The Brain Stealers (1968) review

THE BRAIN STEALERS 1968

Lily Ho (Li Hsiao Lan), Peter Chen Ho (Chia Wen), Ku Wen Chung (Li Jung Hua), Chin Feng (Li Yuan Ming), Lin Chi Yung (Chi Hsia), Betty Ting Pei (Ding Die), Dr. Zero (Wu Ma), King Pai Chien (Lo Tian), Ho Pin (Chiu Tien Wei)

Directed by Inoue Umetsugu

The Short Version: Highly ambitious, if convoluted and kooky Bond-styled Sci-Spy thriller keeps it together for the most part, but loses its mind during the chaotic finale in the villains lair. Lily Ho, sporting a feminine version of Jack Lord's FIVE-O hairstyle and a constantly revolving fashion array may give some viewers a headache due to her judo-chopping character losing a bit of her edge as the film progresses. Despite a thick air of intrigue and red herrings, the brain teasers are occasionally interrupted with various gadgets, deadly traps, and a scarred, one-eyed, cackling super-villain. In the end, the only crime committed by THE BRAIN STEALERS is in being an intermittently brainless, yet consistently fun ninety-seven minutes.

Having already kidnapped a number of the world's greatest minds, the uni-ocular and diabolical Dr. Zero sets his sight on Li Jung Hua, a leading Hong Kong scientist who has created a growth serum with the potential to increase plant life and food supply for the entire planet. Dr. Zero plans to use it to create a race of giants with which to conquer the world. Li's Judo-chopping daughter and a womanizing, ex-Interpol agent are recruited to stop him.

The Shaw's had been on the James Bond bandwagon for a couple of years with films bearing such titles as ANGEL WITH THE IRON FIST (1966), POISON ROSE (1966), KISS AND KILL (1967), SUMMONS TO DEATH (1967), and ASIA-POL (1967) to name a handful of them. Considering how prolific Asian film production companies were, the number of James Bond inspired actioners were little more than a novelty; a fashionable film style that was dried up by 1970. With its short-lived popularity between 1966-1968, director Inoue did two of them -- the spy spoof OPERATION LIPSTICK (1967) and the brain-swapper being reviewed.

Umetsugu wrote the screenplay, and it's chock full of genre tropes; some of which have that patented, over-the-top Shaw Brothers style about them. Inoue's professionalism is evident right off the bat, segueing into wilder territory upon introducing the principle bad guy. From there Umetsugu settles into a more serious position piling one red herring on top of the other. But once the film returns to Japan, that refreshing loopiness of the opening 15 minutes returns, and stays for the remainder. However, the finale has problems of its own....

During the climax, Inoue gives his movie a brain aneurism with radical script revisions implemented to seemingly throw off audience affiliation with Peter Chen Ho's mushy status from his prior pictures. This big surprise comes off rushed, messily inserted, and makes very little sense in light of previous scenes; not only wrecking havoc with the narrative, but an underdeveloped sub-plot that no one remembers is re-introduced. Hong Kong movies often had many an implausible twist in their tails, but the one put into play here stretches suspension of disbelief to its limit. It's especially detrimental to THE BRAIN STEALERS since it's been such a fun ride up till the end. The film isn't ruined because of it, but it loses a lot of momentum over such sloppiness. 

For Shaw Brothers fans, THE BRAIN STEALERS does a fine job of holding viewer attention with its colorful set design and intrigue. The villains stronghold embedded inside a mountain isn't new, but it's nicely designed, and comes with the requisite traps and bizarre architecture. Gadgetry on display includes the main set piece -- a brain transport contraption of Dr. Zero's design. It operates much like the Disintegrator-Integrator of THE FLY (1958) and the transporter on STAR TREK. For the purposes of Zero's machine, your gray matter is transferred and swapped out with another host. Elsewhere our pulchritudinous Judo expert is armed with a perfume bottle that has two functions -- spraying a mist that renders enemies unconscious, and also a handy flamethrower! In addition, there's the standard communication devices hidden inside pens and cufflinks. An intimidating SciFi gun is seen, but never named. Its actual function isn't specified, but it appears to disrupt the inner organs of those shot with it. 

