We've got a doozy here on Hai!Karate for you fine folks! This next review is dedicated to The Association, courtesy of Golden Harvest from 1975. The main stars are Angela Mao Ying and Byong Yu, with Tanny Tien Ni, Sammo Hung, Whang In Sik present as co-stars. The famed Cheng Chang Ho is in the director's chair for this one.
The film starts out ominously at sunset, with
Fan Ying(Mao Ying) being led to a post by a
few policemen, in front of close friend and
fellow kung fu student Detective Wang(Yu).
As she is tied to the post for execution,
we get to flashback to how she got there.
Her father is the local militia commander,
who has been bedridden due to serious illness.
A rival general, Choi(Chiu Hung) tries to
get him to sign over command to him, but
is rebuffed. A local shopkeeper tries to
strongarm him for owed money, but instead
goes after and rapes his wife. Fan Ying
comes in and summarily murders him, and
Wang arrives too late. The flashback ends
when Fan Ying is shot dead by the firing
squad. Wang, thank to information given
by Fan Ying, begins to investigate Choi
despite being confronted by his lieutenant
(In Sik). The discovery of a dead girl
with a half-aborted child leads him to
look into a welfare administration in
town that isn't what it seems. And this
puts him on the hunt to get rid of the
evil doers once and for all...with some
unexpected help.
That help comes in the form of Fang Hua who
may look familiar to you. That's 'cause
she's ALSO played by Angela Mao. Lui
is out to avenge the late Fan Yin, who
was her sister. Together they go up
against the Overseas Club, Choi and
the rest in some real bone-breaking
style.
The Associationis a solid bit of
martial arts action, but there are a few
things you gotta get past to fully enjoy
it. First thing? Byong Yu. When I first
saw this flick I thought he was Balki
Bartokomous from 'Perfect Strangers' long
lost cousin. I think that this film was
the beginning of Golden Harvest's search
to find 'the next Bruce Lee'; after all,
he had been a true gem for them and
there were SO many guys out there who
were trying to be that next star. Yu
even has the standard white tee/black
pants and slippers combo Bruce rocked
in The Big Boss. He does an okay
job here, but this would prove to be
Byong Yu's first and only motion picture
role by all accounts. Again, he's cool
here though. He even holds his own with
the powerful Whang In Sik, not an easy
task at all. The second thing is, the
whole soft-core porn feel in certain
parts of the flick. Bear in mind that
this was the mid 70's, and more Hong
Kong and Taiwanese studios were getting
more daring with the nudity and sex.
But I could have done without that
scene with the lecherous shop-keeper
pulling a haphazard chicken wing on a
sofa being that long. And when they
get into the Association's ritual with
young girls and OHMIGOD WHY IS THAT
RUGGED WHITE CHICK DANCING IN RED
GAUZE LIKE SHE'S LADY GAGA'S AUNTIE??
(Excuse me, I had to let that out.)
Outside of those instances, the film
is satisfying. Angela Mao doesn't
get a great deal of screen time in
this picture, but when she's involved,
it is DYNAMITE. Exhibit A is when
Fang Ying assaults the shopkeeper.
She knocks the lining out of his
backside something fierce. As Fang Hua,
she gives an extra edge. She doesn't
hold back. Tanny Tien Ni provides a
bit of sauciness as a widow involved
in money laundering who has rather
hot dreams. Sammo Hung plays Yu's
second in command, Tiger in a bit role.
Actually, there's a couple more
cameos in here thanks to Carter Wong
and the old drunk Chef himself, Simon
Yuen as Wang and Fang Yin's sifu.
The action scenes are brisk, thanks to
the joint direction of both Sammo and
Whang In Sik. What The Association
is, is a crime melodrama with some high
action and a few 'what the hell' parts
but overall, not a bad way to spend
an hour and a half.
Rating: 3.5 Dragon Punches out of 5
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