Heroes of the East 1978

The story hinges on the proud, but good-natured Ah To (Gordon Liu Chia-Hui), a young Chinese man stuck in an arranged marriage with a Japanese girl named Kuda (Yuko Mizuno). During the wedding, Kuda sticks to her own rituals and ignores the customs of the Chinese, a move that incurs the general ill will of those in attendance.
But just when you think the story is going to be about a nice Japanese girl suffering at the hands of Chinese prejudice,the film quickly reveals that Kuda isn't as demure as she first appears.Like her new husband, Kuda practices martial arts, spending most of her days training in the courtyard. However, her idea of practice isn't exactly what you'd call polite. The woman's a literal home wrecker! Ah To and his servants watch helplessly as Kuda proceeds to knock over walls, destroy statues, and generally wreak havoc on her new home with gleeful aplomb. When Ah To asks her to tone things down and perhaps learn the "more ladylike kung fu" practiced by Chinese women, Kuda scoffs at his suggestion. Even worse, she orders all the Chinese weapons that Ah To stores in his personal gym to be removed and replaced with her Japanese arsenal. When To tries to explain the historical and practical value of his Chinese fighting implements, Kuda dismisses his opinion as ludicrous, happily mocking the Chinese way. Since Kuda fancies herself a martial artist, To challenges her to a duel, in which they each would use the weapons of their respective countries. Kuda agrees, and loses each battle, but in the end, she resorts to the less honorable (at least in To's eyes) art of ninjitsu, nearly killing her husband! As one might guess, this duel doesn't help resolve their differences. The confrontational behavior continues for most of the first act until Kuda, fed up with the arrangement, returns to Tokyo to consult her sensei and possible ex-lover, Sanzo (Yasuaki Kurata). With his wife away, Ah To parties hard, but is later convinced by his sniveling servant Hsiao Kwan (Cheng Hong-Yip) to send for her. Knowing she would be too proud to return without good reason, Ah To writes a letter mocking the Japanese way in the hope that Kuda will be so enraged that she will return to China immediately. Once back in Chinese territory, Ah To figures he can easily explain the ruse to Kuda and make a fresh start.
Unfortunately, all does not go to plan as the jealous Sanzo ends up reading the letter soon after Kuda receives it. Viewing it as a slap in the face to all of Japan, Sanzo and the best fighters from his dojo head off to China to take up the gauntlet unintentionally thrown down by our hero. Of course, Ah To is shocked to find the masters of kendo, karate, nunchaku, spear, sai, and judo at his doorstep to answer his "challenge." After some hesitation, Ah To agrees to fight, using swords, drunken boxing, a three-sectioned staff, a spear, two butterfly knives, and some baby oil (you'll see!) to counterattack his aggressors. Although he finds some success in dealing with the masters proficient in only one style, Ah To faces a considerable challenge in Sanzo, a master not only of ninjitsu, but of the all the previous Japanese styles Ah To encountered as well.

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Cantonese / English Subtitles

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