The Bells of Death (1968)

THE BELLS OF DEATH is one of the earlier swordplay movies made by the Shaw Brothers studio. It's not one of their best works but I found it better paced than THE ASSASSIN made during the same period, for example. The director is clearly influenced by Japanese samurai cinema which makes the action scenes and staging quite unique at times; they do stand out compared to the norm.The story is sparse and familiar, although stylishly told. Chang Yi's family is wiped out by bandits in the opening massacre scene, leading him on a path of revenge. There's plenty of action to keep the narrative moving along nicely along with bloody effects that make this a sometimes comic-book style romp. Chin Ping simpers in a damsel-in-distress type role, but the likes of Ku Feng shine as the oily villains and it's a pleasure to see bit parts for Wu Ma and Sammo Hung.

No one seems to realize that this is an Asian Remake of 1966's NEVADA SMITH with Steve McQueen. The guy with the big nose in this movie is the KARL MALDEN character, but he dies second instead of last. So story liberties were liberally taken to retell it to an Asian audience. But then the Magnificent Seven and Fistful of dollars are Asian Stories, retold for Western audiences!!! Turn about is fair play, I guess.To review the film. The copy I saw looked like it was filmed yesterday. Beautifully sparse landscape at the beginning. Where lots of other Shaw Films were made. Then I noticed the Western sounding Music. Three riders come upon a home and slaughter a family, an older child returns home, and vows vengeance. He hunts them down, one at a time.Still I enjoyed the flick as it was very differently put together. But it is none-the-less, NEVADA SMITH.

Bells of Death is a classic Shaw Brothers production that I first saw in the early 90s when it was released on VHS in North America. I remember being amazed when I discovered that it was made in 1968...and now that I have the restored DVD version put out by Celestial I can fully appreciate how fresh it still feels. This might seem counterintuitive considering that the plot revolves around a man who devotes his life to avenging the murder of his family at the hands of bandits...a kung fu cliché if there ever was one. But while the concept was by no means original in 1968, it was also far from being stale. Add to that the creative cinematography, camera work, and set pieces and it becomes apparent why Hollywood is still trying to catch up to Hong Kong action films almost 40 years later. So while some people call this film completely derivative, I wonder why it hasn't been copied more. Maybe just due to its relative obscurity.With the popularity of Tarantino's Kill Bill, his homage to Asian action cinema (the Shaw Brothers rip-off of the Warner Brothers marquee front and centre, the soundtrack almost directly lifted from films like Bells of Death) it might be instructive and entertaining for more people to watch these old Shaw Brothers' films. The candle fight scene at about the mid- point of Bells of Death is enough to justify hunting the film down. If Hollywood is going to strip mine old films to recycle ideas it could do much worse than recreating such brilliantly executed scenes.

Don't believe the last reviewer, or else you might find yourself missing out on a great "eastern" western. I rented the celestial remastered DVD of this movie and enjoyed the heck out of it. To think that the low star count given by the guy before me had me dreading this film: after seeing it I'm a bit upset at how a person can review this film with so little respect. It's unlike any of the other films made around this time, and it's so beautifully shot that the cinematography alone is worth your time. Made in 1968, this is easily one of the more brooding, unique swordplay films in the Celestial/IVL library. If you liked THE ASSASSIN and ONE ARMED SWORDSMAN, you'll like this film. The look is unique and the experience is a good one. Especially memorable are little flourishes: the director has a different take on the macho swordsman theme than the other directors in the Shaw stable, which makes the film a refreshing change of pace from Chang Cheh and Chu Yuan flicks. Worth a purchase? In my opinion, yes. Worth a look? Definitely.