Optimum Asia UK DVD Synopsis: Hong Kong starlet Brigitte Lin (The Bride With White Hair, Chungking Express) stars in a masterful swordplay classic as the protector of a magical lyre with destructive forces which can only be unleashed by a skilled musician. In ancient China the land is ruled by six clans struggling for power. Each clan wants to possess the 'Demonic Strings', a mystical lyre which will guarantee them supremacy over the populace. Joining forces, the clans ruthlessly attack the guardian of the lyre and his family, and in the chaos then only two survivors are separated: the son Lui Lun (cult Hong Kong actor Yuen Biao – Once Upon A Time In China) and his older sister Snow (Lin), who escapes with the instrument. After years of patient practice, Snow has finally mastered the instrument and now seeks her revenge. Reuniting with her brother, Snow sets out to find the men who killed her family for a spectacular showdown between the forces of good and evil. (91 Mins)

 

Views: Zipping by at 100 miles-per-hour, Deadful Melody is a wild-ride through the martial world where deadly clans battle for the magic lyre; a deadly weapon that will secure their supremacy as the leader of all martial-arts clans! Badly injured in battle, the current master of the lyre arrives at his students house to pass the weapon over, but when the rival clans show-up hot on his heels, they continue their attack. Brother and sister, Lun and Snow; the children of the house, escape with the lyre but are soon separated in the chase – destined to spend the next ten years apart. During that time, Snow teaches herself the secrets of the killer instrument then makes it her mission to take revenge on the clans that killed her family. At the same time, Lun – who had been rescued by a kung fu master all those years ago, has been taught incredible martial-arts and is a hero to many. But when Snow makes an attack on the clans and finds herself up against Lun, she soon realises that's her long-lost brother and begins working with him to take vengeance on those who destroyed their family!

​

From the short-short lived production studios, Super Class Production LTD and Film City Distribution LTD – with the Chin Kar Lok movie, Little Hero On The Run, being the only other title from the latter – Deadful Melody has never been seen as a classic of Hong Kong cinema, let alone a go-to title for the great and very underrated Yuen Biao, but I've always enjoyed this action-packed 90s movie and believe it deserves a little more praise and attention (not to mention a restored Blu-ray release sometime soon). Produced and directed by Ng Min Kan, a recognizable face from many Sammo Hung movies made between the late 70s and mid-90s, Deadful Melody would be the last of his 3 directorial efforts which also included Ghost Legend with Wu Ma and Spiritual Trinity with Lam Ching Ying. Before that, Ng also worked as the assistant director on many of the same Sammo Hung movies he appeared in, including Heart Of The Dragon, Millionaires Express, Dragons Forever, and Pedicab Driver. So it comes as no surprise to see many other stars from Sammo's films starring in Deadful Melody, and more working behind the scenes. This includes his very own real-life brother, Lee Chi Kit, who has starred in many of Sammo's movies over the years from The Dead & The Deadly to Paper Marriage, and lots of other Hong Kong greats including the Mr. Vampire series and their spin-offs, As Tears Go By, Burning Ambition, High Risk, Fatal Contact, and more. On Deadful Melody, Lee serves as the assistant director and, of course, had worked with Yuen Biao many times before on films such as A Kid From Tibet, Shogun & Little Kitchen, My Kingdom, Tai Chi Hero, and obviously all of his brothers aforementioned titles. The frantic and superb martial-arts action is handled by the wonderful Mang Hoi – a man who needs no introduction and has been a major part of Sammo Hung's filmography as well as an action star in his own right – and King Lee; an actor and choreographer who worked under the legendary Lau Kar Leung for many years over at Shaw Brothers and helped direct the action on films such as My Young Auntie, Martial Club, Legendary Weapons Of China, 8 Diagram Pole Fighter and more, as well as other Hong Kong titles such as All Men Are Brothers – Blood Of The Leopard, Crazy Safari, The Fortune Code, Casino Raiders, and Yuen Biao's License To Steal. Between them, Mang Hoi and King Lee deliver a vast selection of wild, fast-paced wire-fu action, full of slick moves, explosions, deadly weapons, and quick-fire edits that should please anyone who is a fan of classics such as Swordsman 2 & 3, Butterfly & Sword, and Kung Fu Cult Master, to name but a few...

