Before John Woo became a legendary master of the bullet ballet, he honed his skills with the legendary weapons of China. He worked as an assistant director for Chang Cheh at the Shaw Brothers studio before moving to Golden Harvest where he would direct martial arts films. This is something I hadn't known about Woo. I was only familiar with his gunplay films such as A Better Tomorrow, The Killer, Hard Boiled, and Bullet in the Head. A Woo swordplay film won't have a single bullet casing bounce to the floor in slow motion, but you will find what will become standard themes for Woo: brotherhood, loyalty, and revenge, combined with copious amounts of sword swinging action.

The story begins on the wedding night of Kao. This proves to be a fateful night as the party is crashed by the evil kung fu master Pai and a number of his masked underlings. Pai accuses Kao's family of stealing the villa they are in, and a fight ensues. The fight leaves Kao's family dead, and the young man hot for revenge. Kao's plans for revenge are put on hold when Kao's teacher finds him not ready to carry a sword. So, the wheels start turning in Kao's head, and when he sees the fighting skills of Chang, he sets out to befriend him, and in turn recruit him to his cause. Chang happens to be a master swordsman who had left that life behind in order to care for his sick mother.

Kao's plans expand further when he enlists a wandering drunken swordsman, called Green, enticing him with money. Kao, who initially seems to be genuine in his desire to get revenge on Pai, is slowly revealed as a much more devious mind who seeks to get others to do his dirty work for him. While Kao's plan is put into effect, Chang and Green become fast friends, bonding over their enjoyment of drinking wine.

None of these elements are all that original. Anyone who has watched a few of these 70's era martial arts flicks will be familiar with the wandering swordsman, the master who has chosen to walk away, the evil kung fu masters who kill their own men, and younger upstarts who will stop at nothing to reach their ends. Where Last Hurrah for Chivalry succeeds is in the strong performances of the leads, and the development of the bond formed between men of violence.

It may not be as well developed as the films that would follow, nor involve firearms, but it is a sign of things to come. Beyond the themes, this movie should be watched for its action, as it is plentiful and well staged. The movie is littered with extended fight sequences which work towards the brotherhood themes, but work even better as action. They range from one-on-one fights, to two-on-one battles, to all out choreographed affairs. Each one is very well staged, contains its share of blood, and is easy to follow.