The Young Dragons Hand Of Death Last Hurrah For Chivalry Trailers

The Young Dragons (Chinese: 鐵漢柔情; lit. 'Tough Man's Tenderness') is a 1974 Hong Kong martial arts film directed by John Woo in his feature film directorial debut[1][2][3] and his second collaboration with Jackie Chan, who acted as martial arts choreographer.[4] PloteditIn Longshan Town crime boss Long and his bodyguard Yun Fei arrange the import a load of guns from Lei Hu, but some men led by Brother Jin stop the transport. Jin takes one gun and has his men dump the rest of the guns into the ocean. Jin begins staying with Rouge in her room at a brothel. Later, while on a bridge, Fan Ming helps Jin fight off Yun Fei and his men. Jin asks Fan Ming what his name is, but he simply calls himself a passer-by. Fan Ming goes to meet his love Yan Hong, whose father Mr. Ye was killed by Long for refusing to join in the gun smuggling. There he also finds their friend Xiaohong and Xiaohong's sister. Jin sells the gun he took to Lei Hu for a high price to get his attention and sets up a gun deal, but when Lei Hu's men come to receive the promised guns the only find empty boxes bearing Japanese labels. Jin and his men defeat them and take their money. Meanwhile, Yun Fei tells Long that Fan Ming, the leader of the inspectors in Shanghai, has come to town. Yun Fei has sworn vengeance against Fan Ming for killing one of his sworn brothers in the past, and Long tells him to have Fan Ming captured. Yun Fei and his men kidnap Xiaohong's sister to convince Xiaohong to lie to Fan Ming that Long is setting up a gun deal at White Stone Hill. Jin's assistant Guy tells him about the meeting at White Stone Hill, so Jin and Guy show up as well. Yun Fei and his men kill Xiaohong, Fan Ming and Guy while Long watches. Jin goes to the Ye residence and tells Yan Hong about Fan Ming's death, telling her to come with him for safety from Long and his men. Jin convinces Rouge to let Yan Hong secretly stay in her room at the brothel, paying the brothel keeper to reserve Rouge's time. Long demands the guns from Lei Hu, who insists that Jin still has them. Lei Hu meets with Jin, who was that he will give Long the guns if Long gives him the man who killed Fan Ming. He agrees to meet in two days, but Long worries that Lei Hu will get impatient, so Lei Hu arranges for Rouge and other girls from the brothel to come to Long's to entertain Yun Fei, Long and Le Hu that night. Yan Hong dresses up like one of the other girls to gain access to Long's residence, where she attacks Long and but is defeated by Yun Fei. Rouge attacks Lei Hu and is also defeated by Yun Fei. Fan Ming is shown to still be alive as Police Chief Ma apologizes to him for allowing him to be injured and almost killed during the investigation of Long's gun smuggling operation. Jin's message deliverer arrives and tells them that Jin is leading an attack on Long's residence, so Fan Ming and the other police rush there. Jin kills Long and Lei Hu, then finds Yun Fei waiting for him. After a lengthy battle, they break each other's neck and both die. Fan Ming and the police arrive and find the corpses. CasteditTien Ni [zh] as Yan Hong (Yip Fung)Henry Yu Yung as Brother Jin (Brother Kin)Hu Chin as RougeCheng Lei as Lei Hu (Lui Fu)Lau Kong as Fan MingChiang Nan as Boss Long (Boss Lung)Fung Hak-on as Yun Fei (Wan Fai)Ng Ming-choi as GuyDean Shek Tin as Young brothel customerLi Min-lang as Wong Tai SingFung Ging-man as Boss YuShing Fui-On as Yun Fei's attendant with bird cageSai Gwa-pau as Brothel keeperJohn Woo as Jin's message deliverer (cameo)Yuen Bun as Yun Fei's assistantHo Kwong-ming as Xiaohong (Siu Hung)Wan Ling-kwong as Police Chief MaFung Ming as Boss Yu's partnerChui Hing-chun as Yan Hong's father Mr. YeJackie Chan (Stand-in for Rope Guys)[5]Mars as Lei Hu's thugCorey Yuen as Lei Hu's thugAlan Chui Chung-San as Tai Sing's Thug (extra)[5]Lung Fong (extra)[5]Tsui Siu-Ming (extra)[5]Chung Fat (extra)[5]Ng Yuen Jun (extra)ProductioneditThe film was shot in Hong Kong.[5] Jackie Chan was hired as a stunt coordinator and fight choreographer for the film and is credited under the name Yuan Lung Chen.[2] In the book John Woo: Interviews by Robert K. Elder, John Woo recalls, "We knew each other before I made the movie. I always liked his work. He was such a hardworking guy and always had some good ideas. At the time he liked to imitate Bruce Lee. The way he fought, his choreography was pretty much like Bruce's action. Besides that, I also liked him. I worked with him on The Manchurian,[note 1] [in which] he was one of the main characters. I was the assistant director for that film so we actually worked together in a film before The Young Dragons."