Movie Review: Golden Swallow (1968) directed by Cheh Chang
“Golden Swallow” Hsieh Wo Yeh (Pei-Pei Cheng) is happy living in an isolated valley with her new friend and protector “Iron Whip” Han Tao (Lieh Lo). One day they learn of a wandering warrior called “Silver Roc” (Jimmy Wang Yu) who ruthlessly exterminates criminals with his swooping sword style. Golden Swallow wonders if it could be her fellow martial arts disciple “Little Roc” Hsiao Peng. Little Roc was orphaned and scarred by bandits as a child, and sworn vengeance on all criminals as a result. He was a brilliant sword student, but secretly practiced dangerous forbidden techniques. One day he vanished, and when no word came back, everyone assumed he’d gotten himself killed.
As it happens, Silver Roc is indeed Little Roc all grown up. He spends his time wandering about, finding criminals, and killing them, leaving no survivors. But he’s lonely, and wants to contact Golden Swallow. So he’s obtained a number of darts that look like Golden Swallow’s trademark weapon, and leaves one at the site of each massacre. Naturally, the friends, loved ones and relatives of the deceased crooks decide that Golden Swallow must be responsible for these atrocities. They form a revenge squad under the leadership of the biggest bandit gang, the Gold Dragons.
The first Golden Swallow hears about this is when a team of revenge-seekers arrive in the valley to seek vengeance for the deaths of people she’s never even heard of. While Golden Swallow doesn’t deliberately go out of her way to kill people, she sees nothing wrong with lethally defending herself. She realizes that Silver Roc must have framed her for his killings, but cannot imagine why. She and Iron Whip separately leave the valley to seek out Silver Roc and get the deaths to stop multiplying.
This turns out to be a sequel to Come Drink With Me, which also starred Pei-Pei Cheng, but you absolutely do not have to have seen the previous film, since the events in it are never referred to. Despite the title, Silver Roc is actually the focus character of this movie, cutting down bandits like wheat before a scythe. He’s also something of a poet, but this is more to give Golden Swallow a clue to track him down.
Make no mistake, the people Silver Roc (and Golden Swallow and sometimes Iron Whip) kills are either horrible criminals or those who work for them. The Cao Brothers, who frame a child for theft so they can steal his family’s land, are particularly despicable. But it’s also clear that Silver Roc has long since abandoned any notion of proportionate punishment and just revels in killing anyone he can justify doing so. In the end, his all-consuming revenge ruins everyone’s lives.
I have to point out one special moment of expectation-twisting. You’d think the bandit who disobeys orders because he won’t kill the innocent would join the good guys or at least be relevant to the ongoing plot. You’d be wrong.
Content note: Lots of violence, most bloody and some downright gory. Suicide. Harm to children. Silver Roc is implied to be sleeping with a prostitute as a substitute for Golden Swallow.
While there were no more Golden Swallow films, this one did not hurt Pei-Pei Cheng’s career at all, and launched Jimmy Wang Yu into stardom. It’s got nice scenery, some stylish combat scenes (including the big moment at the end after most kung fu movies would have ended), and the acting’s decent.
Fans of violent vigilante heroes like the Punisher should really appreciate this movie.
