What Price Survival (1994)
A duel between two master swordsmen for the hand of a beautiful young maiden leads to a 20-year-old grudge that proves deadly. One of the swordsmen’s, Pai Fukuo’s, son is kidnapped and raised by the rival swordsman, who tell him his real parents were murdered by Pai Fukuo. The child grows up and seeks revenge on Pai Fukuo, whom he believes has murdered his “real” parents, not knowing that Pai Fukuo is his true father. A modern swordplay reinterpretation of the Wang Yu classic One-Armed Swordsman.
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Surprisingly incoherent and boring
A Major Disappointment
Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.
Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.
We do actually tend to really enjoy Asian cinema. It's something about the way they create atmosphere, and the stunning scenery and the beautiful soundtracks, which really outdid themselves in this picture actually. I just find them incredibly likable, However.Even though this was meant to be a martial arts movie, you saw very little of the actual art. Just a lot of quick camera movements that were meant to imply that there was some amazing swordplay, but you never actually saw it happen. Or the fact that even though from the Cars and Trains that are visible in the film it is safe to assume this film was meant to be set in the early twentieth century, and yet many of the male characters walk around in very 'Matrix' style trench coats to add to their menacing look.We think it had a very well played out story line and nice well developed characters but it was the little things that let it down.
Daniel Lee's modern day remake of the Shaw-Brothers Classic "One armed Swordsman" actually should have been the greatest Sword Fighting movie ever done, or if Triads-Societies battling each others with sharp blades doesn't sound like a damn ****ing cool idea to you, get home. But sadly the movie gets spoiled by stoic characters, stupid MTV-editing full of annoying close-ups, and a total absence of comprehensible action-choreography. And whoever told directors, that a blurry and spinning super slo-mo is a way cool thing to be frequently applied in action-movies, should be shot. No, wait, stabbed. Or better even, have his arm cut off.
It's rare when somebody tries to radically change an established genre, especially in the HK film industry, but here is one to ponder over. All the elements of a standard wuxia film are here but the delivery is something different.Set in some sort of time warp around the 1930's, we see vintage autos, trains and other things that would not be out of line for that era. However the main characters are all dressed in long trench coats (this is interestingly a few years before "The Matrix") and they are armed with samurai swords. The characters have no implied contact with anyone but the other main characters. The time is the end of winter so we have numerous scenes set in the snow. The plot is very simple so I won't repeat it here but it's very typical of other wuxia films.What makes this film stand out is the exceptional photography and interesting music track. Whatever the problems with the direction and story they are well compensated by the cinematography. The action is basically "blur-fu" so martial arts fans might be disappointed but in the context of the film it works. Believe me I hate "blur-fu" in normal action films but here it complements the atmosphere the director created.Overall, some might find the film pretentious as I did but it's worth a try.
Grim, fatalistic story of a young man kidnapped from his father and then raised to assassinate him. The film is colored with a sense of melancholy that permeates the story and its subplots, from the inevitable love interest to the final bloody resolution, to the beautiful cinematography.