Watched Five Elements Ninjas last night (actually in the middle of the night)
Great weaponry, great acrobacy, great fun, but the story was a bit thin (the aggression of the Japanese Ninjas most probably a metaphor for the japanese invasion of China)
And good leering by a woman whose name (I just read it on IMDB) means nuisance
Action movies need a narrative backbone and characters you care about (a little) in order to function; that what makes films like The Boxer from Shantung or the One-Armed Swordsman so great. 5 Elements Ninjas is often too much a mere showcase for techniques and weapons, all exposed with skill and brilliance, but eventually wearing a bit thin
Still some story elements managed to confuse me a little; if I remember things well, in classic literature there are four elements, and the fifth element - the quint essence - is not really tangible, itās a divine addition to the previous (earthly) four, to breathe life into them (in this sense the quint essence becomes quitessential). But in this story they seemed to have added a fifth tangible element to the four, gold.
I enjoyed myself enormously
Iāll watch Tough Guy next (just checked, itās not a Shaw Brothers movie)
That about sums it up. That anti-Japanese sentiment is a reoccurring theme in many Shaws with Heroes From The East/Shaolin Challenges Ninja coming closest to at least bridging the gap between the two cultures in the end. Five Elements is a fun ride & maybe not the movie to be looking for story structure& plot flaws. There are better Shawās out there that feature both.
I guess when so many stars came from Taiwan which was occupied by the Japanese during WW2 as was Hong Kong the anti-Japanese sentiment would be apparent.
I love Heroes of the East btw. If you have not seen it I wonāt spoil what makes it very unique.
[quote=āIā¦Iā¦Idiot, post:264, topic:368ā]Great fighting & a great story. Very informative clash between Chinese & Japanese martial arts. A must see Sherp.
@Frank Talby. It is 7:30 AM in Jersey as well, isnāt it?! :)[/quote]
tisā¦ I start work from home at 7 on Tuesdaysā¦ the great thing about working from home and having an extra PC is I can access here 24/7.
[quote=āscherpschutter, post:261, topic:368ā]Watched Five Elements Ninjas last night (actually in the middle of the night)
Great weaponry, great acrobacy, great fun, but the story was a bit thin (the aggression of the Japanese Ninjas most probably a metaphor for the japanese invasion of China)
And good leering by a woman whose name (I just read it on IMDB) means nuisance
Action movies need a narrative backbone and characters you care about (a little) in order to function; that what makes films like The Boxer from Shantung or the One-Armed Swordsman so great. 5 Elements Ninjas is often too much a mere showcase for techniques and weapons, all exposed with skill and brilliance, but eventually wearing a bit thin
Still some story elements managed to confuse me a little; if I remember things well, in classic literature there are four elements, and the fifth element - the quint essence - is not really tangible, itās a divine addition to the previous (earthly) four, to breathe life into them (in this sense the quint essence becomes quitessential). But in this story they seemed to have added a fifth tangible element to the four, gold.
I enjoyed myself enormously
Iāll watch Tough Guy next (just checked, itās not a Shaw Brothers movie)[/quote]
Liu Chia Liang was the first director that changed all that by perceiving the Japanese as good guys. Considering the horrible things they did to the Chinese (and still will not admit to) it was a natural to have them as the villains. Like a lot of Chehās later work, FIVE ELEMENT NINJAS isnāt really a kung fu movie, itās a wuxia martial world picture that straddles the line between the two. Although the film was not a success in HK (it ranked 75th for the year, but was quite a bit more successful than several other Cheh films released around the time) it was popular in other Asian territories as there was a flurry of ninja movies featuring the five element array. Three of the venoms even made their own when they left for Taiwan to shoot the far lesser effort but fun NINJA IN THE DEADLY TRAP directed by and starring Kuo Chui, his first and only directing job.
What I enjoyed most about 5EN was some of the subtle character nuances found therein. Lo Mang (my fave HK star) is this typical chivalrous Chang Cheh style knight in shining armor. He saves Junko from her āuncleā and she later tries to pay him back with her body. He refuses and says they should get married and do it properly. Meanwhile, Ricky Cheng is mean and spiteful to her and yet she is attracted to him more so than Loās character. Interestingly, Junko more or less causes Liangās death and yet saves the man whom ridiculed her and soon professes her love for him! Much like in real life, women go for the guys who literally have little to nothing to give emotionally.
I also like how all the heroes are made to look so bad ass at the beginning then suddenly are taken out of their element so to speak, and are picked off ever so easily by their unknown opponents. Their dress also signifies their doom. The color white represents death in China.
