Synopsis: The aggressive and dangerous Chin empire occupies the put-upon Chao kingdom while the hero-filled Wei empire is paralysed by an indecisive ruler. (84 Mins)

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Views: This early 70s Shaw Brothers film is set during the time of the warring states, a period that you would probably be best knowing much more about before going into Call Of Arms. While not impossible to follow, director Shen Chiang and co-writer Hsu Li Min, certainly don't make it easy as they try to fit such a historic telling into a very short running time. In a nutshell, Call Of Arms tells the story of the Wei people making plans to stop the tyrannical Emperor Chin attacking, who has been busy bringing the neighbouring state of Chao to its knees...

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Although it opens with a decent bit of battle and assassination, Call To Arms slows way down for the next 20 minutes as it overloads on lots of political talk and drama. While the character of Zhu Hai seems like he's the main man we should be focused on for the journey, he quickly vanishes – popping in and out for the bigger moments of the film. In fact, with so much going on and a lot of characters coming and going, it's hard to really care about anyone. Thankfully though, and as with most Shaw Brothers kung-fu outings, the film is saved somewhat by the action, courtesy of a young Yuen Woo-Ping and Yuen Cheung Yan. Although Woo-Ping had been staring in bit-parts for Shaw productions since the early 60s, it would be almost a decade later before he would get the chance to dance when he took up the role of action-choreographer. Cheung Yan had gotten a head-start just a few years earlier, with both going on to work on many classic titles for Shaw Studios before branching out to become the legends of Hong Kong cinema that they are today. While it offers nothing spectacular, fans of the Yuen clan will enjoy watching their early work as well as catching glimpses of other Yuen brothers in the background.

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The cast of Shaw's regulars all do as typical a job as always, with Cheung Ban playing swordsman Zhu Hai. Although his career in the industry only lasted a good 5 or 6 years, Cheung managed to star in around 18 films including 14 Amazons, The Water Margin, and Cold Blade. Hong Kong movie veteran Tsung Hua plays Prince Shun Ling, and probably stands out as one of the more recognisable faces in the film. Of course, Hua would star in many classic films for Shaw's such as The Killer, 14 Amazons, and Killer Clans, as well as many independent titles like One-Armed Against Nine Killers, 72 Desperate Rebels, and A Massacre Survivor, that would see him reunited with Yuen Cheung Yan as his action choreographer. The beautiful Hsia Fan, who made an impact even with her small filmography, does a great job as the leading lady, and the great Ching Miao stars as the wicked Emperor Chin. With over 200 credits to his name and having been in the business from 1940, Miao delivered many great roles over the course of his 45-year career before passing away in 1989. As mentioned, keep an eye out for the Yuen clan showing up throughout as well as a young Bolo Yeung, who fights alongside the fantastic Wang Hsieh as General Jin Bi, in the final battle!

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I've probably seen more of what Shen Chiang has done as a writer, as opposed to his directorial efforts and while Call To Arms is far from his worst, it's certainly not one of his greatest. With that in mind, rumor has it that had a few problems after superstar Chang Yi defected to Golden Harvest (who were making waves as the hot new young studio in town). Originally in the role of Zhu Hai, the Shaw Brothers shelved the film for a year before re-shooting Chang's scenes with Cheung Ban – which would make for a valid reason as to why the character of Zhu wasn't about as much as he should have been. That, or something was missing in the writing after all...

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Overall: Far from the best Shaw Brothers picture, Call To Arms still has its moments but is too talky for its own good!