The Flag Of Iron

AKA The Spearman of Death
Hong Kong premiere: August 14, 1980
Director: Chang Cheh
Stars: Philip Kwok, Lu Feng, Chiang Sheng, Lung Tien-Hsiang, Yu Tai-Ping, Wong Lik, Wong Ching-Ho, Liang Yao-Wen, Chan Shen, Chow Kin-Ping, Wong Wa, Kwan Feng, Chiang Kam, Wan Seung-Lam, Lau Fong-Sai, Lam Fai-Wong, Lam Sau-Kwan, Siao Yuk, Lam Chi-Tai, Wang Han-Chen, Fung Ging-Man, Fung Ming
Story Overview: The master of the Iron Flag Clan has been murdered, and Philip Kwok takes the blame. He escapes into the countryside but is pursued by ten colorful assassins, then returns to the city to seek revenge on the man that planned the deed...with the help of the assassin who carried it out!
My Nutshell Review: There’s something electrifying about watching the Venom Mob fight each other, and even though only three of them are in this and they don’t fight until the closing scene, that fight is well worth the wait. But actually, watch this one for the side story that takes up pretty much the entire middle third of the film, where the “Ten Most-Feared Assassins” all come after Philip Kwok, one after another. Each of the assassins has his own style, and each is disposed of in an interesting and unusual way. This is top ten Shaw Brothers for me, and definitely one you shouldn’t miss, though there is a badly-done DVD version from the 90s that cuts out important action, so be careful which version you see. The version Amazon is streaming is much better.
My Flickchart Score: 94% (What’s This?)
Watch it free on Amazon Prime here.

* * * * * * *
In-Depth Synopsis

* * * * * * *

I hope you like this tavern, with its lovely balcony.

If you watch many Shaw Brothers movies, it’s gonna get really familiar.

After our usual opening credits montage, featuring the styles and weapons we’ll be seeing in the movie, we start at a table in a tavern where two members of the Iron Flag Clan, Luo Xin the Iron Leopard (Philip Kwok) and Yuan Lang the Iron Monkey (Chiang Sheng) are playing a drinking game. The game involves shouting numbers in unison, and the rules are unclear, but it does seem (unlike American drinking games) the point is for both players to drink after every round, so I suppose the rules don’t matter that much. Anyway, the two happen to notice a couple of thugs passing them carrying a large sack, the contents of which are clearly alive and struggling, so they decide to investigate. It turns out that the bag contains a woman, who is being taken to the brothel across the street, so the pair walk in to have a look.

It is, perhaps, a trifle suspicious.

(L-R) Philip Kwok as Luo Xin, Chiang Sheng as Yuan Lang,

Unknown Actor as a goon, and Tam Wai-Man as another goon.

Inside they are approached by the...I don’t know, the maître d’, maybe? What do you call the greeter in a brothel? Anyway, he’s named Liang and is played by Lam Fai-Wong. He offers them drinks and girls, but they say they are interested in the new one they’ve just come across outside, and order the two thugs to carry their sack in. 

Lam Fai-Wong as Liang, a man who doesn’t yet know how much trouble he’s in.

Liang objects that, as she’s new, she won’t have been trained yet and will be unable to entertain them properly, and further requests that they give some face to Eagle Clan, which owns the brothel. They insist, however, so the thugs set the sack down and open it. By now, the staff and clientele have taken an interest and begun to gather ‘round, including a rather forbidding-looking gentleman who watches with some interest from upstairs while casually fingering his spear.

Lam Sau-Kwan as Lan Xin.

The sack turns out to contain a weeping Lam Sau-Kwan playing Lan Xin, the daughter of a man who owes the Eagles money. They have taken her in payment of that debt. The duo, disgusted, slap Liang around a little bit and tell her to go home. The thugs attempt to argue but are quickly put down by Luo Xin, and the young woman escapes. Four more thugs appear, these armed with swords, but the two heroes take them out just as quickly. The dangerous-looking man upstairs shakes off his cloak as if to join in the fight, but instead just scratches his now-naked back and smiles. Liang tries to sneak off, but the heroes decide to have a little fun. They instruct two of the thugs to wrap him in a rug, and take him away to the Eagle Clan’s gambling house.

We don’t know it yet, but this is Lung Tien-Hsiang

as Yan Xiu, the White-Robed Rambler.

At the casino they are met by that establishment’s...well, we’ll call him the Pit Boss, played by Fung Ging-Man. He asks if they’re looking for a game, and they are: they want to gamble for “this living treasure,” meaning Liang. For such a large bet, the manager Zeng (Wang Han-Chen) is called to the front. So they bet on his brain (“Very useful for conjuring up devious ideas!”), his hands, his feet, and each time the manager has to rig the game so that the house will lose to avoid these bits being cut off and given in payment. But when they get to his heart and liver (only worth a few dimes as they’re “black and rotten”) the house wins.

