The Water Margin

"Seven masters with a thousand ways to kill!"

1972 2h 5m ZH

👍

6.8

SOLID

★6.8TMDB · 26

ActionDrama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

The corruption in the Sung Dynasty of 11th century China is so rampant that it inspires a band of Oriental Robin Hoods - the Honorable 108. Mountain bandits who nevertheless live by a scrupulous code of conduct, the Honorable 108 pledge to end the repression of the brutal overlords.

“Seven masters with a thousand ways to kill!”

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Cast

David Chiang Da-Wei
The Prodigy, Yen Ching / Yen XiaoYi
Tetsuro Tamba
Jade Unicorn, Lu Chun I
Toshio Kurosawa
Golden Spear, Shi Wengong
Tung Lin
Heavenly King, Chao Kai
Ku Feng
Welcome Rain, Sung Jiang
Chin Feng
Clever Star Wu Yung
Elliot Ngok Wah
Leopard Man, Lin Chong
Wong Chung
Fearless One, Shih Hsiu

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Pao Hsueh-Li
Writers: Ni Kuang
Languages: Mandarin
Countries: Hong Kong

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

54 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "The Water Margin Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Pao Hsueh-Li, shot by Kung Mu-To. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Frankie Chan Fan-Kei. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Kwok Ting-Hung shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

David Chiang Da-Wei and Tetsuro Tamba and Toshio Kurosawa carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Seven masters with a thousand ways to kill!".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0069265 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Pao Hsueh-Li directs. Kung Mu-To behind the camera. Frankie Chan Fan-Kei scores. Kwok Ting-Hung cuts. Produced in Hong Kong. Dialogue in Mandarin.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

154 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
2Part of the "The Water Margin Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
3Directed by Pao Hsueh-Li, shot by Kung Mu-To. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Frankie Chan Fan-Kei. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Kwok Ting-Hung shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6David Chiang Da-Wei and Tetsuro Tamba and Toshio Kurosawa carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "Seven masters with a thousand ways to kill!".
8IMDB entry: tt0069265 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Only 26 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography: Kung Mu-To
Original score: Frankie Chan Fan-Kei
Editing: Kwok Ting-Hung
Costume design: Li Chi
Runtime: 125 min · 2h 5m
Status: Released
Original language: ZH
IMDB: The Water Margin (1972)

Part of

The Water Margin Collection

The Water Margin and its sequel All Men Are Brothers centres around a group of people that band together during the sung dynasty after political corruption and court intrigue brand them outlaws.