[4] The film was originally independently produced[6] in 1973 under the title 過客 (literally "Passer-by", the name Fan Ming originally gives for himself, but John Woo gave the film the English title Farewell, Buddy).[4][5][6] The government censor board deemed the film too violent, so it was shelved.[4] Golden Harvest saw promise in the film, paid for reshoots, and released it under the name The Young Dragons, signing Woo to a three-year contract.[6][4] ReceptioneditReviewer Sean Gilman of thechinesecinema.com wrote, "Kind of exactly what you'd expect from John Woo's first film. A low-budget picture (Golden Harvest) with lofty aspirations, the influences are obvious: Peckinpah's slo-motion, Chang Cheh's doomed antiheroes, an unusually heightened (for a cheap genre film of the time) focus on sound and natural imagery that recalls Kurosawa, Leone, and King Hu (wind rustling through tall grass, a setting sun that backlights two fighting men, shafts of light and shadow a world away from the flat studios of the Shaw Brothers). [...] The action is fast and athletically messy, grimier than Chang’s films (with their stately choreography by Lau Kar-leung and Tong Kai)."[7] Reviewer Kenneth Brorsson of sogoodreviews.com wrote, "Ideas about style and themes he picked up by working with master Chang Cheh but he's not able to put inspiration to full use. It was to come but the very non-distinctive plot with Henry Yung as a robber of ammunition belonging to the rich feels very sketchy. A fact made even more apparent because it clearly doesn't want to be. Truth be told there are mature passages that approaches semi-decent considering the genre output not trying on that wardrobe always but the character-comrade between Yung and Lau Kong that very much is an integral part comes to fruition only to the point where we can say to ourselves that it was to become very much better. [...] The co-directed Jackie Chan action stands out very little aside from an energetic end that is helped along by Fung Hark-On's vicious presence."[8] In the book John Woo: The Films, author Kenneth E. Hall writes, "The Young Dragons bears the strong influence of Chang Cheh (especially his Vengeance), both in its staging (several scenes of corruptly sensual gangsters in lacquered surroundings) and in its choreography (extended wing chun sequences). This is hardly surprising given Woo's apprenticeship with Chang. But even in this early film (and, in fact, rather more clearly than in some of the later pre-1986 films by Woo), one can discern marks of Woo's later style and themes. We can see the prototypes for Woo's familiar tracking shots, as he brings the camera sharply closer into the faces of the main characters."[6] Reviewer morpheus of kungfufandom.com wrote, "The Young Dragons is a very good first offering. While there are a couple of loose ends, and the friendship as well as the onscreen chemistry between Jian and Fan Ming could have used more screen time to develop, the film is quite entertaining and well worth 94 minutes of time. [...] Over time, Woo would greatly refine his skills behind the camera; but this initial effort is a little gem -albeit a bit rough around the edges."[9] A review on serp.media reads, "'The Young Dragons', also known as 'Tie han rou qing', is a riveting action movie from 1974 directed by Asian powerhouse John Woo. Woo, who is no stranger to epic action scenes, took the helm for his directorial debut in this film, and it showcases his passion for adrenaline-pumping fight sequences."[10] Hand of Death (simplified Chinese: 少林门; traditional Chinese: 少林門; pinyin: shǎolínmén, also known as Countdown in Kung Fu) is a 1976 Hong Kong vigilante martial arts film written and directed by John Woo, who also has a small role. The film stars Doran Tan, James Tien, Jackie Chan and Sammo Hung in pivotal roles and features cameo appearances by Yuen Biao, Yuen Wah, and Chiang Sheng. In addition to their acting roles, Hung also worked as stunt co-ordinator, whilst Biao (as well as additional stunt work from Chan) also performed much of the stuntwork, including doubling for both of the principal stars. PloteditDuring the Qing Dynasty the Shaolin disciples are hunted down by a powerful warrior, Shih Shao-Feng, who wants to rid China of