Killer Clans

Based on the 1970s martial arts novel by well-known Taiwanese author Gu Long, the success of director Chu Yuan's adaptation triggered a craze for bringing Gu's works to the big screen. Gu effectively reinvented wuxia, injecting it with a new lease of life; in Killer Clans, The Godfather meets a romantic killer, against a backdrop of traditional martial arts chivalry. An ingenue falls for an assassin with a penchant for poetry, and the film follows the ups and downs of their fights and schemes. In building the set, Chu gave full reign to his artistic sensibilities - vicious fight sequences are set incongruously against his whimsical poetic scenery; such contrast brings an unprecedented sense of modernity to this ancient genre.