The original ending of the film had Lily rushing in to save the day armed with one of these ray guns, but in the release version, lovely Lily never even picks one up. Speaking of comely, Lily Ho's beauty is weapon enough. She has that sexy innocence with which to carry the picture.

Li Hsiao Lan, as played by Lily Ho and her distracting hairstyle is a cross between her classy lady portrayals and the action heroines she occasionally essayed. At the very beginning, we see her practicing Judo. A few minutes later, she's unexpectedly tested by her employers into taking on a whole room full of attackers. Over the course of the movie, her aggressive nature gradually slips away teetering dangerously close to scared damsel mode; not that there's anything wrong with that, but the film vacillates between these two personalities -- one minute Li is capable of defending herself against multiple opponents, and a short time later, she is intimidated by a single adversary. In a bit of a cheesecake moment, Lily gets to fight in a nightgown; yet she never comes off quite as fierce as she does in the beginning.

 
Lin Chi Yung is the James Bond identifier in the picture (he's referred to as 009 at one point), and for his amorous spy character to be integral to the plot, he has to muscle in on some of Lily's action. Both she and Lin have chemistry onscreen; and both share some mild romantic scenes together. Lin rescues her during one sequence wherein a snake charmer has loosed a cobra in her room! Another highlight is the battle atop Tokyo Tower. Finely realized via Shaw's indoor set that comes complete with an imperiled Lily Ho and two dummy deaths.

The Bondian allusions are very much in evidence -- the way the film begins in setting up its story; the offbeat villains and assassins; the inclusion of dancers covered in body paint from head to toe; and the final scene recalls the closing shot from any entry in the Bond catalog of an impending sexual dalliance between Bond and his paramour. In this instance, the roles are reversed since Lily Ho is the main attraction. Unlike 007, she didn't make a return engagement. 

Japanese director Umetsugu cast his favorite actress Lily Ho in a starring role for the fourth time up to that point; the fifth if you count her guest star turn in HONG KONG RHAPSODY (1968). The fourth film starring Ho, THE MILLIONAIRE CHASE (1969), had begun shooting a month before THE BRAIN STEALERS in February, but was released after it. THE BRAIN STEALERS has much the same cast as THE MILLIONAIRE CHASE, and both films exteriors were done in Taiwan, Thailand, and Japan. 

Lily Ho was a Shaw starlet for almost a decade before calling it quits in 1974. Officially signing with the company in 1965, she appeared in many of the studios big drama and musical hits. This being Shaw Brothers, it wasn't long before Lily was tasked with action-thrillers, and then onto swordplay pictures. Her striking looks were an asset, and stood out from the rest of her colleagues.

Dramas, comedies, and musicals were Peter Chen Ho's specialties. An actor of repute (accentuated by a high profile marriage to Betty Loh Ti), his role in THE BRAIN STEALERS was a change of pace for him. He tampered with his image even more in 1969s DEAR MURDERER. Unfortunately, the life of Chen wasn't the usual smiles and laughter of his movies. He and wife, the famous actress Betty Loh Ti, divorced in '68, followed by her apparent suicide in December of that year (although some sources claim it was accidental). Just as unfortunate, Chen Ho would die in 1970 at just 40 years of age. The star couple did appear onscreen together in such movies as THE DANCING MILLIONAIRESS (1964) and SONS OF THE GOOD EARTH (1965).

Controversial actress, Betty Ting Pei (the lover of Bruce Lee, and the last person to see him alive) had signed with Shaw's in 1967. She'd previously been an actress for Central Motion Picture Corporation under the name of Tang Mei-li. Her role in THE BRAIN STEALERS is a minor one, playing the emotionally defiant underling whose disobedience proves expensive. Her demise is one of the best scenes in the picture.

A note about this restoration versus the stretched and cropped bootleg tape: Celestial's penchant for frame cuts to eliminate all signs of print damage has caused THE BRAIN STEALERS to lose approximately 7 minutes of its running time. There are no sequences removed, just frames averaging a minute per every 15 minutes of running time. These amount to closeups, a couple seconds of characters entering/exiting rooms, etc.

