The Blood Brothers

Visually rich and one of Chang Cheh's most satisfying efforts, a heady mixture of heroism, fatalism and sensuality. The slow unravelling of the relationship between the three 'blood brothers' of very different character - the noble knight (Ti Lung), the fraught avenger (David Chiang) and the loose, 'innocent' victim (Chen Kuan Tai) - fits well with the rigorous ethical structure that is glimpsed from time to time beneath the exotic surface trappings of dynastic China. There is also bold use of superimposition and collage.