DVD
REVIEW: Last Hurrah For Chivalry
08/02/07
Some films age like a fine
wine, becoming better with age even after multiple viewings. In
the case of, Last Hurrah for Chivalry (LHFC), filmed back in
1978, our beverage is more like a beer that has gone stale
long ago. The film cannot even hold a candle to some of the
martial art films released in recent years. Keep in mind,
LHFC wasn't directed by some hack. No, it was non-other than
John Woo. The man that brought style to the cinema and
redefined the action movie genre.
On his wedding day noble man Kao's is confronted by Pai and
his henchmen. Pai kills Kao’s family claiming that Kao's
father stole his land. Koa vows revenge, but since he is
more of a scholar than a swordsman, he sets out to find
someone who can defeat Pai and his cronies. He meets two
alikely characters: Chang the swordsman who retired to take
care of his sick mother and Green a wine drinking assassin.
Together the two crash Pai’s fortress unbeknownst to them
that Kao’s plan holds more than just revenge.
The plot is typical of many marital films; first betrayal
then revenge, repeat. The sword fights aren't as exciting as
anything you might see today, but they are good enough. The
characters are not fully developed so there is no one to care
about and there is so much fighting that the movie begins to
bore. I find it hard to believe John Woo directed this
movie, since I don't even see a glimpse of his signature
style except for some sloppy slow motion. The only thing I
did enjoy about this movie are the performance by Kong Lau
(Koa) and Lee Hoi-San (Pai). So you’ll probably only want to
pick up this movie if you have to see every John Woo movie
ever made or are a martial art movie aficionado.
VIDEO:
Widescreen Format
AUDIO:
English/Cantonese 5.1 Cantonese DTS, English Mono
Subtitles English, Spanish, English SDH
BONUS FEATURES:
Feature Length Audio Commentary By Hong Kong Cinema
Expert Bey Logan
Pray For Death: An
Interview with Fung Hak-On
Deliver Us From Evil: An Interview with Lee
Hoi-San
Legendary Weapons of China Featurette
Original Theatrical Trailer
U.S Promotional Trailer
RATING BREAK DOWN:
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Review
By Brad Peterson
brad@smartcine.com
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