What Price Honesty? (1981)

Don't listen to the Hype. It's awful

It’s sentimental, ridiculously long and only occasionally funny

The acting in this movie is really good.

Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

Idealistic Constables He Zhong Heng (Jason Pai Piao), Luo Zhang (Sun Chien) and Ying Hao (Danny Lee Sau-Yin) fresh from the academy are sent to uphold a royal edict to end gambling in a local town. On day one, they learn that will not be easy since the local law enforcement is on the take. Arresting someone doesn't mean they will see jail time. A few taels to Chief Liu (Keung Hon) can set your free a few minutes after being taking to the station. A few more taels to Magistrate, Lord Ge (Chiang Nan), will get you a slap on the wrists jail sentence. Even then, you can have a "cushy" experience, if you give Fifth Master (Chan Shen) a few taels or other bribe. Zhang, Heng and Hao make a pact that no matter what, they will stick to their ideals, always have each others back and will make a difference in the town. The pact constantly runs them afoul of Chief Liu and Magistrate Ge, who see no alternative but to get rid of them. A chance to do so when criminal Sun Long (Leih Lo) is discovered at a local Temple. Is it hoped that Long will kill the do-gooders in battle. Chief Liu sens the trio in to "save" Long's hostage but provides no back-up when Zhang calls for it. Long manages to kill Hao and open Heng's eyes to the fact they are on their own against the corruption. Zhang seems to be struggling with maintaining the pact and keeping his job to support his family. He comes off way too much as a wimp in this movie. Something I never expected from a Sun Chien character. He sees the wrong and turns a blind eye. He becomes somewhat of a company man though it's at odds with his conscience. Heng on the other hand refuses to set aside his principles and continues to try making things better despite being at constant odds with his superiors. There is a totally unnecessary nude scene involving a rape victim trying to escape her tormentor. It ends with Heng beating the rapist.Heng is set up with the help of Zhang (his family is being held by the Chief to force him to do their bidding). Heng is jailed for a crime he didn't commit and is abused left and right by Fifth Master, guards, Sun Long and other inmates. There's a scene where a prisoner actually pees on him after Sun Long suggests it. Heng is placed in solitary following the beating from Sun Long and cellmates. Heng's wife visits, no doubt after having to heavily bribe guards, to announce there's a special Magistrate envoy coming to town. She hopes to have Heng's case heard and get him released. She never gets the chance. The Chief and Magistrate ensure she never speaks of anything involving Heng's case.Heng escapes the jail after a battle with Sun Long involving a hair pin his wife left behind during her visit and a blade Zhang gave him during an unexpected visit. Heng kidnaps the local magistrate in an attempt to get someone to speak the truth. Zhang is once more put at odds between duty and the pact with Heng. Zhang does have a couple moments of heroistic endeavor, but they are merely moments. It will not be until the final moments, when Zhang finally has the same epiphany Heng had long ago, that Zhang shows his idealism isn't dead. Sadly, neither he nor Heng will survive the epiphany. I gave it a 6 because it does have a strong story, save for the unnecessary nude scene. The fighting was not a major part of this film. It was more of a plot mover. However, it wasn't up to the usual fighting I've come to know in Shaw Brothers movies.

I didn't really care for this martial arts picture all that much and i think that was primarily due to the amount of violence directed towards women. I recently saw another Shaw Brothers film that had a lot of this as well, which was something I hadn't seen a lot of before in Shaw Brothers pictures, but maybe it was more prevalent in martial arts films of the1970s than I was aware of. The story follows a group of rookie cops (period martial world cops who carry swords) on their first assignment, where encounter corrupt officials and dirty cops, but want to remain honest and upright. It's not a bad set-up and is kind of a welcome change from the standard martial arts revenge driven plot lines, but it's not exactly "Serpico" and there really weren't that many fight sequences, so outside of typically decent Shaw Brothers production values, there isn't a lot to recommend here.