Obviously, it was necessary to include this image.

Fortunately for Mr. Liang, just as they’re about to cut these organs out, two Eagle Clan heroes show up. These are Chen Xiang the Flying Eagle (Yu Tai-Ping) and Fierce Eagle Gao Deng (Wong Lik), and they’re accompanied by a troop of swordsmen of the type our heroes have already dispatched at the brothel. But before the fight can get too serious, in walks the Iron Tiger, Cao Feng (Lu Feng). The troop of thugs rush him, but he grabs the table Liang is lying on and throws it at them, causing all their swords to be stuck through the wood (conveniently surrounding but not quite touching Liang himself, who faints). With this, the fight seems to be over.

Lu Feng as Iron Tiger Cao Feng.

Cut to the Iron Flag Clan’s headquarters, where we see their Chief, Tieh (Liang Yao-Wen, meant to seem at least twenty years older than he is, but the effort seems to have been somewhat half-hearted) working out, surrounded by a bunch of underlings wearing what we now realize is the clan’s trademark black-and-red capes. Chief Tieh asks the trio of heroes about the trouble at Eagle Clan, and they tell him how the Eagles are doing all sorts of immoral things and must be eliminated. At this point a messenger arrives from the Eagle Clan chief, Mi Ju Gao. The message says that underlings get up to bad things that the Chief doesn’t know about and thanks the Iron Flag heroes for disciplining them. Also, they are all invited to a peace-making banquet at Eagle Clan HQ the following evening. The first part is a transparent lie, and the second part a transparent trap. After all, the Iron Flag will have to surrender its weapons before entering the banquet, and will then be easy pickings for the Eagles.

Chief Tieh, played by Liang Yao-Wen who, as you can plainly see,

is a really, really old man. Really.

But Cao has a plan: they should attend the dinner apparently in good faith, but bring along a dangerous assassin he has recently struck up a friendship with. This killer will sneak into the hall and, when things go bad, surprise the Eagles and kill their chief. Since it seems clear that the Eagles and the Iron Flags can’t coexist, this opportunity to wipe them out should be taken. The killer is the White-Robed Rambler Yan Xiu (Lung Tien-Hsiang), who now enters the room. Turns out he’s the dangerous-looking spearman from the brothel. The five men are introduced to each other and agree to Cao’s plan, and underling Liu Heng (Siao Yuk) is sent to tell the Eagles that they will attend the banquet.

(L-R) Wong Lik as Gao Deng, Chan Shen as Chief Mi, Yu Tai-Ping as Chen Xiang.

I don’t know why they call themselves the Eagles.

They’re all heavily into leopard skins.

At Eagle Hall we see Chief Mi (Chan Shen) instructing his men as to how they are to carry out their treachery. The hidden swordsmen will attack when Chief Mi calls for more wine. Now our Iron Flags enter, submit to being searched for weapons, and sit at the table with the Chief and the two Eagle Clan heroes we’ve already met. Some inanities pass, apologies are offered, toasts are made, the wine runs out, and Chief Mi calls for more. The swordsmen rush in and surround the table as Chief Mi and his two heroes rise and take their weapons. “Chief Mi, what do you mean by this?” asks Cao. Mi laughs. “Don’t you know there’s no such thing as a free lunch?” He orders his men to attack, leaving no one alive, and we get a riot, wherein the unarmed Iron Flags hold off their attackers mostly using the furniture.

Toughest part of watching Shaw Brothers movies:

they’re always setting out these elaborate feasts,

and then getting into fights instead of eating.

Now the Rambler enters the scene, and Chief Mi recognizes him. “Chief Tieh knew there are no free lunches,” he says, “so he asked me to be an unwelcome guest.” He tosses weapons to all the Iron Flags present, then attacks and drives off Chen Xiang and Gao Deng as the Iron Flags begin to turn the tide against the troop of swordsmen. Suddenly Chief Tieh cries out; he’s been struck by a dart of some kind in the back. Mortally wounded, he still manages to kill Chief Mi (with the help of Cao) and the rest of the Eagles run off or are defeated.

Seriously, have you ever seen worse old-age makeup?

The Iron Flags lead Chief Tieh to a chair, where he prepares to breathe his last. He is about to name Luo Xin his successor, but Cao jumps in front of him to ask who should lead the clan. The Chief appears to be about to accuse Cao of something, but can only get out the word “YOU!” before dying. They carry Chief Tieh’s body back to their own HQ. Cao says that they have three important jobs ahead of them: 1) bury the chief, 2) avenge his murder, and 3) name a new chief. This last should come first, to facilitate carrying out the other two. Liu Heng says that Cao should be chief, since he’s the most senior, but Cao cautions everyone that this shouldn’t be automatic, and that they must decide on the best man for the job. Liu further says that Chief Tieh said “YOU!” when Cao asked him who should replace him. Yuan interposes that, while he doesn’t object to Cao, he thinks that the Chief was looking at Luo when deciding who should replace him. Cao then asks if Luo should be chief. The room divides between the two, with supporters for each. Luo, for the good of clan unity, declares that he himself thinks that Cao should be chief, and this is agreed to over Yuan’s objections.

