Viewer Comments:The Savage 5
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"The Savage Five" is an Asian western by the master of kung fu, Chang Cheh, and probably one of his best movies! Maybe inspired by Sam Peckinpah. An all-star cast with all the Chang Cheh gang (Ti Lung, David Chiang, Danny Lee, Chen Kuan Tai), an interesting female character, a bunch of really cruel villains, torture, blood, and lots of savage fights!
Classic. My favorite ultimate bad guy film, all-star cast, robbing, killing, raping, pillaging, non stop action... Will the town save itself or perish? A must-have.
-Kung Fu Classic Viewer (see my profile)
Even if you dont like it, this is just a very memorable film. A Hong Kong film but with the feel of a western.
This movie was not what I expected. The martial arts didn't blow me away, but they are not meant to. This movie is so true to its storyline that no one is an invincible fighter--just desperate people trying to save their families from bad people. The fights suit the movie--people doing what it takes to win, even if that means dying yourself. I liked the fact that the guy with the gun was pathetic without it. This is not a martial arts epic, so if you want flashy fights then this ain't for you; but if you want an all around movie with good acting and honesty, then this may surprise you. I don't know how loved Ti Lung was in China, but everything I have watched him in has been excellent. He's such a well balanced actor.
-AKURA SAMURAI (see my profile)
| This is my second-favorite kung fu film of all time. If you are looking for fancy, pretty, flashy choreography...then go look somewhere else. This film is about a small village with ordinary people who find themselves suddenly in a fight for their lives.
Chiang Tao heads a band of thieves on the run after a bank robbery where they took off with the safe and apparently murdered some of the bank workers. They find refuge in a peaceful seaside village where David Chiang (a small-time village thief that the people like so much that even though they catch him stealing, they can't bring themselves to punish him), Ti Lung (a former martial arts master who has gotten a bit lazy but still fancies himself as a master), Chen Kuan Tai (a hard working restaurant owner along with his girlfriend), Danny Lee (a blacksmith), and Wang Chung (an acrobat who happens to be in the wrong place at the wrong time) happen to all reside...well actually Wang Chung is just passing through. The bandits decide to stay at this village because the police are days away and they need the blacksmith to open the safe. What makes this film so good is that the heroes are ordinary people...you and me. The bandits kick a sick Wang Chung out of the inn and hang him outside after he tries to resist them. The scene where Ti Lung decides to go and try to cut Wang Chung down is just wonderful. You see this man (Ti Lung), who is very afraid because he has obviously never really had a true life and death fight, but he digs down deep and finds the courage to go and help this man he doesn't even know. Chen Kuan Tai goes along with him and try as they might they are simply no match for the knives the bandits use. Soon, Ti Lung and Chen Kuan Tai find themselves tied to a wagon and whipped as they are forced to drive the bandits through town to serve as an example of what happens to people who try to fight. Ti Lung and Chen Kuan Tai are about to be executed in front of the town when the bandits decide that if the women of the town are willing to entertain them, they will let the two men go. Eventually, Chen Kuan Tai's girlfriend (played by Linda Chu) steps forward. She tells the eight bandits that she can handle all of them if they just let the men go and leave the young girls of the village alone. A very sobering scene as Chu walks away with the bandits and Chen Kuan Tai and Ti Lung watch her go, knowing there is nothing they can do about it. There are a few twists and some rather brutal and emotional fights in this movie. Simply put, this is a very good film with wonderful characters. |
| AGREE? | READER COMMENTS | AUTHOR |
| Y | I agree with you 100%, the plot is one of the best as you wait for the band of thieves to get their come-uppance! | Sgt. T |
This movie definitely has the feel of a spaghetti western, including the background music. I would have preferred if they didn't bring guns into the storyline toward the end, but that's a minor complaint. This film is really cool and the action is quite good also.
-William Giordanella (see my profile)
| "The Savage 5" is truly a kung fu western, set in the Far East. Director Chang Cheh's film about bandits entering a small town with stolen treasure in tow, and forcing themselves on the commonfolk brings back memories of films like "Magnificent 7", or even "A Fistful of Dollars".
Chang's stable of action stars fit their roles perfectly: These characters were different than the macho toughs many of these stars potrayed up to this point, and their interaction with one another allows the audience to build an overall feeling for each character. When the townspeople are being put to death for not co-operating with the bandits, each man's reluctance to take action for personal reasons lends an idea of restraint not common in Kung Fu films of the era. The heroes usually forge headfirst into battle, not in this film, and that works. Fight choreography, once again by Tang Chia, is good,and has a street element to it. The bandits also hoard knives as well as the great equalizer, the pistol. I like "Savage 5", the kung fu western, and fans should take a peek, for Chang was really doing something innovative with the stories around Hong Kong action at the time. He was a very intelligent man, and has earned the right to be respected for his contributions to the action film globally. |
A great story and good fights, fun movie.
masterpiece
Many more years ago than I care to recall I happened to catch a showing of this film on a local TV station's late night movie broadcast. It was one of the first Shaw Brothers films I ever saw--and I have never forgotten it! Sure, it is yet another reworking of Kurosawa's SEVEN SAMURAI. Sure, the soundtrack is lifted almost entirely from Ennio Morricone's scores for DEATH RIDES A HORSE and THE RETURN OF RINGO. But, all of these things are used to great advantage in this darn-near brilliant Chang Cheh actionfest! Ti Lung, David Chiang, Danny Lee, and the rest of the cast are in top form and the direction by Master Cheh is superb. A slam-bang flick that no self-respecting Chang Cheh fan should be without.
| I wasn't expecting much from this movie, but I came away pleasantly surprised. The plot of The Savage 5 is more like a spaghetti western that a kung-fu film: desperate bandits ride into town and start terrorizing the townfolk. The locals have mixed feelings about how to best deal with the threat to their peaceful village: the elders think that giving into the demands of the bandits will make them leave faster, while the youths feel that the bandits could be repelled if only the townfolk would fight back.
The plot is given a further twist by the introduction of a character who fights with 'modern' weapons. He arrives just in time to turn the tide decisively agianst the town. I don't want to give away too much, so let's just say it's a novelty that owes a small debt to Kurosawa, in my opinion. In the post-9/11 world, the themes of this movie are especially relevant. All people suffer cruelty, violence, and terror in this film, but none suffer so much as the youths who confront the evil bandits directly. |
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