In the Asian spy canon, Umetsugu's second and last such film is among the most entertaining of the lot; even with its fractured finale and fickle onscreen temperament of its lead. If you're a fan of Bond imitations al dente, the Hong Kong style will likely be of interest to you for their outlandishness alone. Occasionally, and unfortunately taxing on the ol' bean, THE BRAIN STEALERS' inventive plot fails to realize its full potential, relegating it to pure popcorn entertainment value as opposed to any sort of brain food.

You can buy this movie HERE.

Operation Lipstick (1967) review

 

OPERATION LIPSTICK 1967

Cheng Pei-pei (Li Hsiao Bing), Paul Chang Chung (Chang Yi), Liu Liang Hua (Yu Mei Die), Tina Chin Fei (Kuen Kuen), Tien Feng (Manager Liu), Ku Feng (Inspector Ma), Peng Peng (Li Peng), Yang Chih Ching (Chu Tien Wai), Fan Mei Sheng (hook-handed gangster), King Pai Tien (Lo Tin), Wu Ma (Hun Chu), Hu Tung (Dr. Au Tai Man), Huang Chung Shun (Hung Ying), Chao Hsin Yen (Hsiao Jin)

Directed by Inoue Umetsugu

The Short Version: Linear, but fast-paced and fun Shaw Brothers spy shenanigans finds various thieves and criminal masterminds after a secret microfilm. Cheng Pei-pei is at the center of it all, playing a nightclub dancer who also happens to be the daughter of the King of Thieves. The expected intrigue and subterfuge ensue, but rarely taking itself seriously. Easily one of the best collaborations between Shaw Brothers and the Japanese filmmakers that were brought to the studio in the late 1960s. A highly sought after jewel in the Shaw crown for those with an interest in their non-Kung Fu output.

Dr. Au unveils a breakthrough in atomic energy that, in the right hands will benefit mankind, but in the wrong hands could destroy it. Burning all his documents, the enterprising scientist puts his life's work on microfilm. However, the ruthless Chu Loong syndicate kills the scientist and all those connected with him in an effort to raise the price of the microfilm to the highest bidder. The catch is locating it first, well hidden that it is. A band of thieves and con-artists led by nightclub singer and dancer Li Bing learns of the coveted item and is recruited by a counter intelligence agency to procure the microfilm before the villains do. 

By the time OPERATION LIPSTICK hit theaters, there had already been a small number of spy pictures at Shaw's (beginning with Lo Wei's THE GOLDEN BUDDHA in 1966), spurred on by the success of Cantonese Bond imitations from earlier in the decade. A playful take on the genre was inevitable. With that said, this OPERATION is one of the best, most enjoyable of its kind. The movie coasts from the very first frame to the last -- rarely, if ever stumbling. Umetsugu, a Japanese director with a slew of standard, yet polished credits during his Shaw tenure, shows a deft touch for comedy in his breezy spy spoof. Sort of the Hong Kong answer to the same years CASINO ROYALE. Interestingly, both films were released in the same month.

Umetsugu's script isn't loaded with action, but the brisk pace is carried by a healthy string of fantastic set pieces rife with comedic touches and vibrant colors; an altercation in a Turkish bathhouse and comical hysteria aboard a ferry are among them. Additionally, with all the various clues leading one step closer to the location of the microfilm, a sense of intrigue and adventure is created to go along with the usual spy tropes.

Gadgets are a spy's best friend, and Umetsugu supplies his script with a few of them; these include earring communication devices, a trick trunk, and a perfume bottle that sprays a mist rendering a person unconscious. The best, and most memorable of these are a trio of assassins wearing dark sunglasses who moonlight as nightclub singers. Recalling the Three Blind Mice of DR. NO (1962), their gimmick is in their instruments -- lethal banjos that conceal firearms (see above). The exact same device turned up in the hands of William Berger in Gianfranco Parolini's spy western SABATA (1969) starring Lee Van Cleef.

The atmosphere may be uniformly light-hearted, but some scenes are extraordinarily brutal for such a fluffy film; examples being a couple of knifings and an electrocution. These are sporadic instances, but films with this type of aura generally have no casualties in them. There is one possible explanation, though. Kuei Chi Hung, Hong Kong's most infamous (yet underrated) purveyor of cinematic violence and the macabre, was an assistant director.

