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The Daredevils & Ode to Gallantry
Chang Cheh (director)
Eureka Video (studio)
190 min total (length)
24 March 2025 (released)
3 d
This high-octane double whammy from director Chang Cheh - also known as the Godfather of Hong Kong Cinema - contains two films featuring the acclaimed ‘Venom Mob’, a group of gravity-defying martial arts acrobats whose stunts will leave you speechless.
First up is THE DAREDEVILS (1979; aka SHAOLIN DAREDEVILS) which is set in the Republic of China era. No time is wasted regarding an action-laden start when Yang Ta-ying (Lo Mang) wakes up his friend Cheng Fen (Chian Feng) in a distressed state, explaining that his father, Division Commander Yang senior (Wang Han-chen) and the rest of the family have been overpowered and slaughtered by Han Pei-tsang (Wong Lin), a thief-turned soldier who - after the killings - gains control of Commander Yang’s estate and entire army. Oh, and he is now a self-styled General! Suffice to say, Yang junior has bloody revenge on his mind and recruits his other buddies Cheng Fen (Chian Feng), Fu Chuan-yi (Feng Lu) and Shen Sheng (Sun Chien) to help him. Also recruited is Liang Kuo-jen (Philip Kwok), a martial art expert so fast you’ll get dizzy watching him in action. Of course, taking on General Han’s army - not to mention the General himself - is no mean feat and our avenging motley crew needs money, which they hope to raise via some acrobatic stunts (prepare yourself for some show-stopping performances).
However, Yang and his friends don’t earn as much as they had hoped (in fact, hardly even enough for a cup of tea) and other measures are being called for, including some pick-pocketing skills… meaning they get drunk instead of focusing on the mission. Except one, who remains sober: Yang, who secretly makes off with a so-called grappling hook which the troupe used as part of their performance. Clearly in lone wolf mode, Yang hopes to dispatch General Han by infiltrating the building (which once belonged to his dead father) but things don’t go according to plan and Yan has a hefty price to pay for his belief that he could kill his father’s murderer alone. The next day and quite hungover, Yan’s friends wonder as to where he could have gone but don’t think much about it until they discover a letter he has left behind, together with some money and explaining his actions. Now they know that their friend is dead and that his plan was naive and stupid. Rather than give up, the remaining friends now vow to avenge Yan’s death, which they attempt via a boxing-clever ruse pretending to be members of a wealthy family who wishes to trade weapons with General Han. Initially, the plan seems well thought through and even General Han himself and his incompetent Chief-of-staff (Shen Chan - providing comic relief) fall for it but it won’t take long before an unexpected visitor throws a spanner in the works…
The choreography is second to none and the seemingly never-ending climax in a warehouse has got to be among the best in the history of martial arts cinema!
ODE TO GALLANTRY (1982) is more lighthearted in tone as Philip Kwok returns - this time in the role of ‘Mongrel’ - a rather simple-minded drifter from ‘somewhere in the mountains’ who, at the beginning of the film (this time set in ancient China) stumbles - by sheer coincidence - across the sought-after Black Iron Token when all he was looking for was… food (watch the opening scenes in which Mongrel attempts to secure some pancakes amidst a fight going on). Thus begins an odyssey of absurd and fantastical proportions for Mongrel, who not only is mistaken for Shi Chongyu, the disgraced son of Chi Qin (Tang Ching) and his wife Min You (Lau Wai-ling) but a powerful and above all, fearful martial arts master by the name of Xe Yanke (Wong Lin) declares he is the rightful owner of the Black Iron Token.
Meanwhile, Mongrel’s uncanny resemblance to Shi Chongyu gets him into all sorts of trouble, not only with feuding clans but also with pretty Ding Ding Dang Dang (Candy Wen) who wishes to marry Mongrel (wrongly believing that he is Shi Chongyu, who promised her eternal love before he vanished). Ding Ding’s grandfather is not too happy about Mongrel ‘pretending’ he doesn’t know who his granddaughter is, never mind having promised to marry her and thinks he just puts on a show and plays stupid to escape the wedding… This misunderstanding leads to misunderstandings galore, we’re only scratching the tip of the iceberg in a rollicking tale that is fast-paced and slides between humour and the occasional violence. It’s also overpowering thanks to the many different characters and at times the viewer may find it hard to keep up with who is who.
