Pursuit of Vengeance (1977)

"If your sword skill is poor, best to not carry it."

Pursuit of Vengeance was a 1977 kung fu flick whose cast was stronger than its story. Based on a Gu Long book, Chor Yuen must have struggled to contain the story in a 90-minute film. While the story may have been convoluted, the potent combination of Ti Lung, Tony Liu, and Lo Lieh made the film entertaining.

Fu Hong Xue and Ye Kai wander into town and are invited to Ma Kong Qun’s school for dinner along with four other fighters. Six coffins are delivered ahead of them, not a good sign of a friendly welcome. Amongst the attendees is the unknown surviving son of Master Bai. The family leader was ambushed by thirty masked warriors and brutally murdered twenty years prior. Fu and Ye develop a friendship as they fight together or watch the other one fight. Into the mix, a sword for hire and playboy, Lu Xiao Jia drops into their laps. Lu has been sent to kill them, but as he hasn’t been paid yet, he works to keep them alive until he sees the money.

The Gu Long story behind Pursuit of Vengeance was also made into the 1993 movie, A Warrior’s Tragedy. I’d hoped by watching this film that I would better understand AWT, but alas not. The original story must have been quite complex with numerous characters as both films struggled to narrow down the focus and make it understandable. Frankie Chan wrote the music for this film and then 17 years later directed and starred in the remake. Ti Lung played Fu in both adaptations. At least he was closer to the character’s age in this one and didn’t walk around with that ridiculous limp as he did in AWT.

Despite the fact that this film was absurdly written, I enjoyed watching Ti Lung and Lo Lieh. Ti, as he usually did, played the straight man, this time to Lo and Tony Liu who delivered their comedy without going OTT. There were so many fights that many bit actors and stuntmen died at least twice! Mama Hung who was normally cast as a random villager even got in on the action as did Oyang Sha Fei! Tang Chia designed the fights which meant that they more theatrical than realistic. Unlike the remake’s over the top wire work, PoV had a modicum of super leaping individuals. It more than made up for any realistic elements by overusing the Mission Impossible face masks.

Pursuit of Vengeance had trouble with what must have been an unwieldy book to translate onto the screen. The fights were typical of the time, including bizarre weaponry. What made the film entertaining for me was the camaraderie between Ti Lung, Tony Liu, and Lo Lieh. They were fun to watch banter and fight back to back. I can honestly say I’ve never seen so much of Lo. Only for fans of old kung fu flicks and as always, rated on a generous curve for the genre.

26 April 2025
Trigger warning: Lo’s bare bottom on two occasions.

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