You can laugh at movies like this today, but back in 1973 this was the standard of many Kung-Fu pics from Hong Kong and incredibly -but not so incredibly considering we were new at the genre- this film originally titled The Cannibals was a smash-hit in Italy and France. Expecially in Italy it was a success when released April 1973, and the crowd at Metropolitan, an important theatre of Rome, lasted weeks. The story is simple: an undercover agent must find out who's behind the robbery of gold, just like in many spaghetti westerns the film opens with horses and robbery and then the action moves in a teahouse/saloon ran by actress/director kao Pao Shu, who was the only female filmmaker in HK actioners back then. The action is typical swinging arm stuff and jumps, nothing special now but special in 1973. Genre vets like Sit Hon, Chen Hung Lieh and Chang Yi adds a kind of nostalgia pleasure. Released in Hong Kong 8/10/72 and produced also by Kao Pao Shu with her Park Films. Written by Ni Kuang, the foremost HK screenwriter who wrote more than 300 films including (uncredited) Big Boss and Fist of fury. Coreographed by stuntman-extra Wang Yueng Sheng. A guilty pleasure.