Three young graduates at a police academy (played by Pai Piao, former Venom Sun Chien and Danny Lee) become entangled in severe corruption from within the police force. The criminals the three arrest are later set free and gambling, prostitution and rampant violence continues. With the townsfolk terrified to speak out, the three friends try and stand against the corrupt head constable and the magistrate. One of the friends is murdered attempting to apprehend a vicious killer (Lo Lieh), his wife blames his closest friend for talking him into becoming an officer only to leave her a widow and an orphan. The two remaining partners decide something must be done, but then the constable kidnaps Sun's family and forces him to frame Pai's character. He is subsequently tried and put in jail.He is brutally tortured then put into a cell with those that he had arrested. These villains take turns urinating on him and beat him senselessly. He is then placed in an isolated cell. His wife comes to see him and tells him the Imperial Envoy will be passing through and she will inform him of what has been going on. Her conversation is overheard and she is hanged by the malicious police. In one of many shocking scenes, the police arrive just before the poor woman expires, but the head constable refuses to take her down instead watching as her neck breaks. The townspeople are in an uproar and threaten to revolt.Sun's character has a change of heart and goes to see Pai in the cell pretending to still be a traitor. A plan is set into motion to spring him and inform the Envoy upon his arrival. The killer from earlier (Lo Lieh) is released to murder Pai in his cell but he is killed instead. Pai dresses in his clothes to get out. He breaks out during a mass execution of a couple dozen prisoners and Pai escapes on a corpse ridden wagon but not before killing the head torturer.Pai eventually gets his hands on the nasty head constable and takes the equally vile magistrate hostage. He and Sun head for the dilapidated Temple of Chivalry for the showdown. He plans to hold the magistrate there until the Envoy arrives. He does arrive but is not on the side of good as he impales Pai with a sword and laughs with the Magistrate curious if had received the gifts sent to him. Finally, Sun can take no more and he valiantly cuts down both the Envoy and the Magistrate before being riddled with arrows. He collapses and he and Pai grasp each others bloody hands before finally dying as the film ends.The movies main theme is corruption in the government and the common people cannot fight against the system although dying for what you believe in is ultimately preferable than living as a slave to a system where the guilty are protected and the innocent are imprisoned for convenience. A very strong movie from director Yuen Ho Chuen who had directed the previous years THE FIGHTING FOOL, a kung fu comedy, the extreme polar opposite of this film. It's a shame he didn't do more serious dramatic works as he apparently only directed these two films for Shaws. This same style of cop thriller would become commonplace years later set mostly in modern times. This film was way ahead of its time. A remake was done in the 90s under the name WHAT PRICE SURVIVAL.

An obscure film from a two time only director, this feature one of the "venoms", Sun Chien, and solid martial art actor Danny Lee and a whole lot of familiar Shaw supporting actor faces. Lo Lieh has a modest role as the "King of Robbers".Three graduates from constable academy are sent to their rookie jobs in a modest sized town. Instructed to enforce a royal edict to end all gambling, the three friends immediately run afoul of a corrupt magistrate and his crooked police force. The police captain regularly confiscates criminal's loot and shares it with the police officers, he also gives some back to the criminals and lets them free! The three new officers are taken aback by the rampant corruption and are not sure what to do. One wants to fight the system, Sun Chien doesn't want to endanger his family's income and the third rookie just wants to quit. Finally they take a vow to uphold justice but immediately are sent to capture the "King of Robbers". The wicked police captain doesn't back them up hoping that the "King" will kill the idealistic rookies for him. The third rookie is killed but the "king" is captured. The King is given a light prison sentence and the two remaining rookies are distraught at the injustice of the system. Meanwhile the corrupt magistrate and the police captain are conspiring against them.Despite the cast, this film is heavy on drama and while there is a good amount of action it's rather uninspired unless Shen Chan, Sun Chien or Lo Lieh are in the action. The action highlight is a duel between Lo Lieh and Danny Lee. Unfortunately Sun Chien's character is sort of a coward and therefore the script doesn't allow him to do anything like he does in the "Venom" films. An interesting story gets a Shaw assembly line treatment. Nothing terrible, nothing special. The film is choppy in several places and goes off track about 40 minutes in with an unnecessary, extended attempted rape that has some actress running around naked for a couple of minutes. Once that's over the film goes back to the story and is watch-able again. There are some gory scenes and a lot of scenes of men getting beaten.Nothing to go out of the way to see.