Bullet Points: Treasure Hunters
One of the titles I was hoping would be included in Arrow Video’s Shaw Scope Volume 2 was 1981’s Treasure Hunters. I had heard nothing but positives in regards to the movie and as an Alexander Fu Sheng fan it is one I had been wanting to check out. Treasure Hunters was significant in Fu Sheng’s career since it was his comeback film after a series of injuries most notably a broken leg.
When the line up was announced for Shaw Scope Volume 2, Treasure Hunters was not on the list. Now finding certain Shaw Brothers titles on DVD can often feel like a treasure hunt in and of itself, but fortunately a digital copy of the film was easily accessible on Amazon Prime and moments later I was about to experience Treasure Hunters for myself…
- Horsing Around: It doesn’t take long before Treasure Hunters unleashes the comedy and charisma of Alexander Fu Sheng. Fu Sheng’s character, Chi Ta Po, pulls a ruse on Chief Zhu San (To Siu-Ming, Bruce Le’s Greatest Revenge). The law enforcement official is escorting his plus sized wife, who is on horseback, to her mother’s house. That’s when a mask wearing Chi Ta Po takes advantage of Zhu San’s less than 20/20 vision and makes the Chief believe that they have walked right into a trap and that he and his wife are surrounded by bandits. Chi Ta Po ends up with Zhu San’s badge, gun and horse and Zhu San ends up carrying his large wife on his back all the way to her mother’s house.
- A Pair of Jokers: We then see Chi Ta Po regaling his friends with the tale of what he had just done and with the gun and badge to prove his story was true. His friends obviously bet Chi Ta Po that he couldn’t do it and he proved them wrong. His friends pay up and Chi Ta Po takes that cash and heads to the local casino. Chi Ta Po’s gambling is interrupted when he is summoned by a VIP at the casino, the spoiled rich Chow Su Chi (played by Fu Sheng’s brother Chang Chan Peng), Chow Su Chi has heard that Chi Ta Po is interested in finding the treasure of Zhang Baozai and while Chow Su Chi has no need for the fortune, he would love to have the fame that would come with being the one to find the long lost gold. So Chow Su Chi proposes a partnership with Chi Ta Po and immediately puts that partnership to the test when the casino boss isn’t going to allow Chow Su Chi to put his bill on his rich father’s tab again, so Chow asks Chi Ta Po to pay… but Chi Ta Po doesn’t have that kind of money so it looks like the two con men are going to have to fight their way out and the movie gets its first of its big fight scenes.
- Mo Hunters, Mo Problems: Now Chi Ta Po and Chow Su Chi aren’t the only ones looking for the gold… Monk Wu San (Gordon Liu, Dirty Ho) seems to have an interest in the gold OR at least those who have an interest in the gold. Monk Wu San and his four fellow Shaolin monks pay a visit to a variety of treasure hunters… all of which end up dead! Now if you think it is strange that a Shaolin monk would go around murdering people, you’d be right… because it isn’t Monk Wu San who is doing the killing. Instead, after every Monk Wu San visit, those same treasure hunters are visited by Lord Mo (Johnny Wang, Shaolin Temple) and his lovely double sword wielding assistant played by Yeung Ching-Ching of Clan of the White Lotus fame. I have to say Liu is absolutely perfect in this role.
- Go For the Gold: Chi Ta Po and Chow Su Chi’s quest for the gold provide two of the most memorable fight sequences I have ever seen… the first is when they go to a local antique shop looking for letters that Zhang Baozai wrote hoping to find a lead to the treasure. When the old shopkeeper quotes them a ridiculous price, the two decide they’ll come back that night since old timers go to bed early and they’ll just steal the letters and later after they find the gold, they can reimburse the shopkeeper… what they weren’t counting on was that old timers also have to get up in the middle of the night to piss… Later the letters give them a clue about some pirates and they decide to go to the library to find a book that will help in their quest… but the cross-eyed Chief Zhu San and his forces show up looking for the two con men and all hell breaks loose in the library, much to the librarian’s chagrin!
- The Turning Point: The adventure really kicks into high gear when Chi Ta Po and Chow Su Chi figure out that it is Lord Mo and his lethal lady that is responsible for all the killing and the dynamic duo team up with Monk Wu San and his Shaolin brothers heading into the finale that takes place at a temple… the very temple where it is believed that Zhang Baozai hid the gold!
Another Shaw Brothers film I heard so much good about and another Shaw Brothers film that absolutely delivered.
Treasure Hunters is fun from beginning to end and was blessed with memorable moments and loads of talent. I got the sense that Alexander Fu Sheng missed his time away from the silver screen and he wanted to the show the world that Fu Sheng was back! Pairing up Fu Sheng with the contrasting style of the more low key Gordon Liu was a winning combination. And you can’t discount “Rookie of the Year” Chang Chan Peng in his first film, proving the talent and charisma that Fu Sheng brought to the table was in his DNA.
I’m about to bring some Bonus Bullet Points to the table to wrap this review up…
- Two Words: Shaolin Voltron
- If You Ever: …wanted to see Fu Sheng ride a man like a sled down a flight of stairs, then Treasure Hunters is the movie for you.
- AKA: Treasure Hunters is also know as Master of Disaster and Brother Dragon Tiger.
- If You Ever: …wanted to see a guy disguised as entire book shelf full of books, then Treasure Hunters is the movie for you.
