This movie pretty much is the power trio of David Chiang, Chen Kuan-Tai and Ti Lung in their prime with Chang Cheh really coming into his own. It’s a historical/period piece focused on the rise and fall of Ma Hsin I, played by Ti Lung. It’s done as a retrospective where Chang Wen Hsiang, David Chiang goes to court on his own to confess his crime of slaying Ma Hsin I.
The start of Chang Wen Hsiang’s story begins with him and his brother Huang Chung, played by Chen Kuan-Tai, as bandits. They’re set on robbing Ma Hsin I on the highway. However, Ma Hsin I proves to be a kung fu expert and an honorable man. So he manages to persuade the pair to dual him one-on-one with Huang Chung going the first round and Chang Wen Hsiang. It comes out to a draw more or less and Ma Hsin I offers them gold to help him join the emperor to fight off the rebels. Then Huang Chung’s wife Mi Lan joins them to pick up the gold as the three ride off with their rewards.
The three return to their humble home where they celebrate their newfound riches. However, the cunning Ma Hsin I manages to track them down and persuades them to help defeat a small base up on the hillside. The trio are successful in taking down the leader but Ma Hsin I offers the remaining forces a chance to live if they pledged themselves to the group.
Ma Hsin I personally trains the troops rigorously and dislikes laziness. He ends up killing one guy who feels that they are entitled to some relaxation. However, Ma Hsin I is very ambitious and dislikes the indolent attitude. His harsh demeanor motivates the troops to continue.
In the meantime, Chang Wen Hsiang and Huang Chung enjoy their success. Huang Chung proves to be a womanizer, which his wife knows but secretly disapproves. The pair go to town where Huang Chung, despite being a womanizer still wants to provide his wife with material happiness and buys a pin. While the two are there, some troops from the emperor follow them out and ambush them. In turn, Ma Hsin I goes to aid them but suffers an injury.
While recovering by the river and reading, Mi Lan goes to succor him with medicine. However, she feels uncertain and trembles over her growing attraction for him. She ends up falling into the river with Ma Hsin I rushing in to rescue her. He begins to develop feelings towards her.
Realizing that staying with the troops would make his situation difficult, especially now that he has developed feelings towards Mi Lan, Ma Hsin I decides to make his trip to complete a test to get promoted into the emperor’s army. He declares Chang Wen Hsiang and Huang Chung as his blood brothers and swears that he will one day return and help everyone out once he’s promoted. A conflicted Mi Lan secretly mourns for his departure while Chang Wen Hsiang starts growing suspicious at her emotional outburst.
A few years later, Ma Hsin I calls upon his former men to greet him at his new base. He has only Chang Wen Hsiang and Huang Chung meet with him personally while the other men wait from afar due to procedures and etiquette. He also sends Mi Lan away for her own safety as his plans to uproot the rebels now begin to come to fruition.
Ma Hsin I is a changed man, now sporting a mustache and full Manchu regalia. However, he still has honorable notions and keeps his word in offering his former troops positions within his forces. Both Chang Wen Hsiang and Huang Chung are granted officer ranks and help lead the men into numerous successful campaigns against the rebels.
Throughout this Mi Lan still has feelings towards Ma Hsin I and they begin to have a secret affair. Huang Chung’s own success allows him to live a good life of adultery. Chang Wen Hsiang tries to dissuade his brother from this path because he recognizes the qualities of Mi Lan.
On the way back, Chang Wen Hsiang discovers the pin that Mi Lan been gifted near Ma Hsin I’s study. She leaves his room, confirming various suspicions that Chang Wen Hsiang has about the pair’s affair. In turn, Ma Hsin I’s men reveal to him that more people now suspect the rumors of his affair, which would ruin his reputation. Because Ma Hsin I is ambitious and strong willed, he orders that Huang Chung be given a “special” mission and have him separated from his brother.
Chang Wen Hsiang learns that his brother has gone off on a mission and returns to accuse Ma Hsin I and Mi Lan of the affair. Ma Hsin I admits to it and believes that it’s too late to change the course of events. So Chang Wen Hsiang goes to try and stop his brother from pursuing this suicidal mission. The two argue as Huang Chung proves too stubborn to realize that the mission is fatal. He thwarts Chang Wen Hsiang off and continues in his perceived quest.
In turn, Huang Chung does, indeed, get ambushed. It’s practically a slaughter house and Huang Chung only manages to kill off one of his assassins. However, Chang Wen Hsiang goes to immediately confront Ma Hsin I. Ma Hsin I tries to placate him by offering him a promotion to forget about the incident, but there’s no going back for Chang. He cannot defeat Ma there so he takes off to plot revenge.
Chang ends up going to take on Ma at the base, sticking him with a knife then fighting off a small army by himself. Ma though still has some semblance of honor and wants to personally arrest Chang. So he proposes a one-on-one dual where Chang wins against the already injured Ma. In turn, Chang offers no resistance and allows himself to be arrested.
Back in court, they continue to torture him but Chang refuses to deny the allegations he made about Ma’s previously irrefutable reputation. Two of Ma’s best men bring weapons to personally cut out Chang’s “black heart” but the act proves Ma’s guilt. Chang is then taken to the town square, tied to a pole and is gutted to the celebration of his former men. In turn, Mi Lan sits from afar watching the episode quietly realizing that much of the scenario occurred as a result of her inhibitions.
Blood Brothers is a great tale of honor, ambition and a triangular love affair that destroys the friendship of three men. Ma has honor and good intentions, but his personal ambitions and steadfast desire to get Mi Lan become his downfall. One thing you have to realize is that Chang Cheh pretty much was a misogynist and many of his films portrayed women as being weak or the reasons for the downfall of men. This movie was definitely no exception as Mi Lan has very few redeeming or sympathetic qualities.
You could argue that Huang Chung’s mistreatment of her essentially alienated the pair. But their rift wasn’t highlighted nor that emotional. It felt more like she was just super horny for Ma and acted like “a whore”. The qualities she sought in men was pretty idealistic; she thought that Huang needed to be more ambitious and successful to become someone; the ideal person was Ma which is why she fell in love.
But the romance felt really shallow (it’s not really Chang Cheh’s specialties) since common sense dictates that Huang should have just divorced her. He was really supportive of Ma in the first place. Also, Chang never attempted to intervene to help mend the ties between Huang and Mi Lan or at least suggest that they separate for the betterment of everyone.
Of course, this really is just history so I don’t know how much was borrowed. It certainly was dramatized with the romance being the driving force between the split. Nonetheless, the basic themes were good. The action wasn’t as solid compared to later Chang Cheh pieces but the raw story was decent for an old school action flick. Mostly, this is one of those movies you want to pick up to see Chang Cheh’s development as a director as well as the power trio in their prime.