The Dragon Fortress (1968) Director: Ling Yun Cast: Connie Chan, Suet Nei, Kenneth Tsang Kong, Cheung Ying-tsoi, Sek Kin Publisher: Fung Hang; Format: VCD English subtitles: Yes I first saw The Dragon Fortress a little more than five years ago. It was my first Connie Chan movie—but it was not the first time that I saw her in motion. That honor belongs to a clip of the opening credits from Lady Bond that I saw in an exhibition at the Hong Kong Film Archive. Those credits feature an amazing split-screen shot with three differently garbed Connie Chans dancing and singing the Lady Bond theme song—Wow! I was immediately hooked. But alas, I had arrived in Hong Kong five days too late to catch the screening of Lady Bond, and so it was The Dragon Fortress, which I picked up on VCD during my trip, that became my first feature-length introduction to Connie Chan. I hate to say it, but at that time I was more taken by her co-star Suet Nei, who I’d never seen nor heard of before and whose nasty temper, killer looks, and unique voice struck me like a bolt out of the blue. Which is not to say that The Dragon Fortress is a bad Connie Chan film, but it’s not the first one that I would choose to illustrate the charms of Hong Kong cinema’s Movie-Fan Princess. Nevertheless, The Dragon Fortress is a good example of the Cantonese mo hup (swordplay) films of the late 60s. Besides Connie and Suet Nei, it also features Kenneth Tsang Kong and Cheung Ying-tsoi. All four had been groomed as the new generation of martial-arts stars during their association with the Sin-Hok Kong-Luen Company, in such films as The Golden Hairpin (1963-64), The Six-Fingered Lord of the Lute (1965), and Paragon of Sword and Knife (1967-68). As I just mentioned, it was Suet Nei who initially impressed me the most, with her snarls and sneers, icy stares, and all-around bad attitude (“Don’t call me lady. I’m called the Pitiless Sword.”). In contrast, Connie was a little too goody-goody for my taste. Of course, as I found out later, Connie could be quite sassy as well. But she was never the ice queen that Suet Nei was so adept at playing. It’s interesting to note that Sin-Hok Kong-Luen had been pushing for Suet Nei to become the next big thing, but as it turned out, it was Connie (playing the male lead in The Six-Fingered Lord of the Lute) who became their number one star. Connie’s innate wholesomeness was undoubtedly a factor in winning the hearts of young movie fans. While never as popular or versatile as Connie, Suet Nei was an outstanding martial-arts star, and The Dragon Fortress is one of her best films (along with the rough-and-tumble, shot-from-the-hip series of Muk Lan-fa films). Besides Suet Nei, the other revelation for me was Kenneth Tsang Kong. His role as the greed-driven gambler retains its freshness and vitality even today, especially when compared to Cheung Ying-tsoi’s old-fashioned hero. Tsang may play it over the top, but his performance is full of the energy that Cantonese cinema needed at the time to compete with Chang Cheh’s new-style martial-arts heroes. When I first watched The Dragon Fortress, Cheung Ying-tsoi struck me as hopelessly dopey and outdated, but after revisiting the film, I was impressed by his sincerity. While he may have been a little ill-suited for martial-arts films, Cheung was evidently quite charming in his modern-day films and was even nicknamed the “handsome young man.” He first came to fame in the late 50s making films for Shaw Brothers’ Cantonese division with legendary superstar Patricia Lam Fung. The Dragon Fortress is clearly not one of his best films, but I’ve heard he’s hilarious in the available-on-VCD 1963 romantic comedy One Queen and Three Kings (also featuring Suet Nei, then 16 years old, masquerading as three sisters!). Well, these are the stars of The Dragon Fortress. And they are ably supported by an unusual story with some interesting plot twists that give extra depth to the characters and that make the film stand out from the standard quest for vengeance. The addition of English subtitles and top-notch action choreography by Lau Kar-leung and Tong Gai make this a sure bet for Hong Kong movie fans seeking an introduction to the Cantonese mo hup films of the 60s. Reviewed by Dave Wells Connie Chan is the girl next door with a sword. Suet Nei is the ice queen with looks that kill. Tsang Kong is the gambler who won't do anything unless it's profitable. Cheung Ying-tsoi is the nice guy in love with the wrong woman. And Sek Kin is the brutal bandit they are hired to kill. Hong Kong action queens of the 60s: Connie Chan and Suet Nei.