Corrupt constables. The one on the left is Fung Ming.

No idea about the other guy.

Now the law shows up in the persons of Constables Huang and Jiang (I believe one of these is an uncredited Fung Ming, but I can’t tell which constable goes by which name). They say that the surviving Eagle heroes (the ones driven off by the Rambler, though now it looks like they might have left as part of the conspiracy) have accused the Iron Flag of a murderous gang attack. Usually the law stays out of these fights between schools, but since the Eagle Clan has filed an official complaint they have to deal with it. Although neither side is blameless and both sides have suffered, the Eagles have suffered more, so they must punish someone when the case goes to court. Cao offers to take all the blame himself, but the constables point out that he’s the new chief and his clan needs him. Luo asks if someone else would do, and the constables say it would have to be someone of importance like, say...him. Luo agrees. With a sizable bribe as a sweetener, the constables agree to a plan that has Luo escaping his guilt into the countryside, to be recalled once the heat is off, and they leave with their huge pile of silver.

Wong Ching-Ho as Mr. Hu.

Cao tells Luo how much they all appreciate his sacrifice, and that he little thought matters would come to this. He instructs Mr. Hu (Wong Ching-Ho), who appears to be the bookkeeper, to empty out the coffers for Luo’s trip, but Mr. Hu says that the coffers have just been emptied to pay the bribe. Cao says to give him whatever’s left, then tells Luo to write once he’s settled down and he’ll send more money.

The most dangerous busboy in all of China.

We see Luo arrive at the Lok Tian Inn and ask for lodgings, then we jump some several months into the future, to find him working as a busboy to pay off his debts. He is belittled and bullied by the staff, composed of the Innkeeper (Chow Kin-Ping) and his three sons. They order him around and call him lazy as he daydreams about returning home, a bit like Cinderella, really. No money has come yet. He goes to the well behind the inn to wash the dishes as a mean-looking dude (Wong Wa) with a big axe walks into the dining room. Nobody introduces him to us, so I’ll just tell you this is the Iron Axe.

Wong Wa as The Iron Axe, that subtlest of all assassins.

He sits at a table but sees Luo in the back yard and sneaks up behind him. Just as he raises his axe Luo spins and stabs him with a handful of chopsticks. They aren’t sharp enough to penetrate very deeply, so the Iron Axe falls back, then attacks again. The fight is short but very neat, and Luo wins it by slamming his bus tray into his enemy’s abdomen, causing all the chopsticks to stab him right through! Luo then hides the body in the well, which seems like a bad idea since he has to wash dishes there. I mean, yuck.

He came to a sticky end. Get it? ‘Cause chopsticks?

Eh, never mind.

Later that evening we see that Yuan has come to the inn, and is eating a very large meal while a waiter greedily adds up his tab. Luo walks in, and there’s a joyful reunion until the waiter asks for payment of Yuan’s exorbitant bill. Luo tells him to pay it, and to pay off his debts, but it turns that Yuan also has no money. They both have important things to talk about, and when the waiter tries to cut up rough about it they casually lift him up and slam him down on the counter. Luo tells the inn’s owner that he will also work to pay off his friend’s bill, but that right now he needs some time off, and the owner agrees.

Luo and Yuan retreat to the back yard, where Yuan tells Luo that both of them have been cut off from the clan. Cao has joined with Chen Xiang and Gao Deng to run the brothel and the casino, and they are even more immoral and ruthless than Chief Mi was. Luo protests that Cao has always been righteous, and he seems not to believe Yuan, even though Yuan points out that Luo hasn’t received any of the money Cao promised. Yuan goes on to speculate that perhaps Cao was behind the murder of Chief Tieh, which is too far for Luo, who becomes angry. He doesn’t know what to believe, but Yuan needs him to help get to the bottom of the mystery and set everything right. While Luo is trying to think, Yuan sees the axe still leaning against the well, and Luo tells him what happened. Yuan tells him about the Ten Most-Feared Assassins, of whom one was the White-Robed Rambler. Another is Iron Axe, who might be the man who attacked Luo. And there’s even a little poem about them!

Anyway, Yuan has also come to warn Luo that the Ten might be after him. He knows one by sight, and another is dead, but the other eight must be looked out for. Nobody knows what they look like or what weapons they use. Besides the Iron Axe and the Rambler, there’s a fortune-teller, a butcher, an accountant, a naughty kid, and a smiling old man with three sons. Yuan warns Luo to be careful and leaves. Luo goes to follow him, but one of the waiters says he’s got even more debt to pay off now, and he can start by going to the market and buying five catties of meat.

