Misleading title. Below average chivalry.
There is not much to be derived from Chang Cheh’s involvement in this commonplace 60s Shaw epic, except perhaps the heavy dismemberment and bloodshed of the opening fight sequence, trademarks of Chang undoubtedly, offering the only truly entertaining passage of the film.
The rest is just a mish-mash of worn-out formulas, and in the case of the bogus Buddhist motif that was plethoric at the time, not unrelated to the outset of the Cultural Revolution, the movie reaches preposterous heights, making the monks arch felons, large scale terrorists, and rapists to boot.
Hsieh Chun strives to rouse some interest, by cramming a really clumsy seduction scene amidst fierce battles, for instance, and by exposing Lily Ho stark naked—not an unpleasing sight in itself—, for the only purpose of making a fuss.
Chiao Chiang delivers quite a blank performance, however good his martial abilities might be, constantly failing to convey any emotion in his acting—probably the reason why he goes around hooded for the best part of the film—, which causes some scenes to be unintentionally comical, as when he evokes the memory of his slain brothers, with whom he should have died if he had not fallen ill.
The sets and costumes are lavish as usual, the film can boast its intense group fighting, but you just wish there was more sense behind all that.