The Daredevils & Ode to Gallantry is available on Blu-ray and the first 2000 copies are presented in an O-card slipcase and collector’s booklet. Further bonus material includes audio commentaries, interviews and various audio options.
First up is THE DAREDEVILS (1979; aka SHAOLIN DAREDEVILS) which is set in the Republic of China era. No time is wasted regarding an action-laden start when Yang Ta-ying (Lo Mang) wakes up his friend Cheng Fen (Chian Feng) in a distressed state, explaining that his father, Division Commander Yang senior (Wang Han-chen) and the rest of the family have been overpowered and slaughtered by Han Pei-tsang (Wong Lin), a thief-turned soldier who - after the killings - gains control of Commander Yang’s estate and entire army. Oh, and he is now a self-styled General! Suffice to say, Yang junior has bloody revenge on his mind and recruits his other buddies Cheng Fen (Chian Feng), Fu Chuan-yi (Feng Lu) and Shen Sheng (Sun Chien) to help him. Also recruited is Liang Kuo-jen (Philip Kwok), a martial art expert so fast you’ll get dizzy watching him in action. Of course, taking on General Han’s army - not to mention the General himself - is no mean feat and our avenging motley crew needs money, which they hope to raise via some acrobatic stunts (prepare yourself for some show-stopping performances).
However, Yang and his friends don’t earn as much as they had hoped (in fact, hardly even enough for a cup of tea) and other measures are being called for, including some pick-pocketing skills… meaning they get drunk instead of focusing on the mission. Except one, who remains sober: Yang, who secretly makes off with a so-called grappling hook which the troupe used as part of their performance. Clearly in lone wolf mode, Yang hopes to dispatch General Han by infiltrating the building (which once belonged to his dead father) but things don’t go according to plan and Yan has a hefty price to pay for his belief that he could kill his father’s murderer alone. The next day and quite hungover, Yan’s friends wonder as to where he could have gone but don’t think much about it until they discover a letter he has left behind, together with some money and explaining his actions. Now they know that their friend is dead and that his plan was naive and stupid. Rather than give up, the remaining friends now vow to avenge Yan’s death, which they attempt via a boxing-clever ruse pretending to be members of a wealthy family who wishes to trade weapons with General Han. Initially, the plan seems well thought through and even General Han himself and his incompetent Chief-of-staff (Shen Chan - providing comic relief) fall for it but it won’t take long before an unexpected visitor throws a spanner in the works…
The choreography is second to none and the seemingly never-ending climax in a warehouse has got to be among the best in the history of martial arts cinema!
ODE TO GALLANTRY (1982) is more lighthearted in tone as Philip Kwok returns - this time in the role of ‘Mongrel’ - a rather simple-minded drifter from ‘somewhere in the mountains’ who, at the beginning of the film (this time set in ancient China) stumbles - by sheer coincidence - across the sought-after Black Iron Token when all he was looking for was… food (watch the opening scenes in which Mongrel attempts to secure some pancakes amidst a fight going on). Thus begins an odyssey of absurd and fantastical proportions for Mongrel, who not only is mistaken for Shi Chongyu, the disgraced son of Chi Qin (Tang Ching) and his wife Min You (Lau Wai-ling) but a powerful and above all, fearful martial arts master by the name of Xe Yanke (Wong Lin) declares he is the rightful owner of the Black Iron Token.
Meanwhile, Mongrel’s uncanny resemblance to Shi Chongyu gets him into all sorts of trouble, not only with feuding clans but also with pretty Ding Ding Dang Dang (Candy Wen) who wishes to marry Mongrel (wrongly believing that he is Shi Chongyu, who promised her eternal love before he vanished). Ding Ding’s grandfather is not too happy about Mongrel ‘pretending’ he doesn’t know who his granddaughter is, never mind having promised to marry her and thinks he just puts on a show and plays stupid to escape the wedding… This misunderstanding leads to misunderstandings galore, we’re only scratching the tip of the iceberg in a rollicking tale that is fast-paced and slides between humour and the occasional violence. It’s also overpowering thanks to the many different characters and at times the viewer may find it hard to keep up with who is who.
The Daredevils & Ode to Gallantry is available on Blu-ray and the first 2000 copies are presented in an O-card slipcase and collector’s booklet. Further bonus material includes audio commentaries, interviews and various audio options.
