Ma Hsin Yi was an eminent officer and a military general of the late Qing Dynasty who, together with other prominent officers, formed the Green Standard Army to fight against the rebels during the Taiping Rebellion. Chang Cheh's “The Blood Brothers” is an epic historical drama retelling his assassination by his officer and sworn brother Chang Wein Hsiang, played by David Chiang. Ti Lung's incredible portrayal of Ma won him the Special Award for Outstanding Performance at the 11th Golden Horse Awards in Taiwan and Best Actor Award at the Asia Pacific Film Festival.
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The detailed written confession of Chang in the courthouse after his capture also serves as the narrative of the film and it works well with the engrossing script thanks to Ni Kuang and Chang Cheh which keeps the audience invested in the characters' relationship that eventually turns sour and ends sadly. Anyway, flashback to many years ago, Chang and Huang Chung (Chen Kuan Tai) are two bandits who rob anyone who passes their remote mountain pass hunting ground. One day, they try to rob Ma, who is both a scholar and a much skillful fighter but fail. Impressed by their skills, he gives them some money and talks them into joining him to fight against the Hair Bandits, the Taiping rebels with long hair.
The three newly formed sworn brothers also defeat a small group of bandits who then become their followers. Even as their reputation starts to build up, the overly ambitious Ma wants to better himself, which sees him leaving the group for the government's official exams. Years later, he eventually works his way up and becomes a general. Nonetheless, as he promises, he recruits Chang and Huang into his army. But there is a dark cloud hanging over the reunited blood brothers. General Ma now finds himself falling desperately in love with Huang's wife Mi Lan (Ching Li) and he even has him killed so they can be together.
Actually, back in 1971, another Shaw Brothers film “Oath of Death” by Pao Hsueh Li has touched on the story of general Ma Hsin Yi. It is a rather gory and sleazy production starring Lo Lieh, Tien Feng and Wei Hung. Chang's version is definitely a much better and a well balanced retelling of the same subject. For a start, the storytelling is more engaging and able to grab the audience's attention from the very start while the lead characters are more solid. Furthermore, the beautiful outdoor locations, the battle scenes and the highly detailed costumes all contribute to give the film an epic look. The well crafted fight sequences by Lau Kar Leung and Tang Chia are equally memorable to keep the action fans happy.
The three main leads are more than adequate in portraying the three sworn brothers who live by their code of royalty and brotherhood. But Ti Lung absolutely shines as the power hungry and ambitious Ma who will stop at nothing to get what he wants. David Chiang is impressive and believable in portraying Chang, the one who carries the pains and burden as he slowly discovers the truth between his brothers and it shows on his face. In contrast, the hot-tempered brother Huang is a simple and illiterate man who likes his wine and Chen Kuan Tai is spot on in portraying him.
The only female character with depth in this film is Mi Lan, (played wonderfully by Ching Li) the wife of Huang, a tragic character torn between her happy-go-lucky husband who visits drinking places too frequently and the ambitious general Ma. Actually, her forbidden love affair with him is mutual, as she sees no future with the simple husband Huang. Even though she mostly remains in the background, her actions does contribute to the tragic downfall of the three sworn brothers. Fan Mei Sheng has a brief role as a bandit boss and Danny Lee is memorable playing the leader of the Hair Bandits.
Under the watchful direction of Chang, “The Blood Brothers” begins like a rags to riches tale which slowly turns into an epic but tragic human study. The impressive performances from all the leads and the engrossing plot make this terrific production one of Chang's and Shaw Brothers' greatest achievements.