Kwan Feng as the Blind Fortuneteller.

Not to sound cynical, but I think he might not actually be blind.

On his way he meets a blind fortune-teller (Kwan Feng) trying to descend some stairs. Luo goes up to help and this turns into one of my favorite fight scenes ever. It’s too short, but Kwan’s speed and accuracy with his spear, and Kwok’s agility, and the timing as these two things come together, are really pretty breathtaking. I often rewind this sequence once or twice when I watch this film. The fight ends in a slightly bizarre way; Luo kicks the fortune-teller so that he flies through a heavy curtain, flipping upside-down. His feet catch in the eaves of the building and he falls in such a way that several broken slats from the window impale him.

Chiang Kam as the Killer Butcher.

After checking to make sure there are no witnesses, Luo goes on to the butcher’s.

Gotta love the pose Chiang Sheng is striking

in the background here.
“Oh, you’re fighting for your life?

How interesting (YAWN).”

He places his order, the butcher casually cuts off a hunk of meat, ties it up, hands it to him, and then tries to chop him in half with his cleaver. So this is not just any butcher, it’s the Killer Butcher (Chiang Kam), which seems a bit redundant. Anyway, his blow is deflected by the staff of Yuan, who has been watching over Luo, though not carefully enough to prevent the attack from the fortune-teller, it seems. Luo takes the staff to defend himself, but the Butcher chops it in two. Yuan tosses Luo another staff and another, and each meets the same fate. Finally Luo realizes that each time this happens the remnant of the staff is sharp, so he stabs the Butcher. The Butcher cuts off the staff again, just outside the wound, Luo stabs again, Butcher cuts again...pretty soon, he’s just full of six-inch splinters of wood and all the staves are gone.

I’m not gonna make a joke here, since nobody liked the one about chopsticks.

Fill one in for yourself.

Meanwhile, we see Yan Xiu the White-Robed Rambler arrive at the inn. He takes a room and asks not to be disturbed. He is immediately followed by another man (Wan Seung-Lam) carrying an iron abacus. He also asks for a room, and once both are safely out of sight Luo returns with the meat. A little later he comes from the kitchen with a tray of food and begins to take it into the Rambler’s room, but one of the waiters stops him, since that guest does not want to be disturbed. So Luo takes the food to the Iron Abacus.

At this, the guest snaps the abacus apart and the many iron beads fly at Luo like bullets, but he evades them. Then the frame of the abacus comes apart to form two sort-of nunchaku and we get another big fight through the dining room, as the staff and manager look on in fear. Luo defends himself with the benches from the table, then breaks a dish and uses a sharp fragment of it in an attempt to interrogate the Iron Abacus, who impales himself on the shard rather than betray a confidence.

The Innkeeper is a little freaked out, since some of his furniture is broken up and there’s a corpse in the middle of his floor, with the dinner rush about to start. As if to accent his concern, we hear knocking at the door. So they take the body and toss it in the well out back, and straighten up as best they can, before opening the door to reveal a rich-looking but petulant and fairly ridiculous youth (Lau Fong-Sai) carrying an enormous scabbard entwined with golden dragons. He orders wine, but Luo doubts that he’s old enough to drink it. He calls the kid “little fellow,” and the kid insists that he should call him “Little Hero” instead.

Sure, sonny.

Lau Fong-Sai as the Naughty Kid.

Upon receiving his wine, he asks also for food and a room, and Luo agrees, but warns that if he goes about like he does he might fall prey to robbers. The kid says this is impossible, as he has good skills and a deadly sword, but then he pulls the sword from the massive scabbard and we find that it’s little more than a long knife (while a Bugs Bunny string effect plays in the background). Luo laughs, and after a moment the kid laughs along...and then suddenly he presses a hidden button on the sword’s pommel and the blade extends, with two shorter blades emerging from the hilt. He stabs Luo in the shoulder before he can react.

A threat becomes a joke becomes a threat again. The boy is cleverer than he looks.

Now the fight begins, with Luo once again defending himself with the furniture and the Innkeeper and his sons once again hiding behind the counter. Luo finally wins by breaking a bench over the kid’s head, then stabbing him under the arms with the sharp fragments of the legs. Now the family emerges from behind the counter, and one of the sons remarks, “I don’t think the Naughty Kid was that dangerous,” to which his father replies, “It’s difficult to win when others see your weakness. An assassin must not overact. He must pretend well, understand?” But I guess the son didn’t, because he strips off his shirt, grabs a sickle and a baton, and jumps over the counter to attack Luo, who notes that the ten assassins have all shown themselves. The others, all similarly armed, attack as well.

I’m not sure this bit makes sense. Luo Xin just happened to come to an inn owned by

a family of assassins, who then just happened to get hired to kill him? Seems unlikely.

