Kao (Lau Kong from City On Fire) is ambushed on his wedding night by rival Pai (Lee Hoi Sang from The Magnificent Butcher). Kao gets wounded but manages to escape and now begin to plot his revenge. He realizes that he himself won't be able to take on Pai so he starts looking for swordsmen who can. Kao chooses famous Ching (Wai Pai from Prodigal Son) that after a personal tragedy still decides to take on the task in exchange for payment. Another swordsmen, Green (Damian Lau from Duel To The Death), also volunteers and together the two take on Pai's hordes of warriors...

This Golden Harvest production has many of the now established trademarks of John Woo and is every bit as good looking as a Shaw Brother's production. On top of that it has probably the most fight action I've ever seen in a 70s old school movie. Best part though, it doesn't get boring for one minute.

Starting with the actual storytelling, it actually gets more room than expected in this fight-fest. It isn't repetitive as such but you can make a case that the main characters here have dynamic similar to the ones in The Killer. The friendship and the way they're fighting side by side evokes those thoughts. A not so deep storyline still gets a bit more depth through Woo's no rush attitude to the opening 30 minutes.

Woo clearly has a strong vision that he would later fine-tune to greatness in his gunplay films. Despite familiar themes such as loyalty and brotherhood, the overall storytelling is rough around the edges. For instance the love interest that the swordsmen share never really gets expanded on. There was an opportunity there but Woo never explores it fully. Last Hurrah For Chivalry is well-shot however and Woo tries to constantly vary the look of his film. Not plain at all but quite stylish at points and the pace is good because of it. When Hong Kong directors discovered the zoom they started using the crap out of it and these rapid fire zooms were a definite staple of martial arts cinema. Woo utilizes it but brings the speed of it down, making it less sudden and atmospheric instead.

Primarily it's a serious film sometimes borderlining on cheesy and Woo, like many others, also find time for comedy. Actually, he stays away from the broadest kind and these relatively few moments scores a little higher on the amusing scale. Especially Chin Yuet Sang's (director of Hocus Pocus and had a role in Woo's Heroes Shed No Tears) cameo as the Sleeping Swordsman is choreographed in a fun way with good timing from the participants involved. It ultimately is too silly for the movie but we like it. The final 20 minutes contains some twists in the story but Woo holds our interest up until the final reel without confusing us. If it had been a Wuxia adaptation we probably would've had 10 more characters and an equal amount of plot twists.

The main draw for this decently plotted affair is of course the fights and what an relentless assault it is. Primarily swordplay is on display but glimpses of hand to hand-combat makes it's way into the action. The action choreographer is Fung Hark On (fan favourite and has a small role in the movie as well) and given that the movie has many, many, many set pieces it's impressive that he finds ways to vary the action. The weaponry isn't varied but by using different and creative settings, the action comes off as pretty exciting. Wai Pai and Damian Lau's own abilities greatly helps and watching long takes of intricate choreography is today something we greatly miss. Ironically enough Fung Hark On's own scenes ranks as the highlights, especially his big scene with Wai Pai where there's some good moments of slow-motion also. Lee Hoi San is a pleasure to watch as the fighting villain and that same year he did the role he's now famous for in The Magnificent Butcher (directed by Yuen Woo-Ping). Damian Lau and Wai Pai are good together as a fighting duo and at the same time do decent work when acting is called upon. We come to care about these two characters friendship and that elevates the movie. Their skills as fighters are also undeniably real and besides them it's quite cool to watch many favourite faces directed by John Woo.

Last Hurrah For Chivalry is highly recommended viewing. When the fights start they rarely let up and the movie is fun to watch even if you're not familiar with the running themes of director John Woo.

A vicious gang kills a rich man. His son Kao (Lee) goes out for revenge, enlisting the aid of a trusty swordsman (Liv). After the swordsman fails to complete his task, a wandering warrior named Green Sleeves, who has a passion for wine and killing (Wei) decides to help out. Even after the task is completed, things are not what they seem to be as the allies begin to turn against each other and loyalities are tested.

Last Hurrah for Chivalry, while operating under a standard kung fu revenge plot, is a good movie that foreshadows some of Woo's later work, most notably A Better Tomorrow (see Woo's quote below). While some critics (such as Thomas Weisser in his book Asian Cult Cinema) have called Last Hurrah "below par."

