1980 · wuxia · shaw-brothers · jin-yong
A Deadly Secret
Directed by Mou Tun-Fei1h 30m1980
A treasure hunt sparks the continuing violence in this Hong Kong action film, yet the film does not focus only on the violent nature of some of the characters. An enamored Ting Tien (Pai Piao) spends a cold winter's night waiting to spot the love of his life, Ling Shuang-hua (Szu Shih), when she makes her usual morning excursion onto her balcony. The theme of his love for her is treated with sensitivity, though his love does not affect the fate in store for both himself and the woman he worships. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi
Our read: A Deadly Secret (1980) reads as a sombre, kinetic, inventive wuxia · shaw-brothers · jin-yong entry — measured in intensity, mid-stakes in scope, measured in temperature, ambivalent in outlook.
Sombre, kinetic, measured wuxia / shaw-brothers, inventive in texture. Ambivalent, mid-stakes, measured.
- sombre
- brisk
- intense
Watching A Deadly Secret tonight? Spin for your lens.
Everyone on the couch spins once and gets one craft to watch for. After the credits, compare what you caught.
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Everyone on the couch gets one craft to watch for. Spin the wheel to get yours. Sound on: the narrator reads your mission.
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How A Deadly Secret feels to watch.
Each axis is scored by hand, not from votes or genre averages. The bar uses the film's own colours.
What watching it is actually like.
“You want Shaw Brothers wuxia with prison torture, framed hero and hidden treasure.”
Skip it tonight — Skip if flashbacks and a drawn-out hunt feel frustrating this late.
Eight films that feel like this one.
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