To Kill a Mastermind – 88 Films

Director: Sun Chung
Screenplay: Ni Kuang
Starring: Johnny Wang Lung-Wei, Teng Wei-Hao, Sek Gong, Yuen Wah, Yuen Bun, Luo Sheng, Luo Jun, Mang Ding-Goh, Ku Feng
Country: Hong Kong
Running Time: 99 min
Year: 1979
BBFC Certificate: TBC

I usually open my reviews with some background on a film, but To Kill a Mastermind (a.k.a. Qi sha) is a title I couldn’t find much information about. 88 Films’ Blu-ray release of the title nevertheless piqued my interest. As regular readers will know, I love a good martial arts movie so I’m always interested when anything from the genre crops up. I haven’t seen as many Shaw Brothers titles as I’d like either, so anything from the studio is a must-watch for me. Plus, on doing a little basic research, I found that director Sun Chung was also responsible for Avenging Eagle, a film I enjoyed a great deal.

So, I requested a copy of the new 88 Films disc and my thoughts follow.

To Kill a Mastermind is a martial arts film set during a period of unrest. A powerful crime syndicate known as the Seven Deadly Kills Legion is terrorizing the land, and the Imperial Court tasks General Yang Chen-yu (Tat-Wah Tso) with its destruction. The Legion is a formidable force, however, with each of its specially selected sub-leaders skilled in their own unique and deadly martial arts. The identity of their Supreme Leader is shrouded in mystery too, making the group even more dangerous, so this figure is Yang’s prime target.

General Yang employs a strategy of infiltration, placing spies within the Legion to sow discord and weaken the organisation from within. As the syndicate’s ranks dwindle due to internal strife and external attacks, the mastermind behind the operation is forced to reveal themselves.

To Kill a Mastermind shares some similarities with The Five Venoms, with its plot surrounding the one-by-one elimination of a group of super-villains and, in fact, the two films share the same writer, Ni Kuang. I preferred To Kill a Mastermind though, aided by a higher fight rate, from what I remember of the earlier film.

I also enjoyed the way the story played out. Interestingly, little time is spent with the obvious heroes of the story. We largely watch the group of villains in the Legion as they crumble from within. We’re never quite sure who the mole is in the organisation, so intrigue is maintained throughout, as wrongful allegations cause the members to kill each other off.

It’s a relatively simple concept but allows for some enjoyable twists and turns in the story that keep you watching, whereas many martial arts films will eschew narrative in favour of squeezing in as much action as possible.

To Kill a Mastermind is no slouch when it comes to action though. No time is wasted on romantic sub-plots and the like, so its stripped-back but engaging plot allows for plenty of fight scenes.

These are great too. Like in a lot of Shaw Brothers films from the era, the fights look clearly choreographed but cleverly so, with some wonderfully intricate and acrobatic moves. The explosive finale is particularly good. Tang Chia was the stunt coordinator on the film. He was responsible for the action scenes in a number of Shaw Brothers classics, including the aforementioned The Avenging Eagle.

To Kill a Mastermind is a handsome-looking film too. The production design is quite lavish and colourful. This is further enhanced by good use of smoke, lighting and camera movement.

Overall then, To Kill a Mastermind is a slickly-made, action-packed Shaw Brothers classic with a simple but effective premise that keeps you gripped. It’s a must-watch for fans of the genre.

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