Luo breaks the legs off a table to defend himself against the family. The fight starts off pretty even, but as they go the family links their batons together, making a trap for Luo. In a very nice series of tightly-choreographed moves, he leaps impressively out of their trap only to have them immediately trap him again, and things look bad for him. Juts then, a dart pierces one of the sons, a dart very like the one that killed Chief Tieh, and we see Yan Xiu the White-Robed Rambler standing outside his room. The tip is missing from his spear, but as we watch, a new tip emerges from inside the shaft and clicks into place. Just in case we’re too dumb to figure out what’s just happened, a flashback to the Chief’s death is put in. The Rambler kills a second son, then Luo kills the Innkeeper and the final son by kicking their own sickles into their guts and kicking them out the windows at the front of the inn.

Now Luo and the Rambler confront each other. Luo asks why he would reveal that he killed Tieh, since obviously Luo will have to avenge him. The Rambler answers that, unlike other assassins, he doesn’t kill only for money. He only kills people who deserve it, and he was misled into believing that Tieh deserved death. Now he wants revenge against the man who deceived him, who is also the man who hired him to kill Luo, who of course was Cao. I mean, all long-time Shaw fans knew that as soon as Lu Feng appeared on the screen. The Rambler offers Luo a chance to settle with him then and there, but Luo says that he must return with Yuan to settle things with the Iron Flag Clan. After that he will avenge his teacher. The Rambler agrees.

Oh, man. That’s an uneasy partnership.

Luo doesn’t disbelieve Yuan, who is his closest friend and who now has the word of Yan Xiu to back him up, but he still wants to observe things back home and give Cao a chance to explain himself. So they head back home, first looting the inn (since the Innkeeper and his family were assassins, those are definitely ill-gotten gains and ripe for swiping!). So we cut to the newly-named Iron Flag Gambling House, just as Luo enters. Mr. Zeng is not super-happy to see him but pretends to be, and shows him around. Luo mentions the new signs, and Zeng informs him that the Eagle Clan is no more, and the Iron Flag owns everything now. Luo asks to see Gao Deng and Chen Xiang, and Zeng says they aren’t around, but if Luo would like to make himself comfortable he’ll send someone to find and bring them. Luo agrees and is turned over to the Pit Boss while Zeng sees to his request. He sits and begins to play dominoes, or whatever Chinese game that is. Looks like dominoes, but I certainly don’t understand the rules.

We see Gao, Chen, and Cao conferring nearby. The two former Eagles are surprised at Luo’s luck, having survived the assassins, but Cao always feared he’d have to handle Luo himself. They make plans which we aren’t allowed to hear, and then Gao and Chen go and join Luo at the table, where we see he has already won quite a lot of money. He says they’re looking well, and they say it’s thanks to Chief Cao. Luo says he hasn’t called on Brother Cao yet, but he sure hears his name a lot. The three settle down to gambling, and the other two let Luo win big (with Zeng’s connivance, of course).

Once Luo has all their money, Gao offers a new bet: all the money in front of Luo (4-5,000 taels, by his guess) vs. a red envelope he tosses on the table, which we earlier saw Cao give to him. Luo agrees without even looking inside the envelope. Zeng shuffles the dominoes, his hands visibly trembling, and Luo wins again (the way the hand is shot makes me think it must be very dramatic if one understands this game; I’ll have to look into it). The envelope turns out to contain the deed to a nice house on four acres across town. Zeng takes Luo to the house, which turns out to be beautifully furnished and fully staffed. Luo looks around, finds it all very nice, tells the servants that he doesn’t need anything right now, and leaves.

A lovely house, despite all the artifacting.

We now go to Yuan, sitting at the same table in the same tavern where we opened the film. He sees the Rambler going into the brothel, and they exchange a few words, then Luo arrives. He tells Yuan about how Gao and Chen deliberately lost a ton of money and a house to him, and assumes the obvious, that it’s a bribe. They agree that Yuan will go after the Rambler and Luo will go see Cao. Yuan goes into the brothel and finds the Rambler in bed with Lan Xin, the young woman they saved way back in Act One. He is surprised to see her, but she asks, “What’s the point in saving me once only? They caught me again.” Yuan tells the Rambler about the bribe, and the two agree as the Rambler did with Luo that they will deal with their own business after Cao has been taken care of.

“What’s the point of saving me once only?”

A good point...also a distressing question.

