A fearful and ruthless crime syndicate known as the Qi Sha clan is terrorizing towns across the Chinese empire. For years, the townspeople have been living in escalating fear under their ominous reign. The syndicate is controlled by Seven Chiefs that rule their own separate territory, and is infamous for their atrocities. Not wanting to yield to the clan's rampant terror, the Government assigns the Minister of Crime Investigation Department to destroy them.
Realizing that he is up against a callous syndicate of assassins and as the mysterious leader of the organized gang has yet to be revealed, the Minister devises a plan to wipe out the gang from "within" by infiltrating his spy, whose identity is as enigmatic as the leader of the syndicate, into the Qi Sha clan.
A few days after three of the Qi Sha Chiefs are killed in a confrontation with the Minister's agents and for reason of gaining control over their expanded territories, the mysterious syndicate leader instates three new chiefs from their hordes of loyal followers: as Chief Number Six is Liang Jie - a short-tempered muscular fighter that uses his hulking set of brass bangles on his arms to maim or kill his opponents; as Chief Number Seven is Lu Yi Fei - a killer who wields a massive circular saw blade hidden in his broad farmer's hat; and Chief Number Eight is Fan Tao - a cold-blooded bare-chested killer donning a black cape who keeps his double steel knives in his scabbards tied around his waist.
Following the initiation of the three new Chiefs, predicaments surface that jeopardize a vital mission the Seven Chiefs undertake, leading to their killing one of their own for accusation of treachery. The matter becomes complicated when the situation repeats itself and the remaining Chiefs begin to suspect one another as traitors.
Haunted by internal conflicts among themselves, one by one, the Chiefs are killed in gruesome ways by their own members. With the Qi Sha chiefs dwindling in number, it is only a matter of time before the mastermind must reveal his identity, and the spy must confront the mysterious mastermind in a duel-to-the-death showdown.
To Kill A Mastermind, despite its title, is more of an action-oriented wuxia film with unique characters playing the assassins and stylishly choreographed weapon fights than a complex, plot-driven one.
If you have seen and liked Sun Chung's other action-oriented Shaw Brothers wuxia films, you'll likely enjoy this too! Fans are still hoping for an official release on DVD or Blu-ray!
