"To Kill With Intrigue" (1977)

 "To Kill With Intrigue" (1977) **/*****

OKay gang, I thought I'd take another brief detour from my adventures with Mystery Inc. and give the next film in my Jackie Chan queue a spin. Which is another Lo Wei directed production. 

For the record this review is based on the 106 minute, subtitled cut. 

So here I am faced with another Gu Long scripted adventure, will I be able to make heads or tails of the plot, or will I be left in  the bewilderness like the last time? The answer is, not really.

While slightly less complex than Killer Meteors, it still doesn't make any type of sense. I will never understand the supposed "romantic" subplot. 

The reviews are all over the place, some people love it, some people hate it. The letterboxd page is a good place to start.  Jackie Chan is among the haters.  The only thing they seem to agree on is that the plot is convoluted, which seems to be expected from Gu Long, and that there are too many characters. 

This go around though some of the fight scenes are better choreographed and not only highlight the performers but protects them as well. Showing them in a more flattering light than what happened in "Killer Meteors". 

Still not entirely sure the plot makes any sort of sense, though maybe it was never intended to. It feels as if I was just handed the 3rd movie in a series that only makes sense if you watched the other movies. While slightly less complex than Killer Meteors, it is still incoherent. I will never understand the supposed "romantic" subplot. 

Character motivation is everywhere and sometimes nowhere. 

And some of the deaths were straight of a spaghetti western with how over the top they were. Making me wonder if even the actors knew this was a lost cause.   

Even the final showdown was lacking, looking very obviously staged and over-practiced. You could almost feel the counts for the various movies. 

Now what I did love was set design and the costuming, I really like this style and it only enhances the surrealism of the whole thing. 

The cast acquit themselves quite well despite the nonsense they are being forced to act out, they are all reliable and entertaining. They certainly deserve better than this. 

Hsu Feng is a particular standout, and I plan on seeking out her other work as well. Which consists of a little over 40 films in career thar spans 1967-1981.

Cast

• Jackie Chan - as Lei Shao-feng
• Hsu Feng - as Ding Can-ren
• Jeong Hee (credited as Yu Ling Lung) - as Qian-qian (also known as Chin Chin)
• Shin Il-Ryong - as Jin-chuan
• George Wang - as Dragon Escort Master
• Chan Wai Lau - as assassin's chief
• Chan San Yat - as assassin
• To Wai Wo - as assassin
• Yuen Biao - as assassin
• Chin Yuet Sang - as castle guard

I think the closest thing western cinema has to this style are "Western" and "Superhero" genres. Though, the "Superhero" genre is a much smoother translation of various "Wuxia" traditions than the "Western". You might be thinking, "what about Star Wars?" it doesn't count since Star Wars is just straight up Wuxia anyway, and I am not taking arguments on this. 

Fun for fans of the genre, but frustrating for nearly everyone else. 

This is another film I am removing from my personal Jackie Chan rotation. Not getting rid of mind you, just no longer going to categorize it as a Jackie Chan movie.

My favorite review I found when looking up information for this review was this one by Rouven Linnarz  of Asianmoviepulse.com that more succinctly summarizes my thoughts. And another by Dr. Lenera from Horrorcultfilms.co.uk

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