The Convict Killer (1980) (original) (raw)
Synopsis
Teng Piao went to jail for fifteen years on a frame up for drug smuggling. Now that he's out, along with his iron chain, Teng Piao is hungry for revenge. The man he wants to beat with his chain is Black Leopard Lam Fei. The problem for Teng Piao is that he doesn't know who he is, only that he has a picture of a black leopard tattooed on his chest.
Cast
Popular reviews
Ti Lung is framed for drug smuggling and is sentenced to 15 years in prison. After he gets released, he goes on a quest to find the one who framed him. He carries with him the chain that kept him tied up in his cell, and uses it as a weapon to fight his adversaries.
The Convict Killer really has one of coolest set-ups I have seen in a Shaw Brothers movie in quite some time. It is too bad then that the movie (in typical Shaw Brothers fashion) becomes such a convoluted mess. That's not to say that I didn't enjoy it, however; enough crazy shit is thrown at you to keep this wildly entertaining at all times.
My first Chor Yuen kung fu movie - and maybe _The Killer (_not that one) is his only other one, if that? I’ll take wuxia over kung fu every day of the week, but if they were all as entertaining as The Convict Killer (or Iron Chain Assassin as its alternate title) it would be a toss up.
Here Chor and regular leading man Ti Lung trade the period garb and settings of old China for the 1920s. Ti Lung is a man framed for dealing opium, and kills the guy he blames for betraying him - just in time for the cops to show up and bust him. 15 years later he gets out of prison looking totally…
“How come there are so many strangers here today?”
The Man With the Iron Chain
Flying Eagle town is beset by mysterious strangers, seven killers, and everyone is jumping through windows (in which, hanging from the sill, there is dynamite).
I’m kind of surprised Celestial is giving this one away for free (on their Youtube channel)—it stars the popular Ti Lung in a film directed by Chor Yuen which borrows heavily from crime novels and western showdowns. It’s also a rare Chor Yuen film from this period not adapted or co-written with modern wuxia writer Gu Long. And you can tell it’s not, because of the style of hats worn by the men (1920s bowler not ahistorical Qing Dynasty). But…
If you ever wanted to see a vengeful prison-hardened Ti Lung kung-fu the crap out of everyone in his path, wielding the iron chain that shackled him in his cell as his signature weapon, then you should probably check out The Convict Killer.
Chor Yuen hasn’t topped The Magic Blade yet, but this comes close.
Ti Lung plays Teng Piao, a man who was falsely accused of drug trafficking and jailed for 15 years. There's a quick scene at the start of the film when he's apprehended and then it fast forward to when he's released in search of Lam Fei, The Black Leopard, the man responsible for his incarceration.
The Convict Killer starts out as a simple revenge film, with Teng Piao, carrying the iron chains that he was held at in prison, as his weapon. Visually, it stands out but the fighting is a bit lacking. The martial arts choreography is stiff and unpolished unfortunately. Similar to Chor Yuen Wuxia films, the plot is more complicated than it has to be. The characters…
The Convict Killer AKA Iron Chain Assassin is basically Shaw Brothers' One-Eyed Jacks.
The premise is simple, Lung Ti has returned after 15 years in prison and is looking for revenge. He carries around the iron chain that kept him shackled and uses it as a weapon.
Cool. I'm onboard.
Then we spend like 80% of the movie in an inn. And get introduced to 100 different characters with all sorts of weird twists and secrets and shit. I don't necessarily mind that, but the simplicity of the concept was the appealing part for me. And there's a way to do this kind of story, even a complicated version of it... this isn't it though.
Luckily, this is a Shaw…
An AD on set must have said to Chor Yuen: 'Shifu, I don't think you're supposed to pan with a lens than wide on the camera, you'll get weird distortions in the corners...' only to be slapped 8ft through a window by the master for daring to question his methods.
A minor Chor joint but a fairly enjoyable one. The Convict Killer aka "Iron Chain Fighter" aka "Iron Chain Assassin" (much prefer those two titles) is a novel kung fu/noir hybrid. Ti Lung is out for revenge Charles Bronson style against the mysterious Black Leopard, who framed him for a crime he didn't commit. Only trouble is, nobody knows just who this Black Leopard is...
It is a bit unclear…
My 20th Chor Yuen. Another Italo western inspired mystery/revenge film by Chor Yuen (and maybe a little bit of Giallo influences here?). Ti Lung even wears a kind of cowboy hat. This time we are, I guess, in the early 20th century. For me Ti Lung seems a little bit misplaced in this century, the good old days with sword fighting and poetry are over.
"For some reason I wasn't in the mood or this one wasn't for me. I wouldn't say it is bad - but something was missing for me. On the other hand: It has a good sense of humour." This is what I wanted to write after 50 minutes. After a short break and another 10…
Along with Lau Kar-leung and Chang Cheh, Chor Yuen is one of my three favorite Shaw Brothers directors. What I appreciate most about his output is the elegance and visual flavor he brought to the table.
For once not adapting a novels from Taiwanese author Gu Long, The Convict Killer still has all the trademarks of those “Clan” movies Chor Yuen was known for. A convoluted “whodunit" plot, loads of colorful characters, atmospheric Shaw-sets and lots of creative and inventive fight scenes. Ti Lung was one of the very best leading men Shaw Brothers had and he carries this movie effortlessly. He is a more than competent screen fighter and has charisma to burn. His weapon of choice here is…
What you see on the poster is what you get: Ti Lung with a large chain. You assume correctly if you think he spends the entire film using it to beat down enemies. The most notable thing about this film is I finally see how Chor Yuen was able to differentiate himself from the likes of Chang Cheh, who likely has been overpraised and “over-credited” since Black Belt Theater started airing around 1981. It’s different but it’s nothing spectacular, and it’s also free on Celestial’s YouTube channel.
A solid film about a guy, fresh out of jail, who immediately sets off to get vengeance on the mysterious man who set him up. Director Chor Yuen brings the film a decent sense of style, including some nice shadowy cinematography (the film takes place almost entirely at night), which helps set it apart from similar Shaw Brothers fare. It's also got a whole bunch of fun action sprinkled throughout (any movie that has fight scenes where people smash through that many walls and pieces of furniture is pretty much always going to get a thumbs up from me). But the pacing feels a bit clunky -- it's pretty much just an alternating series of fights and exposition dumps, with the film taking what initially seems like a straightforward revenge plot and managing to make it almost hilariously convoluted. On the other hand, it's got Ti Lung kicking a whole bunch of ass while wearing a cool hat, so...
this one's got it all: a spaghetti western inflected wuxia revenge tale; a dozen or more badass kung fu killers with mysterious pasts and motives packed into an opulent inn with extremely frangible walls and furniture; luxuriously long takes of kickass choreo with exploding scenery and juicy squibs and spurting blood every few minutes; literally countless fakeouts and betrayals and double/triple/quadruple-crosses no seriously i dare you to try to count them; ti lung playing the coolest dude in the world using the length of heavy chain he wore during his 15 years of false imprisonment as his signature weapon.
it's still missing that little bit of something special to boost it past 4 stars at least on my first watch but make no mistake this one's a fuckin banger