THE 18 BRONZE MEN (1976)

 

PHENOMENALITY: *uncanny*
MYTHICITY: *fair*
FRYEAN MYTHOS: *adventure*
CAMPBELLIAN FUNCTIONS: *psychological, sociological*


According to one online resource, Shaolin priests never actually used "wooden men," much less "bronze men," to train kung-fu practitioners, nor did they have booby-trapped hallways full of springing spears and falling stones. Oral legend seems to have been the source of such stories, which Hong Kong cinema was not slow to exploit.

Both 18 BRONZE MEN and its conceptual-but-not-literal sequel RETURN came out in 1976, suggesting that producer Joseph Kuo might've already planned the sequel before the box-office results came in. The same three principals-- Carter Wong, Tien Peng, and Polly Shang Kuan-- appear in both films, though in completely different roles for the sequel. Both are uncanny films that depend heavily on the bizarre training rituals of the Shaolin monastery, though, to be sure, the opponents in both movies also show off a few "outre devices."

In terms of plot, 18 BRONZEMEN is a routine recycling of the venerable "you killed my father, prepare to die" trope. Tien Ping is Shaolung, the central hero, who at a tender age loses his father, a soldier in the defeated Ming Dynasty, to the villainous General Kwan, representing the upstart Ching Dynasty. Shaolung's grandmother drops the kid off at the monastery for training, and the monks agree to train the youth, because Shaolin sympathies remain tied to the Mings. While at the temple Shaolung meets Brother Chung (Carter Wong), who's also lost his parents to the Ching tyrants, and they bond over sworn revenge. The two of them endure countless travails to attain kung-fu mastery, including a series of eighteen teachers painted bronze (actually gold, probably because the color shows up better) and various booby-traps. After both men pass all the Shaolin tests, they go looking for their enemy. On the way they make another ally, Lu (Shang Kuan), a female martial artist posing as a man (and fooling everyone who sees her). After a big fight with a turncoat monk who wields a weapon capable of firing multiple darts, the trio tracks down evil General Kwan. Kwan bemuses the heroes a little bit with a disguise-stunt, for he's got several minions dressed up to look exactly like him. However, in the end Shaolung, Lu and Chung triumph.