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A Brilliant Conflict

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

The movie really just wants to entertain people.

THE LADY HERMIT is a fine swordplay effort from the Shaw Brothers studio, notably starring COME DRINK WITH ME's Cheng Pei-Pei in one of her last roles for the studio. She plays a master swordswoman who takes on a young disciple, as played by yet another Shaw regular Shih Szu. Trouble arises when both women end up falling in love with Lo Lieh (in a rare romantic interest role). Meanwhile, the machinations of a master criminal called the Black Demon threaten to spell disaster for all involved. The unusual love triangle storyline keeps this film moving along well for the first hour or so, and if I'm honest it's the calibre of the acting from the three leads which makes it interesting. Then, in the last half hour, director Ho Meng Hua (responsible for such gruesome horrors as BLACK MAGIC) lets rip with the set-piece action. Limbs are severed, bodies slashed, eyes impaled. The action comes thick and gory in an extraordinarily satisfying way, with massive set-piece towers and rope bridges to add to the fun. It's one of the best endings I've seen in a Shaw film, and is certainly worth the wait.

Having been injured by her enemy Black Demon, the legendary swordswoman Lady Hermit has been in hiding. This is known to young Tsui Peng, who has decided to seek her out to become her student. Tsui Peng's search takes her to a small town where she is taken in by a family after meeting their servant – totally unaware that the servant is indeed the Lady Hermit she seeks. Tsui Peng learns that the Black Demon is running a scheme of selling very high priced protective trinkets in a temple to offer protection from spirits – and people are happy to pay since those that don't buy them get murdered by ghosts in the night. When she learns that these "ghosts" are the Black Demon's men, she intervenes which forces the Lady Hermit to reveal herself – starting a master/student relationship which is not always smooth and is filled with danger.This is quite a lively film which has the added appeal of having two female leads and all the male characters tending to be supporting players. The plot is quite nice and it doesn't overdo the "living in secret" thing more than is reasonable. From this point the training is quite good and the series of fight sequences are mostly enjoyable. The climatic fight on and around a pagoda is the best but all the skirmishes are enjoyable (and there were plenty). The one thing I didn't care for was some of the graphic gore – so people taking needles to the eyes and the like, it felt unnecessary and a bit gaudy. The "normal" violence was well done and I liked that it had a certain dramatic impact due to some main characters being in real danger. There are little moments of comedy too, but mostly it is a harder film in terms of action and events.The cast is pretty good. I liked Cheng Peipei but I did think she did look a little too young for the role; the irony is that I think she was over 30 when she did this film, but she looks a lot younger and it didn't fit my vision of this legendary master. Shih Szu is must better cast; she has a sass of youth to her and has the bright eyes of enthusiasm which can give way to hurt or disillusionment well. Lo Lieh works well with both of them and, although a bit hammy, I enjoyed Wang Hsieh as the villain of the film. The filming is professional and makes good use of external locations and the action is well put together without being excessively choreographed.Some of the violence didn't really work for me personally, but other than this I did enjoy the characters, the plot and the action. It was an added bonus to have it be all female leads and for both actresses to be good in their roles (although Shih is the better of the two.

This is a subtle, clever film that is almost as good as it gets. The first two thirds of the film are strongly character driven with the two strong female leads and Lo Lieh interacting very well. There are a few fights and given Cheng Pei Pei showed herself a master of the whip in SHADOW WHIP it is surprising that it is Shih Szu who uses it here - though she switches to the sword for the almost AZUMI like ending. Here no quarter is given and the set pieces on the wooden bridge and the pagoda are very bloody and terrific action. One of the great martial arts films and worth adding to any collection. Unusual for having two strong, almost equal female leads and a real love story. The Celestial DVD is very well done with for example the fight in the misty bamboo forest showing as well as any modern film. An few interviews would have been nice to give some background as it must have been an interesting film to make. This was Cheng Pei-pei's second-to-last Shaw Brothers film. It is also fun to try and spot Sammo Hung who appears briefly as one of the villains several times.

Although the main plot is the standard "young inexperienced student trains under master to defeat evil overlord" story, the fact that both heroic kung fu masters are female adds a welcome turn of events. The fact that they are also engaged in a love triangle also adds another dimension to the plot. Both Cheng Pei-pei and Shih Szu look fabulous in this film and it marks an interesting point in both their careers.At this point, Cheng Pei-pei had been a major star for the Shaw Brothers for a few years. Enter Shih Szu, only 16 when this film was made. The theme of "young student taking over where master leaves off" is very appropriate for this film as Shih Szu became the Shaw's newest female star.