Vengeance of the Phoenix Sisters

Director: Chen Hung-min

1968 / 88min / DCP

“A black-and-white tornado that feels like the French New Wave doing wuxia, the opening half hour of editor-cum-director Chen Hung-min’s debut feature will leave you gasping for breath. With muscular handheld camerawork, savage swish pans, kinetic editing, and a score that feels like Ennio Morricone and Bernard Herrman weaving a tapestry of Chinese opera music. Stars of Chinese opera and the silver screen Yang Li-hua, Liu Ching, and Chin Mei play the titular Phoenix Sisters, separated as children in a brutal massacre. Fifteen years later, they cross paths again: oldest sister, Xiufeng (Yang), now an accomplished swordswoman who lives disguised as a man; middle sister, Qingfeng (Liu), doling out justice wearing a mask; and spunky youngest sister, Zhifeng (Chin). The siblings reunite, reminding audiences that the greatest wuxia family value is revenge.”—Subway Cinema