10th Old School Kung Fu Festival: Vengeance of the Phoenix Sisters Review

This will be one of many reviews during the 10th Annual Old School Kung Fu Fest: Sword Fighting Heroes Edition by Subway Cinema. To keep up with our latest coverage, click here.

Appropriately titled, 1968’s Vengeance of the Phoenix Sisters is about a single ideal; vengeance – which permeates through every grain of that this black-and-white film has to offer. The result is a truly remarkable story that establishes its presence with a relentless opening fight scene culminating in an even grander conclusion. While the thematic capstone is a commonplace Wuxia trope, what truly shines about the film is the narrative divergences it chooses to take through the very different lives of the sisters themselves as they were each forced to grow up in different homes after their parents were murdered 15 years ago. Furthermore, the film’s ability to infuse small portions of comedy within its plot as the sisters become more acquainted with one another by bonding through the shared concept of revenge is something fun to behold and unexpected given the subject matter.

And yet, while possessing an interesting premise amidst a strongly established opening and closing scene, Vengeance of the Phoenix Sisters is not a complete affair and, in many ways, cannot sustain its expertly achieved highs throughout its running time, resulting in several dips in quality in its second act. This is further seen through the average swordplay and minimal production design, which is often a trademark for this genre, however, hinders this specific story in some moments.

All of this dissolves into the background whenever the Phoenix Sisters engage with one another as they are the main source of entertainment throughout. Older, Middle (or 2nd), and Younger Sister each have their unique personal qualities which are manifested in their different fighting styles and contribute to the ongoing action by providing multiple uses for killing hordes of henchmen in an entertaining way. This wouldn’t be the film audiences wished it to be without their tale of revenge culminating in an epic battle against the entities that murdered their parents. With names like Poison Dart, Lethal Needles and Dragon Dagger being introduced throughout, viewers already know they are in for an exciting conclusion, which is one of the stronger endings of any of the films from this festival.

Vengeance of the Phoenix Sisters offers enough for fans to be satisfied and entertained from start to finish. While containing some narrative imbalance, the film still delivers on everything it sets up in its early moments which leads to a wonderful finale. The three sisters were intriguing characters with a common motivation, yet cultivated through very different circumstances which allow for their final moments to be all the more satisfying.

still courtesy of Taiwan Film and Audiovisual Institute

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