05-25-2017, 12:26 PM
In Deadful Melody, a magic lyre was the ultimate weapon everyone is after. In The Magic Blade, it's the peacock dart. So why is it called the magic blade when a dart doesn't have a blade?
I. Don't. Know.
Ti Lung and Lo Lieh are mortal enemies who become allies when scores of martial assassins (including Devil Grandma, bless her missing teeth) target them both. They learn that an evil master is bent on ruling the martial arts world. To succeed, he needs the ultimate martial weapon: the peacock dart. Ti Lung and Lo Lieh get the peacock dart before the evil master and then fight off scores of assassins.
When the peacock dart makes its appearance, it is baffling. It essentially a metal flower with maybe 8 shiny petals. To use it, you pluck a petal and toss it among the enemy and it explodes or creates fireworks and the enemy starts flopping around spitting up blood. Now, there's only three petals left when our heroes get it, and they must use one petal to escape. That leaves two. Then when the villain finally steals the peacock dart (am I giving too much away?), he tests the weapon on an empty room by using a petal. That leaves one effin' petal. I mean, how do you control the martial arts world with an ultimate weapon that's one petal shy of being deflowered?
Anyway, most of the fights involve swords, and Ti Lung uses an oversized butterfly knife with a sidehandle -- like a tonfa. So the title, The Magic Blade, actually sort of works, while that damned peacock dart ought to have been called the red herring.
Lots of elaborate sets for a rather meandering plot. A bit of nudity in the final reel (likely Japanese women imported for that purpose, based on the moral standards of Japan vs. Hong Kong, as I understand it). Great to see Ti Lung and Lo Lieh costarring.
I. Don't. Know.
Ti Lung and Lo Lieh are mortal enemies who become allies when scores of martial assassins (including Devil Grandma, bless her missing teeth) target them both. They learn that an evil master is bent on ruling the martial arts world. To succeed, he needs the ultimate martial weapon: the peacock dart. Ti Lung and Lo Lieh get the peacock dart before the evil master and then fight off scores of assassins.
When the peacock dart makes its appearance, it is baffling. It essentially a metal flower with maybe 8 shiny petals. To use it, you pluck a petal and toss it among the enemy and it explodes or creates fireworks and the enemy starts flopping around spitting up blood. Now, there's only three petals left when our heroes get it, and they must use one petal to escape. That leaves two. Then when the villain finally steals the peacock dart (am I giving too much away?), he tests the weapon on an empty room by using a petal. That leaves one effin' petal. I mean, how do you control the martial arts world with an ultimate weapon that's one petal shy of being deflowered?
Anyway, most of the fights involve swords, and Ti Lung uses an oversized butterfly knife with a sidehandle -- like a tonfa. So the title, The Magic Blade, actually sort of works, while that damned peacock dart ought to have been called the red herring.
Lots of elaborate sets for a rather meandering plot. A bit of nudity in the final reel (likely Japanese women imported for that purpose, based on the moral standards of Japan vs. Hong Kong, as I understand it). Great to see Ti Lung and Lo Lieh costarring.
I'm nobody's pony.