Chase Step by Step (1974)

Chase Step by Step (1974)
Chinese Title:  步步追殺
Translation: Step by Step

 

Starring: Hsu Feng, Wang Kuan-Hsiung, Ma Chiang, Chou Chung-Lien, Tseng Chao, Li Hua, Tai Liang, Lan Yun, Wang Kai, Choi Ching-Kong, Yueh Feng, Wang Fei, Wu Min-Hsiung
Director: Wu Min-Hsiung
Action Director: Wang Tai-Lang, Su Kuo-Liang, Lin Kuang-Yung

 

It was clear that by 1974, actress Angela Mao Ying had become the main template for other actresses to imitate. Both Shanghai Lil and the Sun Luck Kid and Chase Step by Step place their female leads in the sort of role that Angela could do in her sleep by this point. The sword-swinging wuxia heroine trope had, to a certain extent, run its course and it was now vogue for the woman to prove herself in combat using foot and fist. In this film, Taiwanese starlet Hsu Feng steps up to the plate. Unfortunately, Hsu’s limited martial arts training becomes obvious early on and she finds herself outshone by her male co-star at every turn. This leaves Hsu to get by on her natural intensity alone, which she does.

Apparently based on true events, the film is set in the 1880s during the Qing Dynasty. The Lung San province has been hit by the worst drought in recent memory, leaving hundreds of people dying of dehydration in the streets. A rich noble has raised a thousand taels of gold to be used to buy emergency supplies and water rations and needs to get it to Lung San city. The surrounding countryside is teaming with bandits, however, so he sends a formal request to the local acrobatic troupe, asking for a couple of their most talented fighters to escort the money to its destination. To this end, the troupe leader chooses Lin Ying (Hsu Feng) and her trapeze partner (Cute Foster Sister’s Wang Kuang-Hsiung).

No sooner do they hit the road are they attacked by bandits. Sometimes, the bandits just stand in the middle of the road and demand the money, like the one played by Wu Min-Hsiung (Unparalleled Judo Knife and Darkest Sword) . Sometimes they employ women of questionable morals, like Cave of the Silken Web’s Tien Ming or Si Sin-Dai (of Woman Guerilla with Two Guns), to seduce the male member of the troupe and leave him open for assassination. They even hire Korean tae kwon do experts (Triangular Duel’s Lan Yun) to do their dirty work. Nevertheless, those dastardly crooks are unflappable, tormenting our heroes at every turn. And even when they encounter the escorts sent by the Lung San magistrate to meet them halfway, those darn robbers will continue to dog them in ways they never imagined.

Chase Step by Step is non-stop action from beginning to end. There are no surprises or frills here. The plot is straightforward from the get-go: our heroes have to go from point A to point B, with the antagonists opposing them at every turn. At no point do you ever wonder if Supporting Character X or Y is an ally: it is always a ruse. Movies like this live and die by the fighting because it there is not much more to it than that.

No fewer than three action directors were involved in this production. Wang Tai-Lang, best known for Queen Boxer, continues his work with powerful women. His cohorts, Su Kuo-Liang and Lin Kuang-Yung, worked together in films like Iron Neck Li and Death Duel of the Mantis. Su also worked The Crane Fighters and One-Foot Crane, which we will discuss later on. While a lot of films set in the Republic Era focus on fists, knives and hatchets, this film is set in the Qing Dynasty. That said, the vast majority of the fighting is hand-to-hand, with the occasional use of a sabre (or broadsword) or throwing dagger to keep things a little varied.

Hsu Feng is sadly the weak link to the action in spite of all her best efforts. When it comes to busting the heads of nameless stuntmen, she handles herself well. Her kicks have definitely gotten better since her last film appearances. In these fights, she convinces fairly well.  However, once she has to go one on one with some of equal or greater skill, like Lan Yun or lead villain Chou Chung-Lien (of Seven to One and Dragon and Tiger), then the limited nature of her screen fighting abilities is pushed to the forefront. Her handwork is weak, slow and unsure; she does not come across as being up to the task of more complex exchanges of fisticuffs. She also feels stiffer in her kicks in these portions than she does against multiple, less-skilled opponents. As a result, she is more dependent on her acting to sell her fighting than her actual physical skills.

Much better is Wang Kuang-Hsiung, who plays her partner on the mission. Wang was a fairly common face in Taiwanese cinema, mixing it up with hard hitters like Angela Mao and Judy Lee (in Lady Constables) and Polly Shang Kuan Ling Feng (Adventure at Shaolin). Wang is a very solid fighter and presents himself well by the standards of the day. His footwork is actually quite good; he does not reach the level of what Bruce Leung Siu-Lung was doing at the same time, but he certain trounces the likes of Jimmy Wang Yu, Roc Tien Peng, and many similar actors who were prolific in those days. His kicks are high and he varies with side kicks, front crescent kicks and roundhouse kicks. Wang’s punches are also well played, if nothing spectacular. Both the sheer quantity of fights and the quality of Wang’s fighting relative to the time the film came out will be enough for any martial arts fan looking for a night of undemanding viewing.