Shatter

Kicking, shooting and beating aplenty in this Hammer/Shaw Brothers co-production starring Whitman as a hitman with a conscience. Not much here you haven't seen before, but Whitman is OK, the music is kinda funky and, while he doesn't have much screen time, it's always great to see Peter Cushing.

Long unavailable on home vid, this was just one of the many projects that cult maestro Monte Hellman ghost-directed. So when the good folks at Roan decided to release this on LD, I jumped at the chance to get a copy. At forty bucks, it was worth it. But I had to order off the Dollar Menu for the rest of the week.

It was a long-held belief that Hellman only directed a small portion of the film before being sacked and replaced by producer Michael Carreras. But in the running commentary, Hellman, upon seeing the movie for the very first time, was surprised to see that at least 80% of the final cut is his.

Though no "Background to Danger," this is a very passable B-adventure, with Whitman a fine hero/foil. Whitman's Shatter is another in the long line of Hellman loner-man-on-the-outside-looking-in protagonists. The film also bears striking similarities with the long forgotten "Karate-the Hand of Death" (1961)about an American Karate expert returning to Japan after the war and runs afoul of some mob types. "Shatter" is a decent way to spend an hour and a half on a rainy afternoon, and a find for Monte Hellman completeists.

Shatter (1974) was the second time Shaw Brothers and Hammer Films worked together. This time around the results are not as wild and as entertaining as their previous collaboration (The Seven Golden Vampires) but it's worth your while.

Stuart Whitman plays your stereotypical all American actor (a type of role that would later be defined by two other great actors Scott Glenn and Fred Ward). He stars as Shatter, man of many skills. Like all people of his ilk, he has completed a job and all parties want him. Like all movie professionals he runs into the same problems (i.e. reneged contract, can't trust anybody, etc.). Peter Cushing guest stars as an English Special Agent as well as several Shaw Brothers' players (Lily Lee as the love interest and Ti Lung as Shatter's protectorate). Throw in Wei Lo (staff director of the Shaws) in a cameo and bit parts from Fung Hark-On and Lee Hoi Sang and viola! You have Shatter! Despite the lack of an interesting action direction (like Liu Chia Hua) the fight scenes are above average and they aptly showcase Ti Lung's skills (it's a shame that he never made it big time, his English wasn't bad and he has charisma).

Fun for all, recommended for Hammer Films fans and Shaw Brothers marks.

The other Hammer / Shaw Brothers collaboration, Shatter's conception predates The Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires, as it was originally pitched as a Canadian co-production before being confined to a shelf for a few years and then resurrected as part of the collaboration deal. Rather than a period drama as both companies were used to producing, Shatter sees the action transported to contemporary Hong Kong and it's used to great effect, even if it amounts to nothing more than a lot of glorious eye candy. The film ran into many problems during production and this is evident in the finished product, the editing is off by a beat, it doesn't go anywhere very fast and isn't helped by a mediocre script. Stuart Whitman doesn't care about his role, an entirely one-note performance, but he's carried by the indomitable Peter Cushing who always gives 100%, remaining a joyous presence in this otherwise substandard kung fu exploitation. Ti Lung is the actual star here even if he struggles with his English dialogue, the same problem befalls Lily Li. In the end, the novelty value of Shatter probably makes this more of interest to Shaw fans than Hammer fans; although I enjoyed the film, like Golden Vampires, it just left me wanting more from its initial promise, ultimately coming across as incredibly sloppy and rather underwhelming.

Stuart Whitman is an international assassin with an evocative name. After performing a hit on a corrupt African leader, he takes refuge in Hong Kong. There he soons begins an affair with Lily Li and an alliance with her brother, martial arts master Lung Ti. But Whitman does not seem to be popular, and several distinct and disparate forces, like the international crime syndicate, the dead dictator's brother, and the British government in the person of Peter Cushing (in his last role for Hammer). And other shadowy forces that want the money he collected for his work, as well as some significant photographs he holds.

This co-production between Hammer and the Shaw Brothers was a troubled production. Monte Hellman shot most of it, but there were delays because Hellman and the cameraman were ill. So Michael Carreras fired Hellman, directed what was left, and took sole credit. Like many martial arts movies in this period, there's just enough of a story to set up the fight scenes. Whitman is stalwart, Miss Li is pretty, and Cushing, as usual, gives value for money.