As film fans, we all discovered our favorite directors as we’ve
navigated through a sea of movies and each one’s specific filmography. It usually starts with one amazing film and
afterwards we must seek out the rest of this person’s output. This is followed by a domino-effect of knocking
off one great film after another until you reach the more obscure and less than
perfect films released. Selfishly, we
want to turn our friends and family onto these filmmakers so that we have
someone to discuss their work with, but also to take some credit for turning
them onto great cinema. Additionally, we
want them to have the same thrilling experience we had when we saw these films
for the first time and have them thank us for the recommendation. That’s why when attempting to convert our
friends to liking what we like, we always give them the best of the best. It’s too risky to give them one of our
favorite filmmaker’s lesser efforts if we intend on them continuing on with the
rest of their works. For instance, if
you were trying to convince someone that they should check out the work of
Brian De Palma you probably wouldn’t have them start with Raising Cain. Not a bad film,
but it likely won’t knock their socks off.
The masterworks should take priority over all others. The flawed films should be explored once
they’re hooked. In the case of master martial
arts filmmaker, Chang Cheh, his 1982 film, House
of Traps, falls into the latter camp.
By no means a bad film, but rather one that should be seen once all of
the classics have been viewed first.
Potential viewers of House
of Traps should know one thing going in; the plot to this film is
convoluted as hell! We are quickly given
the back story to a family feud that has raged on for generations. The information dump is so quick that we as
viewers are a bit confused if the current state of the feud is over greed and
the desire for power or simply revenge.
A prince is planning a revolt against his uncle, the emperor, and anyone
who wants to join the revolution must break into the emperor’s palace and steal
one of the empire’s priceless valuables as a way of showing devotion to the
cause. Anyone who joins the rebellion
signs a contract which is kept, along with the valuables, in the titular House
of Traps. This is when things begin to
get complicated. Numerous characters
come in and out of the story, there are several double-crosses, and we’re not
sure if we’re supposed to side with the prince who’s leading the rebellion or
the emperor who has dispersed spies to infiltrate the enemy and learn the
mystery of the House of Traps. Because
the plot is so confusing and Cheh is giving us perspectives from both sides of
the feud, we’re given a lot of exposition and scenes of dialogue that I can
only assume is an attempt to keep the viewer up to speed on everything that’s
going on. It makes for a frustrating
watch, especially if you’re just looking for a kung-fu film that’s light on
plot and heavy on fight sequences. It’s
best to just let the movie wash over you and not get too caught up with the
overly-complicated plot.
There’s still plenty to like with this Shaw Brothers’ production,
despite the confusing storyline. House of Traps has the usual production
value that makes these films so charming and what one comes to expect from the
Shaw Brothers if you’re already a fan, especially of their kung-fu films. You get the colorful costumes, stagey set
design, awesomely fake facial hair, bright-red blood, excellent fight
choreography, supernatural abilities, cool weapons, and cool characters with
cool names like the Black Fox. Most
importantly, the movie has the House of Traps and it sure delivers on its
promise. The multistory house has three
levels of potential death within it for all those who attempt to take back the
emperor’s valuables and the rebellion’s list of supporters. The ground level has guards hidden behind a
sliding wall (How do they occupy their time waiting behind that wall the whole
time?) and spikes that rise from the floor.
The second level has trapdoors and the third and final level has a
spiked cage and one more surprise that I won’t disclose, as it’s not revealed
until the finale of the film. It’s a
very cool set that’s utilized three or four times throughout the runtime and
each time it is we learn more about the secrets that the House of Traps has in
store.
House of
Traps finishes on a high note with amazing fight sequences and plenty of
bloodletting. The very end is comedically ironic,
immediately following all of the carnage that has just taken place. It left a smile on my face and made it easier
to forgive the convoluted plot. It
should be noted that this film features the Venom Mob in one of the group’s
last films together. If I were trying to
turn a friend onto Chang Cheh’s films, or just classic kung-fu films, this isn’t
where I would have them start. The Five
Deadly Venoms or The One-Armed Swordsman would definitely be a better option to
begin your education on Chang Cheh, the filmmaker. For those of us who’ve seen our share of
martial-arts films, this is solid and definitely worth a watch if you’re a fan
of the Shaw Brothers’ aesthetic.
MVT: The actual house of traps, of
course!
Make or Break Scene: The first introduction to the house of traps.
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