​

I keep forgetting what a great cast Deadful Melody boasts, with Yuen Biao sharing the lead alongside the fantastic Brigitte Lin. While he had already appeared in over 100 productions and been the leading star of many massive hit movies by this stage, Yuen Biao's choice of roles and popularity seemed to taking somewhat of an unfortunate dive. To many of us, it seemed that Biao had vanished from the industry for years; making a big deal of his return when appeared in Andrew Lau's box-office smash, A Man Called Hero. But in reality, this incredible performer had still been hard at work – it just so happened that most of the projects he was starring in, slipped under the radar of the mainstream audience. The mid-late 90s was a bad time for Hong Kong cinema, but even worse for Yuen Biao. As great as Deadful Melody was, Biao's next project would be alongside the equally talented Donnie Yen in Wu Ma's unfortunate Circus Kids – a film that did no favours for either stars. An enjoyable role in Sammo Hung's Don't Give A Damn soon followed, but once again, failed to ignite the box-office and was yet another blow to Yuen Biao and his burly big brother. Seemingly cast aside, Biao opted to star in cheaper productions such as the fun-but-flawed Tough Beauty & The Sloppy Slop with Cynthia Khan; a low-budget remake of Police Story 3: Super Cop that had its moments in terms of action, as well as the lesser-known kung-fu adventures, Hero Of Swallow and Dragon In Shaolin. Biao would get the chance to shine once again in the Shaw Brothers produced Hero – a fantastic and exciting re-telling of the classic Boxer From Shantung, and the underrated Hunted Hunter following soon after. A role in Millennium Dragon and Andrew Lau's aforementioned feature would take him into the 21st Century, before the next few years saw Biao take on a brave mix of projects that would throw him from pillar to post with moments of greatness in The Avenging Fist and No Problem 2, to forgettable roles in cheap productions like Boxer's Story and Hero Youngster. Ever since then, fans have waited with baited breath to see if this amazing man would ever return to superstar status and while we all know it will never happen, it's safe to say that his career has definitely been a lot better of late with enjoyable roles in films such as Rob-B-Hood, Wing Chun The Series, Turning Point, The Legend Is Born: Ip Man, My Kingdom, Sifu Vs Vampire, and more. Similarly, 1994 would also be somewhat of an important year for Ms. Brigitte Lin claiming her retirement from the industry – no doubt exhausted from the gruelling schedule she had been on since 1992. With no less than 18 leading roles over a 3 year period; including the highly energetic Swordsman 2 & 3 movies, Royal Tramp 1 & 2, Eagle Shooting Heroes, Black Panther Warriors, New Dragon Gate Inn, and Bride With White Hair 1 & 2 – Lin would see her final year out with The Dragon Chronicles, Fire Dragon, Chungking Express, The Three Swordsman, Ashes Of Time, and her role here in Deadful Melody. Both stars are joined by Sammo Hung regulars Wu Ma – who plays a clan leader known as Fire Master and is painted head-to-toe in red – Peter Chan Lung as Yuen Biao's crazed master, Chung Fat as rival clan member Hon Suen, and David Lam Wai; who stars as the big baddie of the piece known as Ghost Master. Since starting in the industry in the late 70s with the famous Shaw Brothers studios, Lam Wai has crossed paths with many of his co-stars over the years in a host of titles from any number of Shaw's movies that saw Wu Ma co-direct, to starring alongside him in A Chinese Ghost Story and more. Wai would also share the screen with Biao in films such as Those Merry Souls, Dragons Forever, and Picture Of A Nymph before following his role here with appearances in Circus Kids and Tough Beauty & The Sloppy Slop, also serving as a producer on the latter. The wonderful Elvis Tsui Kam Kong stars as the opposing Tung Fong Pak, and gets in on the action a bit more than usual, and the beautiful Carina Lau stars as Wu Ma's fiesty top student who falls for Biao's likeable character.

​

The film is shot like a live-action comic book, with cinematography handled by DOP Kwan Chi Kan; the same guy who shot films such as Yuen Biao's Peacock King and its sequel, Saga Of The Phoenix, as well as Story Of Ricky, Legend Of The Wolf, Ballistic Kiss, Shaolin Vs Evil Dead 1 & 2, Madam City Hunter, Thunderbolt, and many more. Saying that, he is joined by around 18 other cinematographers who worked together in 3 other units, which only makes me think just how fast did they shoot this movie?! I really enjoy Deadful Melody, and although it has its flaws in story and execution, the film was definitely typical of its time and had enough going on to keep me entertained. Although penned by no less than 3 writers, the script was based on a story that was written by the great-late Ni Kuang (who was pretty much responsible for the most of the films we love from Hong Kong's yesteryear). I firmly believe that a full restoration and Blu-ray release would help the film gain a little more love and attention, if not for what's involved then for the sake of it being one of the last great Yuen Biao films of his career!

​

Overall: Fast paced, action-packed, and highly enjoyable, Deadful Melody is somewhat of a forgotten gem of Hong Kong cinema, and totally worth the watch!