One of a handful of Japanese filmmakers brought to Hong Kong for a cross-pollination of cinema styles, Inoue Umetsugu was already known for helming musicals; and he carried this tradition to the Shaw Studios. Working for all the major production companies in Japan, Umetsugu's output for Shaw's had a certain quality about them, although much of his HK work were little more than remakes of Japanese films made by him and other colleagues. OPERATION LIPSTICK was his first of two spy films for the company (the other being the elaborately ludicrous THE BRAIN STEALERS [1968]).

 

The graceful Cheng Pei-pei shines in every scene she's in, and every bit the definition of adorable. There's a playful sexiness on display in her role as the thieving sister of a family of thieves. She's far away from the character Golden Swallow of COME DRINK WITH ME (1966) -- a role repeated in the following years film bearing the same name. She has limited fighting ability in this one, relegated to some Judo style maneuvers (as was always the case in the Shaw spy pictures) here and there, yet these appear and disappear from one scene to the next; although her martial skill vanishing act isn't as jarring as Lily Ho's in THE BRAIN STEALERS.

Around the time this film was completed, Pei-pei was sent to Japan for seven months to study advanced choreography. While there the actress shot two weeks worth of location shooting for the aforementioned GOLDEN SWALLOW and FLYING DAGGER (both 1968) for director Chang Cheh.

Paul Chang Chung was one of Shaw's then small stable of leading men; considering moviegoers went to theaters to see the women before Chang Cheh introduced the masses to musculature and masculinity with THE ONE ARMED SWORDSMAN (1967). Paul's presence in such pictures as THE GOLDEN BUDDHA (1966), THE BLACK FALCON (1967), and KISS AND KILL (1967) gave him a brief time to shine as Asia's answer to Agent 007. He performs the same service here.

These HK variants won't make anyone forget James Bond; if anything, these lightweight, but entertaining counterparts make intriguing comparative studies. Umetsugu is obviously having a grand time playing around with genre conventions. He's in on the gag and wants the audience in on it, too. Nowhere is this more apparent than at the end when our two main characters break the fourth wall with a wink to the audience. Die-hard Shaw Brothers fans and devout worshipers of spy cinema will get the most out of this (it's never been released on video or digital); as will those who are curious to see the Hong Kong approach to old Hollywood style filmmaking.

You can purchase this film HERE.

Payment In Blood (1973) review

PAYMENT IN BLOOD (1973)

Yueh Hua (Fang Chi Kien), Liu Wu Chi (Fang Chow Yuen), Lu Tan (Lt. Chang), Chiang Tao (Deputy), Tung Lin (Hsia Ta), Chan Shen (Hsieh Tai Cheng), Li Ming (rotten toothed thug)

Directed by Kuei Chi Hung

The Short Version: This gritty revenge thriller resembles a big city version of STRAW DOGS (1971) and a bit of the later DEATH WISH (1974). Yueh Hua is on fire as the good Samaritan who puts his life and that of his family in danger upon going to the police after witnessing a brutal murder of a police informer. You'll notice themes from later 70s movies explored here; and Kuei cuts loose in ways that show a director embracing a distinctly brutish style he reveled in unlike any other Asian director from that time period. It intermittently goes off the rails during the finale, but this is definitely a breakthrough actioner for a versatile filmmaker who has been grossly over-looked for far too long.



A police informer is viciously murdered by a gangster. A young mechanic named Fang is the sole witness and puts himself in danger after identifying the killer at a police lineup. Unable to buy Fang's silence, the underworld syndicate goes after him and targets his family in the process. After numerous attempts to kill him, this everyday citizen must become ruthless himself in order to protect his life, and that of his wife and daughter.




Those who know his name associate Kuei Chi Hung with down and dirty HK movies of the crime and horror variety. Before he was unleashed on his own, Kuei worked on a variety of films featuring non-gruesome subject matter; these included a handful of dramas, comedies, musicals and fantasy pictures. After working as an AD for Chang Cheh on IRON BODYGUARD (it's debatable how much, if any of this film he worked on, but Kuei was announced as working with Cheh on the picture [1973]) and THE DELINQUENT (Kuei is billed as a co-director [1973]), he was assigned a film that allowed him to fully traverse the lascivious and loathsome landscapes he carved throughout the 1970s and the early 1980s.



