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七面人 (1975)
The Imposter


Reviewed by: MrBooth
Date: 06/07/2006
Summary: 8/10 - a definite cut above the average

David Chiang plays a master of both kung fu and disguise, who uses his multiple identities to help the weak and innocent and punish the wrong-doers.

I normally find David Chiang rather annoying, but his character here fits him very well, and he shows a relatively impressive acting range - far beyond the "smug grin" he usually relies on, anyway. The script is one of Ni Kuang's better efforts as well, with good characterisation and some interesting developments. Pau Hsueh-Li puts the script to good use with good attention to incidental details and twists on convention, making for a film that is perhaps more cerebrally engaging than the average Shaw Brothers film from the 70's. The film is quite comical at times, too.

The drawback of a strong script may be that there is not too much 'action', with only a few substantial fights throughout - not one to see for the kung fu, but it's enough to add some flavour. The film is quite satisfying enough already though :)



Reviewer Score: 8

Reviewed by: cal42
Date: 05/20/2006
Summary: Wasted Opportunity

After a brutal robbery and multiple murder, an innocent man is imprisoned. His brother, declaring his innocence, seeks the elusive Ge Liang – the only man who can help free the innocent man and find the true culprit. It turns out that Ge Liang is a master of disguise who can switch between seven separate identities at will…

The Imposter [sic] is a film that probably worked well on paper – indeed, the central character of Ge Liang is a marvellous idea and one that suits David Chiang’s abilities well. However, the film doesn’t gel at all, and the two brothers (played by a young Danny Lee and Wang Chung – who would later find fame with the 80’s synth-pop hit “Dance Hall Days” ;) ) appear wet beyond belief for the most part. Even the appearance of the usually reliable Chen Kuan-Tai can’t improve matters.

What’s more, this film strays into the bizarre on a number of occasions. Ge Liang’s girlfriend can’t escape mention here. I don’t know if she was some kind of megastar when this film was made and her appearance is some kind of in-joke, but she is severely simple. She pops up occasionally; skipping like a child, collecting flowers and never uttering a single word. Weird.

Sadly, there’s not much to recommend here, and the whole thing is a wasted opportunity.

Reviewer Score: 4

Reviewed by: mpongpun
Date: 07/03/2004

Tzen Ken (Danny Yee) is framed for murder after some bandits attack and steal his convoy of gold that he and his brother, Tzen Yun (Wong Chung), are trying to transport as part of their escort service. In order to prove his brother’s innocence, Tzen Yun seeks out the only man who can help his brother, master masquerader Ge Liang (David Chiang), to help free his brother and sock it to the real crooks.