The Devil's Mirror (1972) User Reviews

"Devil's Mirror" - Great Action, Silly Story from Sun Chung

[ChungMo · 6/10 · 6 May 2008]

Sun Chung is one of the unsung heroes of the Shaw studios. While it can be argued that Sun Chung might have been the best action director at the Shaw studio, he never had a film with quite the story appeal of anything from Chang Cheh or Liu Chia Liang (with the exception of AVENGING EAGLE). This is his first film for the Shaws and it shows a surprising command of the craft for a first time effort.

The film has a number of weaknesses, namely the plot and the very poor wire work which contrasts to the excellent fight choreography. A fairly typical wuxia story is ramped up by the inclusion of the Jiuxian witch and her quest to possess the twin magic mirrors which will free the legendary "Fish Intestine" Sword from the golden tomb of Emperor Wu. A fairly brief bit of body double nudity and a remarkable amount of bloodletting stand in contrast to the juvenile proceedings of the film. If anything belies that this was a first directorial effort, it's the uncomfortable mix of silly fantasy kung fu with some intense battle scenes that are a signature of Sun Chung's later work.

The film moves along at a fast pace so it's entertaining despite the drawbacks.

The "studio system" at it's best

[ckormos1 · 6/10 · 12 May 2019]

The clans meet to discuss the witch problem. Some don't take her seriously, others do. The beautiful witch discusses her plans too. She has a traitor on the inside and wants the two magic mirrors. The owners of the mirrors fear to use their ultimate weapon. The witch has men under her spell and their faces are distorted by a worm and she has the cure if they obey.

The studio system of making movies was on the way out in 1972 and turning toward creative control of actors such as Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan. This movie is an example of the studio system at its best. Fabulous costumes accumulated over the past twenty years, extravagant sets that have been used repeatedly such as the bridge and seven story pagoda, all the gold paint in China to make one cave, actors picked at random and just going by the script, and the best stunt men in history getting paid ten dollars a day to do the impossible were assembled in a studio and in a few weeks a very good movie was put on film. Editors spliced it together and added sound then it was sent to theaters, made money, and then was tossed to the side like a used napkin. I'm always amazed as how entertainment was so disposable back then and no one knew they were making the best movies ever.

Excellent fight choreography and execution plus all the elaborate details mentioned before combine to make an above average movie the year and genre.

Wild, man. Wild.

[BandSAboutMovies · 5/10 · 29 September 2022]

The Devil's Mirror is the story of the Jiuxian Witch and her Bloody Ghouls Clan battle two other clans who both possess magic mirrors known as the Wind and Thunder Magic Mirrors. If the three-eyed witch can get both of those mirrors, she can break down the walls of the tomb of Emperor Wu, take the Fish Intestine sword and the Thousand Year Ganoderma and, one surmises, take over everything. Well, the sword is for invincibility and the herb will allow her to live forever.

The elders of the clans, Golden Lion Chief Wen and the awesome Chief Bai who can fight harder than anyone despite only having one leg, can't get along. So it will have to be their youngest clan devotees, Wen Jianfeng (Lau Dan) and Bai Xiaofeng (Shu Pei-Pei), who will keep the witch from winning it all, even if she has a spell that turns even the toughest fighters' faces into wormy scabs and forces them to join her side for the cure.

This movie is also not afraid to spray blood all over the place and features a geyser-spraying beheading. There's so much blood that it fills up an entire pool. And the witch is horny, I mean, she'll tell you throughout. In fact, were I a martial arts witch of great power that could fly and had three eyes, I'd be worked up all the time as well.

If you watch one movie where a large martial artist kicks ass while having a spiked peg leg, well, honestly I can't think of another film that has that.

The first movie that Sun Chung directed for Shaw Brothers, he would go on to make Human Lanterns which is a movie that you must watch and if you've already watched it, go ahead and see it again.

"You can kill me all you want..."

[poe426 · 10/10 · 23 April 2013]

The sexually insatiable Jiuxuan Witch (whose third eye in the middle of her forehead opens VERTICALLY, for those of you keeping score) desires the two Magic Mirrors- the Wind and the Thunder mirrors- with which she can rule the martial arts world. She sends members of her Bloody Ghouls Clan (swordsmen who have been turned more or less into zombies) to get the Wind mirror held by the Golden Tiger Clan. Young Master Wen and Feng Er, daughter of rival clan leader Bai, join up to retrieve the mirror (after Bai traitor Feng frames the Golden Tiger Clan). When Wen is captured, he delivers the best line I think I've ever heard in a martial arts movie: "You can kill me all you want to..." Now THAT'S a great line, no matter how you cut it. THE DEVIL'S MIRROR also boasts the largest gushers of blood I've ever seen (and the most numerous). A solid ten.