10TH OLD SCHOOL KUNG FU FEST: SWORD FIGHTING HEROES EDITION REVIEW!
War is in full swing now that an evil ruler, Lord Chin (Han Hsieh), has stolen two magical weapons and plans to decimate the rest of the world. Once again it is up to Swallow (Polly Ling-Feng Shang-Kuan) and Tsai (Peng Tien) to defeat Chin and bring peace to the world. The Ghost Hill is the third installment in The Swordsman of All Swordsmen series, and the battle between good and evil ends here.
The Ghost Hill instantly feels like an American western, one that might star Clint Eastwood. While there are certainly differences between The Ghost Hill and something that the world may have seen Eastwood in around the same time–the parallels are uncanny. A lone badass is tasked with dethroning a powerful and evil leader, and in the process finds himself paired with one or more unique characters. That’s what you would find in Eastwood’s spaghetti westerns, and that’s exactly what you have in The Ghost Hill. Having this parallel present throughout the entirety of The Ghost Hill bridges the gap for viewers like me that don’t have an extensive knowledge of Asian cinema. This creates the potential for a wider audience and a greater appreciation of the film as a whole.
The cinematography is often used to showcase each of the actors in an up-close-and-personal fashion, and viewers often see them in a series of awkward close-up and extreme close-ups that dull the intensity of The Ghost Hill and make it challenging for viewers to appreciate what is being depicted on screen. This is not to say that the actors do a poor job of conveying emotion, but rather that the intense and abrupt change in focus alters the way in which certain scenes feel–and not in a good way. It seems that the intention was to strengthen the intensity of The Ghost Hill, but it does just the opposite. All that Writer-Director Shan-Hsi Ting and Director of Photography Tsan-Ting Lin attempted to develop in this regard fails to work as planned, leading to dysfunctional tones and ineffectively reaching viewers.
Each of the actors are quite talented–especially considering the fact that they are often placed in odd (even comical) situations, ones in which they are meant to convey intensity and strength. The characters quarrel over watermelon and sing about needing weapons to fight sea monsters, and these situations are meant to be far more intense than what actually comes to be. Considering this, The Ghost Hill sees the actors deliver quite well, truly doing all that they can to create intensity and accessibility.
The Ghost Hill ups the ante in regard to the action sequences compared to The Swordsman of All Swordsmen, and that aspect of the film lends itself to success early and often. This is the most entertaining aspect of the entire film, as the actors once again shine brightly and the choreography is crisp, deliberate, and effective. While the narrative isn’t as entertaining as I had hoped, the action sequences help to raise the overall level of The Ghost Hill, make the film far more fun that it could have been, and entertain viewers from beginning to end.
I certainly have my issues with The Ghost Hill, as there are aspects of the film that downright fail–never appealing to me throughout the duration of the film. However, some of the things that Ting and his team are able to accomplish throughout the course of the film are truly impressive. In a lot of ways, as a result of the narrative, the cards are stacked against The Ghost Hill, but the choreography, action sequences, and acting level out the film and allow it to appeal to viewers, even in some of its less-than-ideal moments.
Written & Directed by Shan-Hsi Ting.
Starring Polly Ling-Feng Shang-Kuan, Peng Tien, Hsiang-Chin Han, David Wei Tang, Chiu-Hsia Kung, Ming Kao, Han Hsieh, etc.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐½/10
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