Killer Clans
Liu xing hu die jian
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.
Film details
- Country of production
- Hong Kong
- Year
- 1976
- Festival edition
- IFFR 2011
- Length
- 103'
- Medium/Format
- Betacam Digi PAL
