La dernière chevalerie

Due to its heavy emphasis on sleek Wuxia swordplay, John Woo's 'Last Hurrah For Chivalry (1979)' was apparently considered antiquated at the time of its release. In retrospect, though, it's clear that it's the prototype for the Heroic Bloodshed movies that would later go on to define his career (a genre which he practically created with 'A Better Tomorrow (1986)'). You can really tell that Woo is pushing against the boundaries of an existing genre in an effort to craft something new, and he gets really close to breaking into new territory here. Although it's his later films that left an irreversible mark on action cinema, this more traditional effort is just as vital - if only for the fact that it's clearly a major stepping stone in the filmmaker's journey to be able to do that. Besides, it's just a really solid and entertaining experience overall. It also has a different feel to a lot of its contemporaries; it's one of the earliest Hong Kong action films I can recall that plays with these particular themes and subverts expectation in this sort of way. It's surprisingly bleak, getting more and more world-weary as it progresses, until it eventually lets its ultimate message burst to the forefront in an eponymous last hurrah that ends things on a really bittersweet but satisfying note.

But I'm getting ahead of myself. The feature initially seems as though it's going to follow a traditional revenge plot. It focuses on a young lord who is betrayed on his wedding day and is left wounded while his family home is ransacked and stolen by a rival. Desperate for revenge, he seeks the aid of a master swordsman, who in turn finds a friend in a hired killer with a penchant for drinking and disorderly conduct. Although it seems as though the narrative is going to focus on the lord, it soon becomes apparent that it's much more interested in the swordsman and his assassin buddy. Their blossoming bromance receives a lot of attention, slowly eclipsing the story laid out in the opening moments if not in terms of screen time then in terms of importance. This emphasis goes hand in hand with the slow introduction of formula idiosyncrasies that clue you into the fact that things aren't what they initially seem and that the affair isn't as conventional as it sets itself up to be. Then, as it heads into its third act, it does something genuinely unexpected. I won't spoil what that is, but I will say that the film becomes a lot more thematically interesting in its aftermath. You find yourself sitting up in your seat, more engaged than you have been before. And then, just when you think you've adjusted to the new status quo, the film plays its final hand and shocks you once more. It isn't quite as unanticipated the second time around, but the picture is able to do something that ought to be really cliché in a really effective way. Because it's already caught you off guard once, you aren't expecting it to do so again. The element of surprise isn't the only thing that makes this moment great, though. While it initially threatens to undermine the previous beat and essentially be the coward's way out of the direction said beat necessitated, it soon becomes clear it actually hammers home the feature's themes of friendship, honor, loyalty and redemption. It's the sort of thing that simply has to happen in order for the affair to be what it is, a natural extension of the feature's underlying subversion that's ironically more unique because it's so often seen in one form or another. Basically, it's the execution of these well-worn tropes and the context in which they're used that make them so successful. The interesting themes and texture of the final act reverberates across the entire experience in retrospect, making the overall film much more exciting and fulfilling than its first two thirds make it seem to be. That's not to imply the first two thirds aren't good, just that it's the climactic segment that really pushes the film to the next level.

Aside from its unexpected thematic power, the picture has many other merits. It looks and sounds the part, standing confidently alongside its peers in terms of its aesthetic. While it isn't particularly stylish when it comes to lighting or music, it does exactly what it needs to and makes good use of exterior locations to ground the film in a certain sort of reality. There is plenty of exciting action, most of which focuses on free-flowing swordplay and includes the occasional bit of wire work. A lot of blood is spilt during these moments; the affair is surprisingly brutal, which - along with its harsher thematic elements - gives it a harder edge often missing in Wuxia cinema. The choreography is generally fantastic, as breathlessly impressive as effortlessly exciting. It's sometimes a bit stagey, but it works within the context of the film and rarely feels outright silly (there is one bizarre segment which involves a sleeping swordsman that's tonally incongruent but wickedly funny and wildly enjoyable, so it doesn't reduce the generally sincere movie's authenticity). The combat is inventive and manages to avoid feeling repetitive, even if it sometimes almost washes over you due to its constant intensity. The frequency of the fights is also a little misleading, in the sense that the picture feels like it's been on for a lot longer than it has simply because so much of it is filled to the brim with fast-paced set-pieces. In a way, the pacing is a little loose, although there aren't many areas that are in obvious need of a trim. While the plot can be a little muddled in the first half, especially as the piece juggles its various characters and has to orient the audience towards a protagonist who isn't the initially obvious focal point, everything eventually comes together in a satisfying way that makes pretty much every scene seem as though it always had to be exactly the way it is. While a lot of the narrative is a tad melodramatic, it takes itself seriously and that means we do too. It isn't dour, but it's candid in its desire to both entertain and convey a deeper theme. Because it's working within a genre that's inherently heightened, its less realistic elements don't feel out of place or counter to its overall intention.

