Ode to Gallantry (1982) might entertain viewers fond of Five Venom actors. But unlikely so, for fans of Louis Cha’s novel.
Ode to Gallantry (俠客行) Synopsis
Based on the Louis Cha novel of the same name, Ode to Gallantry depicts the misadventures of Gouzazhong,i.e., Mongrel, a simple-minded beggar who chances upon the coveted black iron tablet. Kidnapped by the fearsome Xie Yanke, Mongrel unwittingly learns astonishing skills, before he is spirited away to assume leadership of the notorious Changle Sect. Luckily for the simpleton, though, it soon becomes clear that everything is a case of mistaken identity. With some luck, Mongrel might uncover his real identity. The kind-hearted young man might even be reunited with his long-lost family.
Snappy Review
So many things went wrong, for me, with this adaptation of Louis Cha’s 1966 novel. But I should first talk about the source material.
One of the famed Wuxia writer’s shorter stories, Ode to Gallantry, or Xiake Xing, stands apart from Cha’s other works in many ways.
To repeat, it’s short. The story is also straightforward and with no notable historical background.
The novel was written with a heavy satirical hand too, positively Shakespearean in so many ways. (The Hong Kong writer ever acknowledged he was inspired by Twelfth Night) For readers fussy about logic, the big reveal about Gallant Island (Xiake Dao; 侠客岛) would no doubt feel nonsensical too. I certainly felt so when I read the novel in the 90s.
Yup. It’s an oddity among Louis Cha’s works. To say the least.
Coming back to the movie, my one-line summary for this Shaw Bros kung-fu adaptation is: it’s another case of The Battle Wizard bizarreness. While the movie retained the key trope of mistaken identity, it entirely removed everything and anything about Gallant Island. To facilitate a quick wrap-up, a fresh conspiracy involving some sort of demonic sect was also scripted in.
Doing so might have been an attempt to make the tale more digestible for the general public. As I highlighted above, the original bits about Gallant Island are tough to swallow, even for Wuxia fantasy. So the changes might have been to “temper” the story.
Regardless, the omission of the key chapters removed so much of the mythical ambience that was the life of the novel. What’s left was then made drier by the weird fact that for a “kung-fu” movie, there were preciously few fights in this show.
Apart from the extended sequence that hastily wrapped up the movie, one could even say there were no noteworthy fights at all. What’s with that?!?
Lastly, and I really loathe to say this as I love his current works with TVB, Kuo Chui (Philip Kwok) was unsuitable for the role of “Mongrel.” Known as Shi Potian in the novel.
He worked hard. His acrobatic prowess impressed too. But in his early 30s when this was filmed, he just didn’t come across as an adolescent. It didn’t help that the movie specifically mentioned his character’s young age at a key moment.
Adorable as his silly grins and chuckles might be for his fans, I found them absurd. In a lot of cases, unbearably inane too.
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