Taiwan / 1967 / 111 min. / Director: King HU
A massive hit around Asia when first released, this classic of Wuxia cinema was the starting point of a huge boom in kung-fu films, and further enhanced King HU’s reputation. After coming to power in Ming-era China and imposing his tyranny, eunuch Tsao executes a rebellious government official for a crime he did not commit. Fearing a reprisal, he dispatches secret police soldiers to the hinterlands to exterminate the official’s surviving family as well. The soldiers take up residence at the Dragon Gate Inn to lie in ambush for their targets, but a succession of mysterious swordsmen show up. As their various objectives intertwine, a ferocious battle eventually breaks out between the soldiers and the swordsmen... Hu, who had previously directed two productions for Hong Kong company Shaw Brothers, made this film in Taiwan with a cast of mostly up-and-coming actors. It also features MIAO Tien, who later became a regular in the works of TSAI Ming-liang.