Luo goes to visit Cao at Iron Flag HQ, and we clearly see that half of the clan is glad to see him, and the other half aren’t. They catch up a bit, nothing important is said at first, though Cao does attempt to preserve the fiction that he didn’t know Luo was back in town and doesn’t know that he has a house. Luo ignores this and asks why, if Iron Flag Clan now controls Eagle Hall, Gao and Chen are still allowed to run their immoral businesses. Cao says that now that he’s chief he understands things better, that there are hundreds of men who depend on those businesses for their bread and butter, and he can’t just throw them all out of work. Luo says that nevertheless the whole point of defeating Eagle Hall was to try to guide men back to the path of righteousness, and Cao agrees and says he’ll speak to Gao and Chen about closing down their businesses. Luo then asks why he didn’t receive money, and how it came about that several assassins made attempts on his life. Cao unconvincingly wonders if it might have been Gao and Chen behind the assassins and promises to look into the matter. He also asks Mr. Hu about the money, and the old man says it gets sent every month. He’ll check with the bank to make sure there are no problems. Luo says these aren’t concerns anymore and not worth checking out, but he does have one question:

“Brother Cao, how do you think Teacher died?”
“It’s still an unresolved case, and investigations have turned up no leads.”
“The Rambler told me himself that he killed Teacher.”
“Really? Since he has admitted that to you, did you get to avenge him?”
“No, because he said there was someone else behind it.”
“Who?”
“You. It’s you who masterminded Teacher’s murder.”
“Brother Luo, we’ve been brothers for years. If you could believe this, I have nothing to say.”
“It’s not whether I believe. It’s what that Rambler fellow said.”
“This is a grave matter, and must be resolved. Get Rambler here and we’ll settle it once and for all...If it’s found out that I’m behind Teacher’s death, I’ll receive just punishment. However, if Rambler is the culprit and wants to stir up a fight between us, we must avenge Teacher.”

Another great meal no one’s gonna eat.

At this Luo leaves and returns to the brothel to get the Rambler, with Cao ordering his crew that no one is to leave ‘til they return. Luo charges into the room where Rambler, Yuan, and Lan Xin are eating dinner and demands that he return to IFHQ with him, but Rambler says he should have a drink and calm down first. After a moment Luo realizes Cao’s trap. If the two go there without evidence and accuse Cao, he’ll simply deny any involvement. Meanwhile, if asked, the Rambler would have to admit he did the actual killing, and so by the terms of Luo’s agreement he would have to kill the Rambler, and Cao would get away. The three again agree to settle their own differences once Cao’s crime has been revealed and he’s been punished. Until then, all they can do is wait to see what Cao does when he realizes that Luo and the Rambler aren’t coming back.

So we go back to Cao and see that his men are indeed restless, but Cao himself isn’t surprised that his enemies haven’t returned. Both are too cagey, he explains to Hu. He should send the men home. Hu asks what his plan is, and Cao says that Luo is too popular, and it would be risky for Cao to handle his murder himself. The game must start with Gao Deng and Chen Xiang. They are pawns, and can only go forward, not backward.

Pictured: going forward.

Cut to those two pawns having dinner with Luo at his house. He’s dressed all in white, like he’s about to set out on a mission of vengeance. The two, apparently at ease with their new brother, aren’t afraid to admit, in response to his questions, that Cao is actually running the gambling house and the brothel, and that they intentionally lost the house to him as a bribe. Luo then returns the house to them and attempts to leave, saying he is not for sale, but men hidden in the ceiling drop a net on him.

Literally. How weird is that?

In the brothel the Rambler and Lan Xin are back in bed and Yuan’s asking if the affection can wait a while. They tell him to go back to his own room, where there’s a girl waiting for him. But Yuan is worried; will Luo be safe back at the house? The Rambler figures that Cao wants to use Luo against him, and so won’t harm him yet, and anyway won’t do it himself because he’d have to answer to the clan if he did. But Yuan isn’t worried about Cao, he’s worried about Gao and Chen, and the Rambler has to admit he could be right.

Now we see Luo, suspended in mid-air, each wrist and ankle tied to a post, the net still around him. His clothes are torn and there’s a fair bit of blood. Chen says that if he begs they’ll let his end be quick, and Gao notes that the net is made of cow ligaments that were soaked overnight, but in the sun they are shrinking and getting tighter, which I guess explains the blood. At this moment Cao enters, with several of his clan, and for the first time we see them carrying the great black flags that give the clan its name.

Effective? Dunno. Cool? No doubt.

He asks what they think they’re doing, that he thought they’d changed their old ways. Gao then reveals the whole plot, while Luo pretends to be unconscious. Gao says that Cao is pretending for Luo’s benefit, but it’s pointless since Luo is about to die. Cao says it’s not entirely pointless, since at least he’ll get rid of Gao. The two have a duel, Cao using one of the flags (the flag poles are, of course, spears), and Gao using a halberd. It’s a pretty good fight, but very short, and ends when Chen slashes Gao’s guts open with his sword. Gao accuses him of treachery, obviously, and Chen says he’s always been loyal to Cao. Cao tells him to wait with Luo ‘til he dies to make sure, and then bring him word. He and his entourage leave.

Once they’re gone Chen cuts Luo loose. He knew Luo was conscious the whole time, and now he knows the entire plot. Luo says he doesn’t understand Chen’s actions, but Chen says there’s nothing to understand. Cao had always planned to use him and Gao and then kill them to keep them quiet. Chen just saw it coming. He knows that Cao needs Chen to kill him, but Chen will then be killed himself. Chen wants to change alliances, obviously. Luo says he can’t fight, but Chen will take him to a quiet place where he can recuperate.

