DVD from Celestial Pictures/IVL.

ArmiesOfTheNight Pacifist village is beset by bandits in this low budget yet lyrical martial arts thriller: One beauty of a film that benefits from simplistic storytelling and nicely drawn characterizations. Underrated Chang Cheh film utilizes some sets and actors from his classic 'Duel Of The Iron Fist' and the isolated seaside setting of the village adds much to the atmosphere of the proceedings. Despite bad dubbing, ultra simply storyline and an almost austere production design 'Savage Five' hands down rivals the ornateness of 'Kid With The Golden Arm' and the twist heavy 'Five Deadly Venoms'. The always great David Chiang plays a lesser version of his Rover character from 'Duel Of The Iron Fist' and Ti Lung, looking incredible here, is at his physical best. Accolades to Chen Kuan (Guan) Tai and Wang Chung (Cheung) in great sympathetic roles too. Kung Fu classic where the actual martial arts display takes a backseat to the mesmerizing story. This review is based on the cut 96 minute t.v. print I have. A Chinese film to cherish!