Ultimately, this martial arts movie is really entertaining. It has several well-choreographed set-pieces that make use of the cast's capacity for impressive athleticism and is surprisingly subversive as it approaches its final third. Its thematic elements are really satisfying, too. It's easy to see how Woo could go from this to the Heroic Bloodshed that represents his most notable contribution to cinema, but it shouldn't be overlooked as a really solid movie in its own right. It does exactly what it needs to and then some, ending with a bittersweet sting that reminds us brotherhood born in bloodshed can only end the same way. It's really good.

Last Hurrah for Chivalry is a movie I'd been excited to watch for a while, because I love classic martial arts movies and I love John Woo as an action director. I'd heard this was his best movie made before he started making more modern action movies with gunfights and all, so the prospect of watching a John Woo old-school martial arts movie was always intriguing. Even if the movie hadn't been great, I think I would've just enjoyed the novelty of Woo making an action movie outside what (I imagine) is his comfort zone.

Thankfully, not only is there novelty value here, but the movie is also just a really good martial arts flick. The majority of the action is so well-choreographed and fun to watch, with probably the best fight in the movie occurring around the halfway point - a one-on-one fight in a field, complete with tons of slow-motion and spectacular scenery. It's fantastic, and then the way the climax feels like a video game - two heroes fighting through different rooms and enemies, all the way to a boss fight - is also very entertaining.

Its story is a bit chaotic at the start, introducing viewers to a man who wants revenge, but wants to get other people to do it for him. We're shown a town that's filled with what initially feels like too many characters (and side-antagonists), but I think these scenes generally pay off by the end. The story becomes easy to follow after the first half-an-hour, with at least one fairly clever twist, and characters that you come to care about more than most martial arts movie characters. I think that's what takes Last Hurrah for Chivalry from being good to very good/great.

And not only is the action really well choreographed and shot, but there's also so much of it, with it feeling like 50 to 60% of the movie is just action. It's a blast to watch, is kind of exhausting in the best way possible, and shows that John Woo can do more than just great gunfights and car chases. I'm continually feeling like as far as the action genre goes, maybe no one does it quite as well as John Woo.

When Kong's Lau's marriage is interrupted by Hoi Sang Lee for revenge -- Kong's father had stolen the villa from him -- Kong befriends Pai Wei, a notable fighter with no friends, who offers to go kill Kong's enemy. Damian Lau, a hard-drinking wanderer joins him on his quest.

It's all of John Woo's operatic and balletic techniques, and a story about professional honor among hitmen, applied to Wuxia, except for the bit where the hero rolls over firing two handguns simultaneously. I got the impression that Woo didn't really believe in what he was doing; he had been directing for about five years at this time, and had recently switched from the Shaw Brothers to Raymond Chow as his producer. Although there's lots of humor in the movie, including a "Sleeping Wizard" who fights in his sleep, this one, while worth looking at -- what John Woo movie isn't? -- is one of those movies that tries to move its genre tropes outside of its usual settings, and winds up awkward for that.

The pros of this film are the astonishing fighting scenes - absolutely incredible sword-moves and martial art show off. A true John Woo masterpiece. The story tends to be a bit week though, but it never overshadows the overwhelming display of acrobatic martial art action. If you are into martial art movies, you are going to LOVE this one!

I am a kung fu fan, but not a Woo fan. I have no interest in gangster movies filled with over-the-top gun-play. Now, martial arts; *that's* beautiful! And John Woo surprised me here by producing a highly entertaining kung fu movie, which almost has *too much* fighting, if such a thing is possible! This is good stuff.

Many of the fight scenes are very good (and some of them are less good), and the main characters are amusing and likable. The bad guys are a bit too unbelievably evil, but entertaining none the less. You gotta see the Sleeping Wizard!! He can only fight when he's asleep - it's hysterical!

Upon repeated viewings, however, Last Hurrah For Chivalry can tend to get a little boring and long-winded, also especially because many of the fight scenes are actually not that good. Hence, I rate it "only" a 7 out of 10. But it really is almost an "8".

All in all one of the better kung fu movies, made smack-dab in the heart of kung fu cinema's prime. All the really good kung fu movies are from the mid- to late 1970ies, with some notable exceptions from the late '60ies and early '70ies (and early '80ies, to be fair).