“The Double Crossers” Theatrical Poster
Director: Jeong Chang Hwa
Cast: Shin Il-ryong, Chan Sing, Chao Hsiung, Chan Wai-Man, Sammo Hung, Tutie Kirana
Running Time: 90 min.
By Paul Bramhall
When is a Korean movie not a Korean movie? The answer is when it’s a Hong Kong movie, and with the influx of Korean talent that was active in Hong Kong during the 1970’s, it’s hardly surprising that some of the territories output would come to bear an overtly Korean influence. Cheng Chang-ho was one such director who’d made the jump from Korean shores to Hong Kong in the late 1960’s to work for the Shaw Brothers, having impressed Run Run Shaw with his Korean output. Already a veteran of over 40 productions by the time he helmed his first Shaw Brothers production with 1969’s Temptress of a Thousand Faces, Chang-ho would stay with the studio for the next 3 years, during which time he’d crank out a further 6 titles. His swansong for Shaw Brothers would be 1972’s King Boxer, the movie which would go on to popularise the kung-fu genre in the west under the re-title of Five Fingers of Death.
After his stint at Shaw Brothers Chang-ho moved across to Golden Harvest, a studio that was still trying to find its place in the Hong Kong film industry after the death of its biggest star Bruce Lee in 1973. Chang-ho’s time at Golden Harvest was distinctly different from his output in Hong Kong so far, with his filmography becoming more focused on grounded and gritty crime thrillers, and 1976’s The Double Crossers is a perfect example. Chang-ho made a total of 5 movies while at the studio, with The Double Crossers being his penultimate feature, only going on to helm Broken Oath the following year (his previous titles included 1973’s The Devil’s Treasure, 1974’s The Skyhawk, and 1975’s The Association).
Similar to The Association, Chang-ho once more casts a Korean as his leading man, this time in the form of Shin Il-ryong, for which The Double Crossers marked his debut in a Hong Kong production. Having made his acting debut in 1970’s A Ghost Story of Joseon Dynasty, similar to Chang-ho’s directorial career by the time Il-ryong was cast here he’d already featured in over 40 productions, ranging from romance to action. It was the latter that likely caught Chang-ho’s eye with roles in the likes of 1973’s Wind from the East showing off his physicality. Il-ryong’s time working in Hong Kong would ultimately be fleeting, turning up as the Godfather in the infamous Bruceploitation flick The Dragon Lives Again in 1977, and playing the villain in Jackie Chan’s only attempt at a wuxia during the same year with To Kill with Intrigue (which was notably filmed in Korea). He’d continue to act in Korea though until he’d retire in 1986.
The plot of The Double Crossers is a classic tale of revenge, with Il-ryong playing a cop based in Singapore who’s out to avenge the death of his murdered father. His father has thankfully left him a cassette with possibly the longest recorded message ever to bring both Il-ryong and the audience up to speed on what the deal is, but basically it boils down to this. Il-ryong’s father used to be involved in a smuggling ring but had been out of it for many years, so when one of his old accomplices contacts him for a favour and he refuses, he correctly suspects that his days are up. Learning that the murderer was one of the most feared kingpins in Southeast Asia who’s now residing in Hong Kong, Il-ryong realises he has limited power as a cop, so quits the force and teams up with a smuggler who was loyal to his father back in his criminal days. Together, the pair concoct a plan to take the kingpin down and exact revenge for Il-ryong’s father’s death.
Il-ryong’s partner in crime (excuse the expression) is played by the legendary Chan Sing, who in 1976 would feature in a total of 5 productions, including opposite Jackie Chan in New Fist of Fury and the underseen new wave crime thriller Jumping Ash. While the kingpin himself is played by Chao Hsiung (The Chinese Boxer, The Golden Lion), most of the heavy lifting when it comes to doing the dirty work is conducted by his righthand man, played by Chan Sing’s Jumping Ash co-star Chan Wai-Man (Dragon Lord, Bloody Brotherhood). Considering the cast of heavyweight martial arts talent onboard, it might be surprising to find that, similar to Chang-ho’s The Devil’s Treasure, The Double Crossers is more of a crime thriller than a martial arts movie, so much so that a fight choreographer isn’t listed in the credits or seemingly anywhere online (at least on English language resources).
If I had to guess though, chances are it was Sammo Hung. He’d choreographed all of Chang-ho’s productions at Golden Harvest up to this point, and as was obligatory for this era of the studio, he also turns up in a supporting villain role. Sporting a French beret, John Lennon style round glasses, and a thin handlebar moustache, he looks the epitome of 70’s chic, and unlike in The Shaolin Plot from the same year when he and Chan Sing where on the same side, this time the pair get to briefly throw down against each other. The lack of martial arts action shouldn’t be a turn off though, with the plot of Il-ryong and Sing looking to lure Hsiung and Wai-Man out of the woodwork alternately seeing them in the roles of pursuers and those being pursued, with the table turning keeping the narrative an engaging one.
There is plenty of other action though, some of it that comes across as entertaining purely for its outlandishness, such as when Wai-Man arrives outside an apartment building in his car, and proceeds to break out a missile launcher to blow up an apartment in one of the upper floors. Clearly discretion wasn’t a necessary requirement of criminal activity in early 70’s Hong Kong (and when an elderly couple question him as to what’s going on a few minutes later, he amusingly tells them there’s been a gas leak). There’s also a particularly brutal torture interrogation scene involving a blow torch that definitely isn’t used only as a threat, recalling the kind of uncompromising nature that Korean crime thrillers would become renowned for 30 years later.
My favorite action moment though hardly lasted a second, with a stuntman performing a particularly painful looking fall down a set of wooden stairs. He falls down them with such momentum that he goes airborne mid-way down and clearly lands hard at the bottom, resulting in an unintentional squint from my side. Eventually everyone ends up in Bali, Indonesia, where a large portion of the narrative plays out, making The Double Crossers somewhat of a globetrotting affair. In my review for 1973’s The Ghostly Face I mentioned how I believed it was “the first and only time a martial arts movie has been filmed there”, and while I’m aware I’ve just gone to great lengths to explain that The Double Crossers isn’t a martial arts movie, it still makes me feel like I was at least half wrong.
The change in scenery that the Balinese culture provides is always a welcome one, and we even get a romantic subplot thrown in that sees Il-ryong gradually falling for a lady who works at the hotel they’re staying in, played by Indonesian actress Tutie Kirana (Imperfect, Affliction). Events eventually culminate in Il-ryong and Wai-Man facing off against each other in a way that encompasses cars, motorbikes (look out for the magically appearing helmet), and of course some fists and feet for good measure. Depending on what version you watch, Il-ryong and Sing either end up being ordered back to Hong Kong, or for the more strait-laced countries the production was sold to, getting handcuffed to serve their time.
In case it wasn’t clear already, The Double Crossers is best approached as a crime thriller with a sprinkling of action rather than the other way around, and I enjoyed the more developed characters the narrative offers up versus the more one-dimensional roles we often see the likes of Chan Sing in. There’s a great scene where he riffs on Bruce Lee’s “the art of fighting without fighting” scene from Enter the Dragon which comes across as a nice little character moment, the kind that’s a rarity to find in the more straight up kung-fu cinema genre, and I liked the trait that Chao Hsiung’s kingpin has a weak heart. Not that there’s anything wrong with a straight up kung-fu movie, but if that’s what you’ve come to The Double Crossers for then only disappointment awaits. If you’re in the mood for a funky slice of 70’s Hong Kong grit, then in that case there should be plenty to enjoy.
Paul Bramhall’s Rating: 6/10