Highly touted was both this film and its director at the time -- and with good reason. Shooting throughout the early part of 1973 under the title of 'Blood Witness', this was Kuei's first stab at a modern day crime thriller. He showed traces of his twisted genius in THE DELINQUENT (1973), but that wasn't all his work -- and when compared with his later films, that picture resembles Kuei's style more than Chang Cheh's as a whole.



From beginning to end, PAYMENT IN BLOOD is all Kuei Chi Hung. It's hard to fathom that the same man who assisted on, or directed movies like THE MONKEY GOES WEST (1966), HONG KONG RHAPSODY (1968) and A TIME FOR LOVE (1970) could helm such violent movies like the one being reviewed and other revolting wonders such as KILLER SNAKES (1974) and SPIRIT OF THE RAPED (1976) to name only two.

The director's signature filmmaking style is cemented here, and remained in evidence throughout his career. You knew a Kuei picture when you saw one. For PAYMENT IN BLOOD, he packs in a number of innovations that defined that style. The ones that grab your attention are his fascination with squalor, criminal elements, grimy locales, nerve-jangling editing, odd camera placement (he had a fascination with mirror or implemental reflections of actors) and a persistently oppressive aura of brutality. The opening murder for example -- Yueh Hua witnesses Chan Shen run over a man four times with his car! Once would have been enough in somebody elses movie, but for Kuei, four times was the charm. Pregnant women, children and pets aren't immune to the heartless cruelty of the villains here, either.



It would be redundant to say Yueh Hua is exceptional here playing the stoic, yet humble mechanic, Fang. He was magnetic in just about everything he ever starred in. But by 1973, he began appearing in movies outside the swordplay spectrum he was most associated with. For this movie, he channels Dustin Hoffman's David Sumner from Peckinpah's STRAW DOGS (1971). However, as Fang, Yueh Hua is a bit less resistant than his American counterpart. He willingly goes to the police to see justice is done by participating in a line-up to point out the killer. This is where his troubles begin. By the end of the picture, Fang has went insane with rage. He turns into something of a modern day Ogami Itto during one sequence where he's surrounded by thugs at a dyeing factory and he obliterates them with the sharp end of a shovel.

Kuei Chi Hung would make a more literate version of STRAW DOGS in 1976 with the rape-revenge movie KILLERS ON WHEELS. That film contains elements familiar with the Biker and Juvenile Delinquent genres of previous decades leading up to the 1970s.



The police are generally perceived as perfunctory players in these kinds of movies. In Kuei's film, the cops have a larger, more cogent presence. Oftentimes the authorities are shown to be virtually useless paving the way for the protagonist to go it alone. Here, the police are almost always close by. Fang is assigned a bodyguard in the form of Chiang Tao's apple loving agent. But it's Fang's stubbornness against being constantly watched and trailed that makes him vulnerable to the villains grasp. 

The bad guys of PAYMENT IN BLOOD are relentless, too. Whether it's sending a large cake box filled with a dozen cobras and other serpents, or rigging a car to explode, these evil people -- who have ties in high places -- will not stop till Fang and his family are lying dead in a morgue, or scraped up off of a highway. The principal characters are unusually well defined and the director gets good performances out of the entire cast.



This was Liu Wu Chi's first starring role. She'd been in a handful of films prior, but this was her first big role playing a housewife whose life is turned upside down once she, her husband and daughter are targeted for execution. She was quite a good actress and her fear displayed during the snake sequences looked and felt palpable. Another notable role for the attractive actress was as Chen Kuan Tai's wife in the classic THE FLYING GUILLOTINE (1975) from director Ho Meng Hua. She had also signed on to reprise her role in THE FLYING GUILLOTINE 2; but shortly after filming began, she literally left the industry and no one knew where she was at that time.