I’m not sure how far you can trust this guy, to be honest.

But it turns out that Cao had also anticipated this. Some of the clan were hiding on the roof watching to see what Chen would do, and now they jump down ready for action. They succeed in killing Chen with their flags, and then one named Lu Biao (Tony Tam) goes to kill Luo, but Liu Heng (remember him?) intercedes. They can’t just kill Brother Luo, can they? Lu Biao says that Liu and Dao Cong (Lam Chi-Tai), another guard who agrees with him, should go ask Cao to make sure what his orders are while Lu and the fourth guard (Lai Yau Hing) watch Luo. (Man, I wish this scene didn’t include a Lu, a Liu, and a Luo).

L-R: Tony Tam as Lu Biao, Siao Yuk as Liu Heng, Lam Chi-Tai as Dao Cong.

So once Liu and Dao are gone, Lu goes to kill Luo, but just in time Yuan shows up with the Rambler, and there’s a pretty nice fight in which Chiang Sheng gets to show off his “jumping around on top of things” ability, which is matchless, and we see a little more of the cool ways the flags can be used as weapons. Once the guards are dead, the three make their escape.

Yup. That’ll learn him.

Cao receives news that his men are dead and Luo has disappeared. He tells Hu that he has men watching the brothel, since obviously the Rambler was behind Luo’s rescue, and soon a messenger arrives to notify him that the three heroes are indeed there. Hu asks whether they should let the three have an easy time, and Cao says he wants to let Luo recover. Apparently he still expects him to kill the Rambler, which under the circumstances seems to be an idea he should let go of, but he does seem to be clinging to it.

Anyway, Luo is being nursed back to health by Lan Xin. The Rambler is explaining to Yuan that Cao lied to him, telling him that Chief Tieh was going to join with Eagle Hall and that the people would thereby suffer, when really it was always Cao’s plan to take over everything. He takes Yuan for a walk so he can show him his spear technique, which will be a surprise for Cao once the final battle comes. This surprise should be held until the critical moment, which means when Yuan has a chance to kill Cao. It shouldn’t be revealed before that, even if the Rambler’s life is in danger. Cao clearly already knows that the tip can be fired like an arrow, and has presumably come up with some defense against that. But there’s another secret use it has that nobody knows about, and this might tip the balance when they fight. Meanwhile, back in the room, Lan Xin confides to Luo that she loves the Rambler, even though she knows they can’t have a happy ending.

Now some time has passed, and Cao believes that Luo must be recovered. He sends the loyal Liu Heng and Dao Cong to invite the two to come to see him. He says to tell them that, if his intentions weren’t peaceful, he could already have attacked them while Luo was injured (I know, right?), and Liu promises to try to convince them, trusting that Cao won’t make a liar of him. Once they’re gone Hu says that they can’t be trusted, and Cao says that’s why he’s using them; Luo won’t suspect them of treachery.

Sending honest men to deliver a dishonest message.

Saruman would be proud.

So they deliver the message, and as expected Luo says that he trusts these two. If not for them, after all, he would already have been dead before Yuan and the Rambler came to rescue him from Chen and Gao. The Rambler doesn’t trust Cao, but when Dao and Liu promise to die protecting them if necessary, he agrees to come along. But when the five get outside the brothel, they find that the tavern across the street is full of archers aiming at them. Liu and Dao, true to their word, take their flags and rush the archers, and of course get stuck full of arrows, but before they die they manage to take out the bad guys, including two who die for forgetting one of the more obvious rules of hand-to-hand combat: never jump from a high place on someone holding a spear.

Well, an honorable death, anyway.

This movie is not full of those.

Meanwhile, Cao has come behind them to kidnap Lan Xin. Luo and the Rambler go on to Cao’s, but Yuan is told to stay behind, and to remember the injunction not to use what he knows until the critical moment.

In the immortal words of Pike Bishop: “Let’s go.”

So we come to the climax. Our avengers arrive at the Iron Flag and accuse Cao of his conspiracy. He counters by accusing Luo of trying, with the Rambler’s help, to usurp the Chief’s position. Luo says that he knows Cao was hoping they would kill each other, but he won’t let him have his way, and Cao responds that he has no choice. He motions to Mr. Hu, who has Lan Xin dragged in with two swords at her throat. Cao says he doubts that they’ll let her die, but the Rambler says that he’s, well, a rambler, and what difference could any woman make to him? Luo questions why Cao, who knows he’s a superior fighter to Luo, would stoop to such a trick. Cao says he doesn’t fear him. He just wants those two to fight first, to avenge Chief Tieh. If Luo should lose, Cao will then fight the Rambler himself. Luo asks how he can trust Cao, but Cao points out that the whole clan is watching, and he would surely lose his position if he broke his word, so Luo agrees. Now that he’s stuck with it, the Rambler also agrees, on condition that Lan Xin is released first. She rushes to him, and he gives her enough gold to buy her freedom, telling her to run far away. She rushes out in tears.

