Lover's Destiny (1975)

Director Chu Yuan was one of the new breed of directors at Shaw who raised the bar of martial arts films, by adding compelling storylines and a good dose of drama. Despite being without his regular cohorts Ku Lung and Ti Lung here, Chu shows his master stroke as he delves into the dastardly ways of evil warlords in China back in the 1910’s. Drama and action both take centre-stage as Tsung Hua and Ching Li fall prey to a lecherous general (Stanley Feng Tsui-fan) who rapes and forces the latter to become his concubine. With the help of two street performers (the deft and agile Chen Kuan-tai and Shih Szu) he once helped, Tsung hatches a plot to save his beloved – with deadly consequences.

Unfortunately the movie Lover's Destiny is not yet available on HBO Max.