the Shaolin. At a remote training camp a group of Shaolin train together. Their best student Yun Fei is given the task of taking down Shih and his reign of terror. Along the way he befriends Tan Feng, who is a blacksmith. Yun Fei arrives at Shih's camp and tries to take him, but fails. His Shaolin techniques are useless against Shih's "extended iron claw". When Shih beats him, he leaves the rest to his eight bodyguards, who each have weapons such as swords, shields and spears. Yun Fei escapes with the help of the blacksmith, goes to a village and discovers Shih's men are taking apart the village and pillaging anything they can to scare the villagers into submission. Tan befriends two people along the way, including a brilliant swordsman who has never drawn his sword after he accidentally killed a prostitute he loved. The team forms a coalition to defeat Shih Shao-Feng. With battle plans laid and the heroes trained, they prepare themselves for the battle ahead of them. After their training, Yun Fei's friends cut off his queue. Yun Fei and all the heroes will create a diversion, where they will assail Shih's headquarters in separate groups. The diversion and ambush on the following day is ultimately successful. Luring away Shih's lieutenant Tu Ching. Tan Feng is the first to act in the climactic battle. Arriving at the gate of the pagoda which is the stronghold of Shih Shao-Feng, he proceeds to kill off several guards, including two of Shih's elite fighters. The rest of the characters reach a grassland where four more elite fighters under Shih's command come by, leading to a prolonged fight between the heroes and four more of Shih's warriors. Unfortunately for Yun Fei's gang, the battle goes on longer than anticipated, and Shih realises their plans. Tan Feng returns to rendezvous with his friends and assist them in battle, but is mortally wounded whilst killing another elite. Yun Fei and the other heroes manage to kill the rest of the elite fighters and they escape, with Shih, Du and a small troop of their men in pursuit. More and more of the heroes are killed as the film reaches its end, while on a nearby beach Yun Fei beats Tu to death and kills off Shih's last elite fighter. In the end, Yun Fei faces off against Shih and his remaining soldiers, defeating them all single-handedly, and then fights Shih and wins. The movie ends with Yun Fei riding past the graves of all his friends, paying his respects. CasteditDorian Tan as Yun FeiJames Tien as Shih Shao-FengJackie Chan (Credited as Chen Yuen Lung) as Tan Feng (Also a Stunt Double for Dorian Tan)Sammo Hung as Officer Tu Ching (as Hung Chin-Pao)Yeung Wai as Zorro, "The Wanderer"Kim Ki-Joo as Ma Lieh, "Smiling Fox"Chu Ching as Autumn MoonJin Bong Jin as Patriot Chui GuoJohn Woo as Scholar ChengYuen Wah as Shih's Bodyguard with SpearJang Jeong-Kuk as Shih's BodyguardJo Choon as Shih's BodyguardTo Wai-wo as Shih's Bodyguard with Twin SwordsTong Kam-Tong as Shih's Bodyguard with SpearLam Hak-ming as Shih's Bodyguard with Chain WhipShin Chan-il as Shih's BodyguardMang Ding-Goh as Shih's BodyguardYuen Biao as Arrow Guard killed by Shih (Cameo/Stunt Double)Wilson Tong as Senior Shaolin Student (Cameo)Kao Chiang as Tan Xiong, "Tan Feng's Elder Brother" (Cameo)Robert Tai as Ching's SoldierPhilip Kwok as Ching's SoldierChiang Sheng as Shaolin StudentLu Feng as Shaolin StudentRicky Cheng as Shaolin StudentWang Chi Sheng as Shaolin StudentProductioneditAccording to his book I Am Jackie Chan: My Life in Action, Chan was completely knocked unconscious when he did the stunts on this film.[2] Woo recalled that the stunt, which involved Chan getting launched back by wires after getting kicked mid-air, caused Chan to land on his head and become unconscious for around 20 minutes.[3] TriviaeditThis is the only film collaboration from both Golden Trio of members from members of Seven Little Fortunes from China Drama Academy with Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung, and Yuen Biao, and Shaw Brothers, Venom Mob fame from Taiwanese Fu Sheng Opera School with Chiang Sheng, Lu Feng and Philip Kwok, were involved together. Last Hurrah for Chivalry (豪俠) is a 1979 Hong Kong wuxia film written and directed by John Woo and produced by Raymond Chow. It starred Damian Lau, Wei Pai, Bonnie Ngai, Lau Kong, and Lee Hoi-sang. The film is cited as a thematic precursor to Woo's better-known heroic bloodshed films.