The Lizard (1972)

I wanted to watch The Lizard because it starred Connie Chan Po Chu. Connie was the darling of Hong Kong cinema during the 1960's, one of the "Seven Princesses" of Cantonese cinema. From 1958-1972 she made 247 films! Of all of those films, The Lizard is the only one I could find available to watch with subtitles due to it being a Shaw Brothers film. Sadly, at the ripe old age of 25, Connie mostly retired after this film.

Back to The Lizard. Yueh Hua played the titular role AKA Cheng Long/Brother Dumb. Cheng Long was a stuttering and bumbling police officer by day and a skilled martial artist and jewel thief who robbed wealthy foreigners by night always leaving behind a lizard calling card. Connie's Xiao Ju was close friends with the bumbler and an admirer of the masked hero. Lo Lieh played the corrupt Chief Chen who used his position to fleece the locals at his rigged casino and make connections with the wealthy foreigners. The Lizard runs afoul of Chen and the game is on, with the odds against the Robin Hood of the people.

A few years prior, Connie might well have played the Lizard, but Hong Kong martial arts movies were headed in a decidedly more machismo and bloodier direction by 1972, mostly leaving behind the glorious heroines of the 1960's. Connie, Josephine Siao and Cheng Pei Pei could probably have compared notes. Yueh Hua wasn't as stone-faced as he appeared in many of his martial arts roles, but still wasn't particularly convincing as the burglar who could climb walls like a lizard. Jewel thieves, historically, are played by charismatic actors, something Yueh was missing. Lo Lieh who had often portrayed good guys before Lizard was to play one of his early villain roles, something he would be typecast as for much of the rest of his career. Dapper and sinister in his white suit, maybe he and Yueh should have swapped roles, he would have made for an entertaining jewel thief. Chen's army of casino thugs boasted many familiar stunt men who were fun to pick out, including Yuen Woo Ping.

Yuen Woo Ping was the martial arts director along with Yuen Cheung Yan. Woo Ping would go on to work as a director, action director, and/or martial arts director for movies far more famous than this one, i.e., Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Kung Fu Hustle. The action scenes for the most part were well choreographed, especially for actors with limited martial arts abilities. The stunt men worked overtime flying high and falling hard to sell the action. The sets were opulent, showing off the wealth of the corrupt officials and foreign occupants. But fear not, there were still tear away sets for the characters who would rather crash through a door than open it and windows that gave way when the bodies started flying.

The movie tried to sell comedy along with the action, missing more than they hit. They needed organic comedy rather than Lydia Shum crossing her eyes in several scenes for laughs. Not only was there comedy but there was also pathos as a couple of loveable supporting characters did not live to see the closing credits. Fair warning, there was gratuitous nudity in the opening scene, a sex scene that seemed to go on forever featuring an overly made-up blonde woman.

I suppose I wrote more about the cast and crew than the story because the film should have been better and more exciting. The Lizard could have been a stylish and taut thriller if so many opportunities hadn't been missed. Too often, the momentum stalled and the story lumbered along. Connie may not have been the most skilled fighter, but she added enthusiasm to every scene she was in which were far too few. The Lizard wasn't a bad 1972 kung fu movie, and certainly was one of the most beautiful SB films in terms of aesthetics, somehow, I just didn't find it enthralling even though I desperately wanted to. Having said that, for old kung fu movie enthusiasts, I could easily recommend giving this one a try, especially if for some of us, it's the only chance to watch The Movie Fan Princess (1966) in action.

7/19/23

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