RETURN OF THE LEG FIGHTER (1976)

 

PHENOMENALITY: *marvelous*
MYTHICITY: *poor*
FRYEAN MYTHOS: *adventure*
CAMPBELLIAN FUNCTIONS: *sociological*

I don't think, as per the American title, that "leg fighter" Shan (Dorian Tan) actually returns from anywhere, and the original Taiwanese title doesn't even use any of the same words. What we do get is one of the many attempts to merge the kung-fu revenge drama with a detective tale.

The viewer gets to see the inciting murder of Shan's father and brother by a mysterious swordsman garbed in black robes and a black hood. Once Shan learns of the murder, he drops whatever he's doing-- actually, there's no indication that he has any existence beyond being related to the murdered duo--and he begins making the rounds of local kung-fu clans to track down the man known as "The Devil Swordsman."

He has a brief encounter with a character played by the celebrated Lo Lieh, who promptly disappears, but makes somewhat better allies in Ti Lung and Doris Lung, though he does have to fight Doris over the usual misunderstanding. Shan learns that years ago, a masked Devil Swordsman with a formidable (maybe magical) sword was conquered by a coterie of fighters from various clans. However, the masked man's body disappeared, so it's not certain that he perished.

While Shan investigates, he witnesses a couple of poison dart attacks, and he interviews a famous assassin, The Poison Scholar, but the assassin is slain without revealing any new clues. Nevertheless, eventually Shan and his allies uncover the villain, who I believe was impersonating the original Swordsman and pretending to be a cripple confined to a sedan.

Most of the metaphenomena are uncanny, such as the various poison darts and other weapons, such as knives that Doris's character can toss around like boomerangs. However, even if the villain's sword didn't suggest some vague magical power, the scene in which he somehow levitates his whole sedan several feet in the air indicates some serious marvelous mojo. Overall, LEG FIGHTER's major asset is half a dozen fight-scenes in which Doris Lung Chung-erh shows off her skills.