Deadful Melody: Viewer Comments

Lots of magic effects and flying dominate the battle scenes, but Yuen Biao does get to perform a bit of old school swordplay. Also features Brigitte Lin (and her smoldering glare) and the lovely Carina Lau.

While not quite up to the calibre of Wuxia classics like "Butterfly and Sword" or "Bride With White Hair", Deadful Melody is a fun ride and worthy of multiple viewings.

Ignoring the sometimes dodgy sets, this is quite solid and well-written, with a great soundtrack. The Chinese title for this film transalates roughly to "The Evil Six-Fingered Lyre" and I think that's a better indication of the storyline than "Deadful Melody" :) There are several master martial artists need this instrument in order to become invincible. This instrument is, of course, evil and can cause massive destruction. Finding the couple who owns the instrumental, they kill them, but unfortunately for them their daughter manages to escape with it. Fast-forwarding about twenty or so years and Yuen Biao, a security officer, is given the job to escort a mysterious package to someone living on a mountain (oops, forgot who this was). And that's all I'll say before I give the film away :) I *think* this is an adaption of a novel, but I'm not sure. Anyways, it's in the mould of "Swordsman"-many characters and multi-layered storylines. They did a good job, however, I don't think this was executed as finely as "Swordsman". Hell, but, how many films can top a classic like that? Yuen Biao's performance, at times, comes across as being too strained, and he had no chemistry with his romantic interest, but generally the other actors were quite good. The climatic fight at the end is unintentionally funny-watch the bodies fly baby!-but overall, a pretty good period flick. And, to me, the most memorable quote from this film is after the Ghost leader's son conveys to him some important information, the Ghost leader flattens his son and says angrily-"Damn you! You made me waste a drop of blood." Bwahhahah :D

In Ancient China, a powerful magic lyre is sought after by evil forces who fear it's power to destroy them. In their attempts to destroy the musical instrument, they brutally murder the family of a young peasant girl, who runs away with it and her life. She grows up seeking revenge, learning the ways of the lyre for her ultimate showdown with those who killed her family. There isn't much in the way of surprises here, as the plot is relatively simple and predictable. The story starts off slow, but in it's deliberate pace it picks up speed mightily, ultimately becoming riveting when the forces of good and evil battle each other for dominance in the breathtaking final fight. Along the way, the film is a mixed bag, with hit-and-miss gags and some rather cookie-cutter type villains engaging in poorly edited fight scenes. The real reason to watch the film is for the talents of Brigitte Lin, who captivates whenever she is onscreen. If there's anyone who doubts that she can carry a movie singlehandedly, look no further than this vehicle.