Shaolin Rescuers [街市英雄] (1979)
AKA Avenging Warriors of Shaolin
Starring Jason Pai Piao, Lu Feng, Lo Meng, Phillip Kwok Chun-Fung, Chiang Sheng, Sun Chien, Chiang Nan, Walter Tso Tat-Wah, Yang Chi-Ching, Wong Ching-Ho, Wong Cheung, Wong Lik, Chan Shen, Yu Tai-Ping, Ching Miao, Ku Kuan-Chung, Yang Hsiung, Tony Tam Chun-To, Paul Wong Kwan, Lau Fong-Sai
Directed by Chang Cheh
Expectations:
Shaolin Rescuers opens with a classic, colored-backdrop intro. Notorious Wu-Tang villain Pai Mei, his disciple Gao Jinzhong (Lu Feng), and a few of their colorful friends are attacking the Shaolin Temple, and judging by the smoke and the look of the temple gate, things aren’t going well for Shaolin! The heroes, including San Te from The 36th Chamber of Shaolin, throw themselves into battle, but one by one they’re murdered by the dastardly Wu-Tang followers. Only beloved folk hero Hung Hsi-Kwan (Jason Pai Piao) is able to escape with his life, and as he runs off-screen we cut directly to the “reality” of a fully-colored Shaw market set and the film’s title card.
Chen (Lo Meng), a tofu shop worker, and Yang (Philip Kwok), who waits tables at a nearby restaurant, are both strong martial artists sympathetic to the rebellion against the Qing Dynasty. In spite of being young and irresponsible, they harbor dreams of risking their lives for something great. Without a cause to pour their rebellious energy into, though, they spin their wheels playing tricks on their bosses and other tomfoolery. They may be aimless, but they are good-natured and endearing, and their genuine camaraderie is the heart of the film (which only deepens as the film adds characters to the mix).
Shaolin Rescuers is kind of like the first 15 minutes of Executioners from Shaolin, where Hung escapes the burning of the temple and meets up with the performing troupe, if it were expanded into a full-length feature. The film’s Chinese title translates to something like Street Market Hero, which I think gives a better perspective on where this particular Chang Cheh Shaolin film is coming from. Hung Hsi-Kwan and other folk heroes have always benefited from the goodwill of others, but it is the primary focus here. This isn’t specifically a tale of the bravery of folk heroes, it’s one of commoners who rise to the occasion. If I’m not mistaken, this particular angle hasn’t been seen before in Chang’s Shaolin films before, once again proving that screenwriters Chang and Ni Kuang (here also augmented by newcomer Choi Nai-Ban) were always innovating new ways to tell their tales. It ends up as a more grounded and relatable story by focusing on everyday guys like Chen and Yang, and it’s surprisingly lighthearted at times for a Chang film (and much more successful in this regard than Magnificent Wanderers).
This playful, lighthearted nature reminded me a bit of Jackie Chan’s characters of the time, and while I don’t see Chang as a trend follower, it is entirely possible he was attempting to engage — or pushed to engage — with popular trends to help his box-office numbers. Lending further credence to this line of thought, The Shaw Screen lists Shaolin Rescuers as a Cantonese production, a distinction that only four Chang Cheh films carry. Obviously Shaw films were primarily shot without sound, so I interpret this to mean that the Cantonese dub was produced as the original language (and therefore how it was originally released in Hong Kong). Cantonese films were largely taking over Hong Kong screens at this time, so it stands to reason that Shaw would want to capitalize on that with their once-leading director. Two of Chang’s 1978 films were Cantonese productions, The Five Venoms & Invincible Shaolin, and both did well. 1982’s Five Element Ninjas was the fourth and final Chang film to have Cantonese as a primary language. Yang Hsiung’s interview on the recent Shout Factory Blu-ray also mentions that Jason Pai Piao was cast as Hung Hsi-Kwan in an attempt to pump up the box office (Pai Piao was a big TV star at the time in HK). The film also features a couple of high-profile “Special Appearances,” one by Cantonese acting legend Walter Tso Tat-Wah (playing Lo Meng’s Mantis Fist master), and the other by Wong Cheung as Philip Kwok’s Black Tiger master). Wong was a real-life master of Shaolin Black Tiger style who was brought into the movie business by his student Philip Kwok. You can read all about his very interesting life here at the home page for the UK branch of his Black Tiger Kung Fu School.
The trio of Robert Tai Chi-Hsien, Lu Feng, Chiang Sheng handled the action of Shaolin Rescuers. This specific trio were first credited together on Crippled Avengers, and they would go on to be the choreographers on the majority of Chang Cheh films going forward into the 1980s. It’s hard not to be impressed by what they cooked up for this one. Reflecting the characters, a lot of the choreography is more lighthearted and playful in nature than is normal for a Chang Cheh film. It gets more serious as the film progresses, and our main characters deal with more responsibility. One of my favorite bits comes early when we meet Yang, and we see a flashback of him training with his master. They use the Black Tiger weapon form Golden Bowl and Iron Chopsticks (金碗鐵筷), and it’s just brilliant. Apparently, this form was developed by Beggar So and taught to So Hak-Fu, who founded Shaolin’s Black Tiger style, and passed down from there. Kwok brings the style back during the finale, too, which is an absolute treat. Speaking of the ending, it’s like 15+ straight minutes of dope choreography. From hand-to-hand to multiple weapons, they cram so much action into this finale I feel like I need to watch it again just to take it all in. There may be 10 characters fighting simultaneously, but it never becomes even remotely unintelligible. It is easy to take this for granted, because it looks so effortless for these performers, but it really is nothing short of incredible.
I’ll be honest, I’ve heard a lot of negative things about this movie over the past few years, and while I struggle to understand why a Shaw fan wouldn’t like this particular one, I think perhaps the levity and the slow progression towards the Chang-style “serious manly business” finale might be one reason. I found that quality to be part of why I enjoyed it so much, though, as it sets it apart from so many others. And unlike Magnificent Wanderers, Chang hits a great balance between lighthearted charm and life-and-death struggles, from the first moment until the absolutely perfect final lines of dialogue.
I will always have a special place in my heart for Chang Cheh’s Shaolin films. The ones with the Venom Mob aren’t generally considered part of the “main” Shaolin Cycle that people talk about, but I find them to be just as interesting and worthwhile to explore.
Next up in this chronological journey through the Shaw Brothers Martial Arts catalog is Sun Chung’s The Deadly Breaking Sword, his first 1979 release (of three)! See ya then (hopefully soon)!