Plot summary
A young swordswoman named Fang Ying-qi (Cheng Pei-Pei) sets out to join a gathering of the martial world’s leading warriors under the banner of Lord Xia (Fang Mien) and the Flying Dragon Clan. Their mission is to organize the defense of their country against invading Jin forces. Fang also intends to avenge the murder of her parents 20 years past by bandit leader Han Shi-xiong (Huang Chung-hsin). Han has since taken on a new, false identity as a reputable member of the Flying Dragon Clan while secretly working with the Jin to bring down the resistance. Han uses cunning and a network of criminal fighters in an attempt to assassinate Fang, and when that fails, to frame her as a traitor. Once his true identity and intentions are revealed, a determined Fang must rely on her deadly sword skills and assistance from a clever beggar clan leader (Yueh Hua) to stop Han and restore her reputation.
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720p.BLU 1080p.BLUMovie Reviews
LADY OF STEEL Cheng Pei Pei as swordswoman in multiple guises
The many disguises of Cheng Pei Pei
This movie starts with the basic revenge plot and adds a bit to it by throwing in politics and patriotism regarding the Jin invasion of China. It still doesn't take it very far from your basic Cheng Pei Pei feature. I think the writer got lazy with Hua Yueh's character by making him too much like the same in "Come Drink With Me". At HKMDB Jackie Chan is listed as the beggar kid. He would be sixteen. The kid looks too young. I doubt the listing is accurate. Nevertheless, the kid has charisma and makes the most of his few seconds in the movie. Hmm. Lee Wang Chun, whom I always call Mr. Smiley simply because he had the best smile in all of the Shaw Brothers movies, plays one of the villains. He also does a lot of fighting. Fighting, unlike smiling, is not one of his abilities. The sequences are choreographed quite well and he does pull them off, just barely. Cheng Pei Pei plays more than one character. It's all done with disguises. There is the standard female posing as a man, then she does the seductive lute player, and finally the old lady. It makes me wonder if Bruce Lee drew on this when he wore a few disguises in "Fist of Fury". The action is standard Shaw Brothers quality, this time with the great Leung Siu-Chung. You may know him as the father of Bruce Leung. My only quibble is that I think Cheng Pei Pei at this point should be showing much more power in her moves. Overall there is just nothing special to make this movie rise above average for the year and genre.