Valley of the Fangs (1970)

Lo Lieh is the man. There I laid my bias out on the table.

I enjoyed this kung fun movie which was more sword fighting than hand-to-hand. The plot was coherent, the sword fights were creative and entertaining, the story moved along at a good pace, and it actually had a proper ending. Too many kung fu movies throw up the ending credits the second the final fight is over. This one took a couple of extra minutes to wrap the story up. Lo Lieh also pulled one of the best moves I’ve ever seen in a sword fight when his sword was broken.

This movie must have been remastered because the color and lighting were vibrant. The outdoor sets were well done, especially the kiln scenes. Given it was a Shaw Brothers movie the indoor sets had enough wooden furniture and walls to be broken to bits during the fight scenes. Unlike some kung fu movies the acting was natural and not over the top. Lo Lieh, Li Ching, Wang Hsieh, and Chen Yan Yan did admirable jobs of conveying their parts.

There were no snakes in this movie, despite the title, except for the sleazy human kind. People did lose body parts during the fights-a forewarning if you are very squeamish.

Valley of the Fangs was an entertaining way to spend 90 minutes on a Sunday night.

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