Perennial villain of a few Chang Cheh films, Chiang Tao had officially signed with Shaw's in February of 1972. He plays a rare good guy here in Kuei's movie as an eccentric policeman. He's assigned to protect Yueh Hua's character at all costs. He gets the best fight scene in the movie when he and Fang battle two of the gangsters in Fang's home and demolish the place in the process. Chiang's character may be a supporting one, but the script carves a good persona for him -- much like everyone else. He doesn't talk much, but loves apples. In many of his scenes, he's seen indulging in a red apple or two. A couple instances of low-key humor are derived from these moments as well.



Just like in a Sergio Leone western, Kuei populates his movie with some memorably barbaric faces. He even shoots much of the film in suitably grubby locales for maximum effect. In all of his modern set productions, Kuei made sure to capture some of the grimiest, scuzziest places in Hong Kong showcasing a city that looked hazardous to your health should you decide to live there. The bad guys living in it reflected this, too. The devious looking Tung Lin (KING BOXER; pictured at top) had a face made for villainy. Ditto for Li Ming (THE BAMBOO HOUSE OF DOLLS) who is seen in the insert photo. He's one of the gangs killers who has a mouth full of rotten teeth and enjoys wielding a cleaver. 



Chan Shen is likely Shaw's ultimate slimy bad guy. He's been in dozens upon dozens of movies. He was extremely loyal to the studio and remained there till his death in 1984. Chan didn't always play villains, though. He did play good guys on occasion -- such as the South Shaolin teacher in Chang Cheh's influential INVINCIBLE SHAOLIN (1978). But it's his antagonists that are the most memorable and he essayed some of the most reprehensible examples of cinematic scumbags the movie world has ever seen.

On the technical side of things, Kuei's picture is filled with frenetic camerawork and some inventive camera placement (most likely the work of Kuei's frequent cameraman Yu Chi-- there are no credits on this German version). There are numerous close-ups and that all important 70s cinematic device -- the zoom in and zoom out. The zooms aren't nearly as excessive as they were in other HK movies of that era.



Lu Chuan's (Shikamura Ito) action choreography is typical modern style, but it's inventive and varied. Grappling, throws and Western boxing are implemented into the fight scenes that often incorporate choppers, wrenches, shovels and guns as weapons of mass bodily destruction. The action itself is spread out all over Hong Kong; from Fang's apartment (there are at least two assaults that take place there), to a back alley, a construction yard, a moving car, a dyeing mill, and a swimming pool. The final shootout takes place at a crowded stock exchange.

Speaking of shootouts, one of the best action scenes is punctuated by a riotous visualization of that classic saying about 'bringing a knife to a gunfight'. It had this reviewer laughing and clapping heartily.



PAYMENT IN BLOOD (1973) premiered in theaters around the same time as Chang Cheh's POLICE FORCE (1973) starring Wang Chung, Wang Hsieh and Alexander Fu Sheng. While Chang's movie felt more like a violent recruitment film for the HK police force, Kuei's movie was far more visceral and better. Both films performed to lukewarm business, but Cheh's picture edged out Kuei's ever so slightly.



PAYMENT IN BLOOD is among the directors best pictures of his career. If there's one area that's lacking it's two scenes where car stunts could have been utilized. But instead of seeing them, we simply hear the crashes. Aside from that, this film is representative of what the man was capable of as well as being the movie that defined his style for the remainder of the decade. It provides a sadistic segue into the wild excess of THE BAMBOO HOUSE OF DOLLS (1973) and the sickening THE KILLER SNAKES (1974); which led up to his bigger success with the CRIMINALS series and on to disgustingly imaginative black magic displays with BEWITCHED (1981) and its sequel THE BOXER'S OMEN (1983). As for his debut crime thriller, it's a shame there's not a better version of the film available.

***A NOTE ABOUT THIS REVIEW: PAYMENT IN BLOOD was not released to DVD in Hong Kong during IVL's five year license with Celestial Pictures. It wasn't announced for release, but is listed on some of the DVDs of Kuei's films as being available from Celestial Pictures. This review comes from a rare German tape in German language only in 1.85 widescreen. There are no credits save for a German main title card. This version runs 80 minutes and appears to be missing bits and pieces here and there so a proper assessment can be made if and when this movie becomes available in a better presentation. Plot details come from vintage HK magazine articles prior to the films release in 1973.***