Note: John Woo says this about the film: "Most people didn't like Last Hurrah for Chivalry. In the film, I combined the theatricality of period drama with modern dialogue to write about friendship and chivalry. Historical figures like Jing Ke [who attempted to assassinate the Qing emperor] were my heroes, because they were willing to die for their beliefs. When you see A Better Tomorrow, Chow Yun-Fat's character is the same as the wnadering knight in the film, the one who likes to drink. It's the same character." [from the Hard-Boiled DVD]

REVIEW:
This superior swordplay extravaganza boasts numerous exciting fights, high quality production values and a better-than-average story written and directed by the great John Woo.

It may be surprising to some that John Woo ever directed a kung fu picture devoid of blazing dual Berettas. Most of Woo's few films in the '70's were martial arts pics, the other most notably is "Hand of Death" (1975) co-starring Jackie Chan and Sammo Hung. What's remarkable is that the central themes in Woo's tales have not changed throughout the years. In "Last Hurrah" swords replace guns while much of the slow motion techniques common to the likes of "Hard Boiled" had yet to be implemented. But the idea of male bonding and sacrifice is ever present. Likewise, there is a fair amount of bloodletting, although tame compared to Chang Cheh's work at Shaw Brothers. Veteran action director and actor, Fung Hark-on does terrific work with the numerous fight scenes.

Although the story masterfully weaves around several main characters, Chang played by Venom alumni Wei Pai stands out as the principle character upon which the story pivots. Wei is right at home playing the somewhat naive yet talented hero who finds himself at the center of a complex plot where not everyone is as they appear and honor among friends is hard to come by.

Its truly amazing that by this early point in his career, Woo had already dispensed with the flaws present in previous efforts and found his winning formula in this film. The camerawork is assured and frequently in motion, a precursor to the more dynamic shoots of his latter films. Both embracing and shunning the trends, the music combines disco-era electric guitars and more subtle orchestral music that compliments each scene.

Woo breaks little new ground with "Last Hurrah for Chivalry." Other swordplay films such as Patrick Tam's "The Sword" (1980) stands out for its starkly beautiful cinematography. Yet "Last Hurrah" is a near flawless pic featuring one of the more engaging plotlines from the era. It won't disappoint genre fans or those who enjoy Woo's later films.

During his wedding celebrations, the scholarly Kao (Hoi San Lee) is deposed by the brutal Pai. He swears revenge, only to be warned off such action by his old teacher. To Kao's aid comes Chang (Damian Lee/Liu Sung), an expert sword fighter who had only recently hung up his blade. Also on the scene are Green (Wei Pai), a wandering alcoholic assassin who is being wooed by a high-class whore, and Pray, who is watching from the sidelines, intent on killing Chang to win the reputation of master swordsman. Chang's mother dies, and Kao arranges her funeral. Meanwhile, Kao's teacher is attacked by Pray, and his followers massacred. Chang challenges Pray to a duel and wins. He then teams up with Green to take on Pai - who's all too happy to take them on. But the duo's loyalty is soon tested, and they learn that, between friends, there are many moves to be made.

'Last Hurrah' was less than popular at the time of release - the irony being that, with Woo's trademark white doves and two-handed gun action having become shopworn, it now feels relatively fresh. The climax is in a roomful of candles, and the planning of the final attack is constructed like the 'MI:2' chemical plant set piece, but the sheer novelty of Woo with swords and knives - rather than automatics - carries the film some way. We still have two men talking intimately in the calm before the storm, then fighting back to back, bound by friendship and good old-fashioned loyalty. (At one point, the two male leads leap through a flower garden together, while the prostitute plucks at her instrument.) This was Damian Lee's debut, and he went on to 'Zu Warriors' and 'Heroic Trio'. Wei Pai is less impressive as the loner, Green; his career indeed fizzled soon after this.

Woo said 'Last Hurrah' combined the theatricality of period drama with modern dialogue, and the speech is certainly anachronistic. These characters talk of friendship in the way Chow Yun-Fat and his co-stars would in Woo's later modern day dramas - although those characters are out of time in their own way, holding on to ethics that were fading in the era of 'Last Hurrah'.

The bloody action takes up around forty minutes of the 100-minute run time, but it's of the 1970s variety, with movements well telegraphed (actors switch from one pose to the next), and several primitive fly-by-wire moments. The fights are offset with humour ("I really have to retire this time", says Pray, just before croaking), and occasionally injected with some originality, as with the sleeping Wizard, who keeps drifting off during a clash.

In short, 'Last Hurrah' is a variation on the classic 1970's style kung-fu flick, starting out as a routine revenge drama, but bringing in a sense of character missing from most of the genre. 'Last Hurrah' represents early exploration by director John Woo of one of his favorite themes, that of loyalty in a chaotic world.