AKA: Hong mei gui, Hong Meigui, 红玫瑰
Martial arts filmmaker Chang Cheh strayed from his usual blood-soaked martial arts sagas to write and direct this musical action film starring ’60s-era, Taiwanese-Japanese pop singing sensation Jimmy Lin Chong, screen siren Lily Ho (INTIMATE CONFESSIONS OF A CHINESE COURTESAN) and emerging action heavy Lo Lieh (EXECUTIONERS FROM SHAOLIN).
Poon (Lin Chong) is a suave nightclub singer who finds his former life as a jewel thief catching up with him as someone impersonating him begins targeting wealthy women and their prized jewelry. With a bumbling inspector following his every move, Poon becomes involved with wealthy socialite Darling Fang (Lily Ho) who intends to use her collection of diamonds to lure him into a trap for the police. It’s up to Poon to prove his innocence by fighting his way through a gang of murderous thugs to unmask the real thief.
THE SINGING THIEF is a mixture of film elements beginning with modern song and dance routines followed by lightly comical intrigue and romance before violent basher-style fighting and gunplay overtakes the third act. After its disappointing box office run, which earned little more than half of what Chang’s ONE-ARMED SWORDSMAN made two years earlier, Chang returned to making more of the bloody martial arts movies he became best known for.
Genre: Crime, Musical
Companies: Shaw Brothers
Release Date: February 14, 1969
Producer: Run Run Shaw
Director: Chang Cheh
Action Director: Tang Chia, Lau Kar-leung
Cast: Jimmy Lin, Lily Ho, Lo Lieh
