The Cannibals (1972)

Kao Pao Shu, one of the few women directors of martial arts movies during the Golden Era, directed The Cannibals in 1972. I have no idea where the English title came from as there were no cannibals in sight. Even the body count was low for a kung fu flick.

The plot bounced all over the place at the beginning. It didn’t help that the copy I saw was faded with white subtitles over the pale images. A relief fund of 8000 silver coins was stolen from robbers who hit the convoy during the transport. During the melee, the chief escort officer was killed with a bamboo machete. Local crime boss Tsang had ordered the robbery and thought that bamboo boss Chin hit the escort, stealing his plunder in order to pay back money he owed. The actual robbers hid the money on Boss Chin’s land until things settled down. Tsang wanted Chin’s daughter, Lin Tang, to marry him, something she had no intention of doing. And finally thrown into the mix was Pao Liang, the younger brother of the murdered escort chief. Pao strolled into town determined to bring the killers to justice.

Chang Yi starred as Pao Liang, a rare good guy role for him. Chen Chen played the feisty Lin Tang who wasn’t afraid to fight anyone. Chen Hung Lieh who was always assigned the villain roles due to his resting bitch face played the smarmy crime boss Tsang. Wang Yung Sheng did the choreography which would have been challenging with some of the non-martial arts actors. Chang Yi had studied some and performed several impressive jumps. The stuntmen had their work cut for them as most of the fights were big gangs against one or two. They had to sell the limited abilities of Chen Chen and Chen Hung Lieh by flipping, falling, and soaring through the air. During the finale with Chang Yi against the world not a piece of furniture was spared in the gambling den as stuntmen flew over the balcony repeatedly and through the walls. The problem with these grand scale fights was that all the moves began to look the same.

If you are a fan of old kung fu films, The Cannibals is watchable. There were some cute moments with the child actors and flirtatious moments between Pao and Lin Tang. The fights and acting were average for the time frame as was Ni Kuang’s story. It just lacked any kung fu charisma. Chang Yi was always more compelling as an OTP villain.

4 August 2024

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