“I know that we can’t have a happy ending, but I won’t forget him.”

Cao asks mockingly whether the flag Luo is holding is Dao’s or Liu’s. Either way it doesn’t suit him, and he has Luo’s own flag brought out. Now he and the Rambler square off. It’s a gorgeous fight visually, the Rambler dressed all in white with his two short, gleaming silver spears, Luo in his clan’s black and red with the matching flag wrapped tight around its pole

On separate occasions each man has his blade at the other’s throat, but both let the fight continue, and Cao finally gives in to frutsration. He grabs a flag and throws it clean through the Rambler. But he’s not dead yet; he ties his torn shirt around his belly to keep his guts in, and fights off the Iron Flag guards as this movie finally, as all Venom Mob movies must, comes down to a fight between Lu Feng and Philip Kwok.

This fight is really an amazing flag dance, with both men flying through the air, spinning in place, trading weapons and throwing them around. Cao finally manages to cut Luo’s flag to pieces, leaving him with just a spear, and at this moment Yuan shows up, leaping down from the roof with the Rambler’s spear in his hand. He fires the tip of the spear as we’ve seen before, and now we find out why Cao had that basket hanging from his belt; he uses it to catch the dart. But then Yuan fires again, and this time dozens of nails come out instead, and they pass right through the mesh of the basket and pierce his body. Then the two grab their flags and use them to lift him into the air, slam him to the ground, and finally run him through, all in slow-motion. They then run to the Rambler, to find him already dead. ANOTHER SHAW PRODUCTION.

* * * * * * *

BEST THING ABOUT THE FILM:

I know I mentioned it before, but that one-minute fight between Philip Kwok and Kwan Feng, the “blind” fortune-teller, is just brilliant. So fast, so smooth... I mean, okay, I already said all that and won’t go on about it again, but I must say it’s among my favorite things in any movie ever.

WORST THING ABOUT THE FILM: I don’t want to always say, of movies that starred some but not all of the Venoms, that I missed the ones who didn’t show up, but man... Okay, I like Lung Tien-Hsiang quite a lot, and he’s very good here, but how was that not Lo Meng? An extremely dangerous man, an essentially honorable killer who is unfortunately prone to being misled; Lo Meng’s whole career was playing guys like that! And surely Sun Chien could have been one of the assassins (the Iron Abacus, perhaps), or even Chief Tieh. That old-age makeup (really just a wig with a few grey hairs in it) couldn’t have looked any sillier on him than it did on Liang Yao-Wen. Or maybe the two of them could have played Gao Deng and Chen Xiang? I mean, again, I won’t do this every time it comes up, but this movie does cry out for them.

THOUGHTS: There are really two movies here. One (the beginning and end of the film) is the story of Luo Xin seeking revenge for the murder of his master, and that’s the plot of most of the kung fu movies ever made, of course. This includes The Duel (1971), another Shaw Brothers picture, which was also directed by Chang Cheh, and of which this film is a remake. If revenge didn’t exist as a viable plot device, neither would Shaw Brothers Studios; it’s a fairly rare picture that doesn’t include at least an element of it. As far as that sort of movie goes, this is quite a good version of it. The Venom Mob, as mentioned above, are pretty near the apex of cinematic martial arts, especially when they fight each other, and Lu Feng is a good villain, as always; smart, devious, and too powerful for any one hero to take on alone. Furthermore, the flag motif allows for plenty of beautiful and unusual imagery, imagery that is uniquely Chinese in flavor. The action in this movie has a grace and flow that make it the equal of any.

The other movie, though, is even better. I’m referring here to the long stretch in the middle where Luo Xin has to fight off the Ten Most-Feared Assassins. I would have been perfectly happy if they’d stretched that out to feature length and relegated the revenge plot to a back story that explains why all these guys are after him. Each of the killers is interesting in his own way, and most have distinctive weapons. You have to love that abacus that sprays bullets and then transforms into nunchaku, for example. And Luo dispatches them in unusual ways as well: one stabbed to death with chopsticks, one hanging upside-down and impaled on window slats, one full of tiny staves of bamboo, one stabbed with a broken plate and another with the legs of a stool, and two with their own sickles kicked into their guts (the Rambler also kills two in less interesting ways, but that’s incidental). These men, and the fates they meet, represent a great deal of imagination on the part of Chang and his co-writer (I Kuang), as well as his fight choreographers (the Venoms themselves!). This movie, the short film in the middle of the only-tangentially-related revenge tale, is exceptional. It’s this section that puts The Flag Of Iron among my top ten Shaws.