[1] It was released theatrically in Hong Kong by Golden Harvest on 11 November 1979. SynopsiseditKao Pang, the son and heir of a great deceased warrior, prepares for his wedding at his opulent hillside estate. Kao admits to his men that his bride is a prostitute that he bought; the men note that Kao has focused on scholarship instead of martial virtue, and suggest that his scholarship has focused on skill in the bedroom. The wedding is interrupted by an attack by Pak Chung-tong, the enemy of Kao's father. He and his men have come to reclaim the estate that Kao's father took from him in battle. In the middle of the melee, the bride turns on Kao, and reveals that Pak paid her to betray Kao. As a result, the battle goes poorly and Kao is forced to flee with his last remaining servant, leaving control of the estate to Pak. Kao swears revenge, but his servant convinces him he will need help. Kao first asks a grandmaster for a magic sword to aid in his revenge, but the grandmaster denies the request, saying Kao's character is lacking. Next Kao seeks for a warrior who he can hire to defeat Pak for him, and finds Chang San, who has mostly given up combat to care for his sister and their ailing mother. Kao charms Chang into helping him, by buying expensive medicines for his mother, and later by paying her funeral expenses. Chang climbs the wall of a courtyard to enjoy the music performed by the courtesan Sau-sau. There he meets Tsing-yi, a drunken wandering mercenary, who is in a one-sided relationship with the courtesan. The two join forces and develop a bond of brotherhood. They scout the estate of Pak to identify his most dangerous henchmen, and then launch their attack, defeating the henchmen in turn and finally defeating Pak. After their victory, Tsing-yi puts his sword to Chang's throat and says that Kao had offered to pay him to kill Chang. Later, Kao's servant sees Chang's lifeless body. Kao ransacks the grandmaster's home for the magic sword and finds it hidden behind a mirror. He kills the grandmaster, then lies to his servant that the grandmaster's death was suicide. The servant confronts Kao for his poor character, and Kao kills him as well. Tsing-yi comes to collect the price from Kao, and Kao gives him a bag. Tsing suspects a trap, and discards the bag, which is filled with venomous snakes. Chang emerges from hiding, and the three of them fight. The magic sword allows Kao to fly into the sky and disappear, and then unleash a devastating falling attack. The third time Kao tries this attack, Tsing-yi pushes Chang aside and lifts his sword to the sky. Kao and Tsing-yi simultaneously impale each other, leaving Chang the only survivor. CasteditDamian Lau as Tsing-yiWei Pai as Chang SanLau Kong as Kao PangLee Hoi-sang as Pak Chung-tongBonnie Ngai as Sau-sauFung Hak-on as 'Pray'Chin Yuet-sang as the Sleeping WizardCheng Lui as Chen Guan-wuWang Kuang-yu as WangWen Hsiu as Chang's motherChang Ching-po as a banditAlan Chui as a bodyguardHsu Hsia as a wedding guestMars, Tai San and Huang Ha as Pak's menProductioneditJohn Woo intended the film as a tribute to his mentor Chang Cheh and director Akira Kurosawa, whom he admired greatly.[1] The latter includes the use of transitional wipes (a signature of Kurosawa's films) and slow motion action sequences (which would become one of Woo's signatures).[1] The main character Tsing Yi is inspired by the historical assassin Jing Ke, who is known for his failed assassination attempt of Qin Shi Huang. The year the film was released was also the same year Woo met Tsui Hark.[2] The film was the first project that Wei Pai, a veteran Shaw Brothers Studio actor, did with Golden Harvest since he left the Shaw Brothers Studio. In addition, actor Fung Hak-on, who frequently collaborated with Woo in the 1970s, served as a stunt coordinator along with Alan Chui for the action choreography and stunt doubling for Damian Lau and Wei Pai. Both choreographers also previously starred in Woo's feature-length debut film, The Young Dragons in 1974. ReleaseeditBox officeeditLast Hurrah for Chivalry had mediocre box office numbers.[2] Home mediaeditThe film was officially released on 2K Blu-ray on March 3rd, 2023 as part of a The Criterion Collection spine number 1174, marking Woo's third film to be released by Criterion since 1998 with Woo's two other popular films such as The Killer and Hard Boiled, both of which were released in DVD and Laserdisc format in limited production run due to the rights issue at the time.

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