The Angry River - 88 Films

As my journey through Hong Kong cinema continues, it only makes sense that I should check out The Angry River (available for pre-order or regular order, if you’re reading this after May 12), the first film produced by Golden Harvest, a company I previously only knew from the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movies. Obviously, my experience with martial arts movies is peripheral at best. I’ve watched spoofs of stuff like this (Kung Pow: Enter the Fist is my shit), but very little of the actual cinema being spoofed. In other words, I’m familiar with the clichés. 

In that regard, The Angry River is very enjoyable, and even comforting in a way. There are the familiar fight sound effects (the whooshing and clanging), the laughing villains (every time a bad guy speaks, he has to cackle first), the repeated musical cues, and plenty of action with bare minimum plot. It’s an easy watch, though it’s not all that memorable aside from being the first film of an iconic production company. 

There are a few surprises scattered throughout. A lot of the fights are fairly mundane, but suddenly there will be a decapitation or a hand cut off and the blood will flow. And then there was my favorite moment involving a bog monster. The costume certainly wasn’t at the level of the first TMNT movie, but any time a bog monster showers up unexpectedly, it’s a bit of a treat. 

Aside from that, this is a good example for me of what this genre was at the time: a simple story with plenty of fighting. I had a hard time keeping up with what sect was what and who was killing who, but the general plot was simple enough: the daughter of a champion must get the antidote to his poison and return to save him. The catch is that by attaining the antidote, she loses her “martial arts.” But if she takes the antidote for herself, she gains even more power than she had before. It’s all about honor and all that good stuff, but I just enjoyed how each character talked about the “martial world,” like everyone who practiced martial arts lived on a different plane of existence. It helps justify the supernatural elements. 

The Angry River isn’t the best of the genre, but it’s certainly an important entry, and though I still have a lot of catching up to do, I would say this is required viewing. And for those more in the know than me, this release is certainly the best option for physical media. It looks great and comes in the 88 Films slipcase I’ve grown so fond of recently. There is also a commentary with Asian cinema expert Frank Djeng, and the newly produced artwork looks fantastic.