[quote=āscherpschutter, post:261, topic:368ā]Still some story elements managed to confuse me a little; if I remember things well, in classic literature there are four elements, and the fifth element - the quint essence - is not really tangible, itās a divine addition to the previous (earthly) four, to breathe life into them (in this sense the quint essence becomes quitessential). But in this story they seemed to have added a fifth tangible element to the four, gold.
I enjoyed myself enormously[/quote]
The five element formation was a real ninjitsu technique the makers of the film of course embellished some things for the film. I have some info on it in some Japanese martial arts books somewhere. But most of the weapons and such were taken from historical documents. A lot of the added bells and whistles (such as the Bondian/Batman style Axe the good guys use at the end) were created for sensationalism in the film. Wouldnāt it be great if such a Swiss Army Axe did exist, though?
Donāt get me wrong, I donāt blame them at all for this; like the left-wing Zapata westerns, those movies expressed certain feelings that were popular in those days. Like you say, considering the horrible things they did to the Chinese, it was more or less to have them as the villains.
I was wondering about what type of martial arts movies everyone enjoys as there are different styles involved and they each have their die hard fans.
Wuxia - the sword and fantasy styled movies (examples Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, Clans of Intrigue, House of Flying Daggers)
Chambara - Sword fighting and Samurai movies involving the following movies: Lone Wolf and Cub, Lady Snowblood, Zatoichi, and a lot of Kurosawaās work.
Ninja - 5 Element Ninjas, Enter the Ninja, Ninja in the Deadly Trap, and a whole crap load that came out in the 80ās.
Kung Fu - realistic styled movies like Drunken Master (sort of), 36th Chamber of Shaolin series, Shaolin Temple series.
Chop Socky style - anything that has a bit of odd fighting tactics - Five Deadly Venoms, Crippled Avengers, among others.
and the Matrix styled nonsenseā¦
let me know what everyone likes - sorry for bashing the Matrix style but people jumped on that band wagon and took it too far.
Iām fairly easy to please. I enjoy films in most of the categories you mention.
I guess if I had to pick a winner, however, it would be a tie between straight-up kung fu (Fist of Legend perhaps the best Iāve seen in this area, plus many Shaws of course) and Japanese chambara (love the Lone Wolf and Cub series, Goyokin, several more).
[quote=āscherpschutter, post:269, topic:368ā]Donāt watch Jaws immediately before you leave, and have a great time!
Iāll be on vacation next week (leaving next friday)[/quote]
Thanks Sherp!. I usually watch Jaws when we come back from the beach. Itās kind of a tradition in our house. āVacationā was in parentheses because we are not actually going away but just not working. Weāll plan a few things though. Enjoy your trip as well.
I did not like NITDT.
[quote=āFrank Talby, post:277, topic:368ā]I was wondering about what type of martial arts movies everyone enjoys as there are different styles involved and they each have their die hard fans.
and the Matrix styled nonsenseā¦
let me know what everyone likes - sorry for bashing the Matrix style but people jumped on that band wagon and took it too far.[/quote]
I prefer Kung Fu or Chop Socky as you call it. Iām not a fan of the Matrix style either but the fights in that movie are based on later Hong Kong Cinema. Not a fan of all the āflyingā flicks as I call them. However, later Jackie Chan movies have some of the most creative & sick fight scenes ever! The fact that he does his own stunts adds to the realism of his movies (Police Story series, Project A, Armour Of God). Iām not a fan of action movies but his are some of the only that I can watch. The acting & stories & hoe foreigners are depicted, however, are not as impressive.
The term chopsocky is a derogatory term that applies to anything Asian in the martial arts genre. Itās seldom used today (at least I donāt hear it much if at all), but used to be the definition of choice from critics when describing foreign made kung fu movies which had ālow budgets and even lower production values and little to no storyā, and on and on. It didnāt matter if it was Shaw, Golden Harvest, or whoever. If it was Chinese and it had fighting in it, it was a chopsocky flick to themā¦
I like them all. The different styles I mean. I donāt have a favorite. You forgot bashers, Frank. Bashers are the films that began after the release of THE CHINESE BOXER (1969) that depicted empty handed fighting with an accent towards more Karate-like movements. Movies like KING BOXER (1972), THE BOXER FROM SHANTUNG (1972), THUNDERBOLT FIST (1972), THE KILLER (1971), FURIOUS SLAUGHTER (1972), HERO OF SHANGHAI (1976), DRAGONS NEVER DIE (1974), etc, etcā¦ are all bashers.
