''The Water Margin'', also known ''Outlaws of the Marsh'' and ''Seven Blows Of The Dragon'', is a 1972 Hong Kong film adapted from the Chinese classical 14th-century novel ''
Water Margin
''Water Margin'' (), also called ''Outlaws of the Marsh'' or ''All Men Are Brothers'', is a Chinese novel from the Ming dynasty that is one of the preeminent Classic Chinese Novels. Attributed to Shi Nai'an, ''Water Margin'' was one of the e ...
''. It was produced by the
Shaw Brothers Studio
Shaw Brothers (HK) Limited () was the largest film production company in Hong Kong, operating from 1925 to 2011.
In 1925, three Shaw brothers— Runje, Runme, and Runde—founded Tianyi Film Company (also called "Unique") in Shang ...
and directed by
Chang Cheh
Chang Cheh (; 10 February 1923 – 22 June 2002) was a Chinese people, Chinese filmmaker, screenwriter, lyricist and producer active in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. Chang Cheh directed more than 90 films in Greater China, the majority of them wi ...
.
Godfrey Ho
Godfrey Ho ( zh, 何志强 or 何致强, Chinese: Ho Chi-Keung; born November 10, 1948) is a prolific former Hong Kong film director and screenwriter. Ho is believed to have directed more than one hundred films, including over 80 movies from 1 ...
was assistant director (as Chih Chiang Ho).
Plot
The plot is based on the story of how "Jade Unicorn"
Lu Junyi
Lu Junyi is a fictional character in ''Water Margin'', one of the Four Great Classical Novels, four Chinese great classical novels. Nicknamed "Jade Qilin", he ranks second among the 36 Heavenly Spirits, the first third of the 108 Stars of Desti ...
came to join the outlaw band at
Liangshan Marsh
Mount Liang is a mountain in Liangshan County, Shandong, China, which rises to 197.9 metres above sea level. It is well known as the stronghold of the 108 Heroes in the classic Chinese novel '' Water Margin''. The modern Liangshan County i ...
and the outlaws' battle with the Zeng Family Fortress.
Liangshan's chief
Chao Gai
Chao Gai, nicknamed "Pagoda-Shifting Heavenly King", is a fictional character in ''Water Margin'', one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature. He is not one of the 108 Stars of Destiny because he dies before the Grand Assembly ...
was ambushed and killed by Shi Wengong. His fellows vow to avenge him. The current ''de facto'' leaders of Liangshan,
Song Jiang
Song Jiang was a Chinese historical figure who led an armed rebellion against the ruling Song dynasty, Song Dynasty in the early 12th century. His band marauded over a region straddling the present-day Chinese provinces of Shandong and Henan. Th ...
and
Wu Yong
Wu Yong is a fictional character in ''Water Margin'', one of the Four Great Classical Novels, Four Great Chinese Classical Novels. Nicknamed "Knowledgeable Star", he ranks third among the 36 Heavenly Spirits, the first third of the 108 Stars of ...
, decide that given Shi Wengong's skill, Lu Junyi (Shi's former fellow student) will be the best person to assist them in taking revenge. The outlaws also note that if they succeed in recruiting Lu Junyi, they will also win over Lu's servant,
Yan Qing
Yan Qing is a fictional character in '' Water Margin'', one of the Four Great Classical Novels in Chinese literature. Nicknamed "''Langzi''" (浪子; meaning "the Wanderer" or "the Prodigal"), he ranks last among the 36 Heavenly Spirits, the fi ...
, who is also a formidable martial artist.
Wu Yong disguises himself as fortune teller and infiltrates the northern capital, where Lu Junyi stays, together with
Li Kui Li Kui may refer to:
*Li Kui (legalist), government minister in the Wei state
*Li Kui (chancellor), chancellor of the Tang Dynasty
*Li Kui (Water Margin), fictional character in the ''Water Margin''
{{hndis, Li, Kui
, death_place =
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as
Yan Qing
Yan Qing is a fictional character in '' Water Margin'', one of the Four Great Classical Novels in Chinese literature. Nicknamed "''Langzi''" (浪子; meaning "the Wanderer" or "the Prodigal"), he ranks last among the 36 Heavenly Spirits, the fi ...
*
Tetsurō Tamba
was a Japanese actor with a career spanning five decades. He appeared in nearly 300 film and television productions, both in leading and supporting roles, and was the winner of two Japan Academy Film Prizes.
At the height of his career, he wa ...
as
Lu Junyi
Lu Junyi is a fictional character in ''Water Margin'', one of the Four Great Classical Novels, four Chinese great classical novels. Nicknamed "Jade Qilin", he ranks second among the 36 Heavenly Spirits, the first third of the 108 Stars of Desti ...
*
Toshio Kurosawa as Shi Wengong
*Tung Lam as
Chao Gai
Chao Gai, nicknamed "Pagoda-Shifting Heavenly King", is a fictional character in ''Water Margin'', one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature. He is not one of the 108 Stars of Destiny because he dies before the Grand Assembly ...
*
Ku Feng
Chan Sze-man (3 July 1930 – 27 March 2025), better known by his stage name Ku Feng, was a Hong Kong actor.
Background
Feng studied in Beijing, and appeared in hundreds of films, many of which were produced by the Shaw Brothers Studio
S ...
as
Song Jiang
Song Jiang was a Chinese historical figure who led an armed rebellion against the ruling Song dynasty, Song Dynasty in the early 12th century. His band marauded over a region straddling the present-day Chinese provinces of Shandong and Henan. Th ...
*Chin Feng as
Wu Yong
Wu Yong is a fictional character in ''Water Margin'', one of the Four Great Classical Novels, Four Great Chinese Classical Novels. Nicknamed "Knowledgeable Star", he ranks third among the 36 Heavenly Spirits, the first third of the 108 Stars of ...
*
Elliot Ngok
Yueh Hua (; 14 July 1942 – 20 October 2018), also known professionally as Elliot Ngok Wah, was a Shanghai-born Hong Kong actor, later based in Canada, with Shaw Brothers Studio and TVB. Yueh was one of the most versatile and prolific leading ...
as
Lin Chong
Lin Chong is a fictional character in ''Water Margin'', one of the Four Great Classical Novels in Chinese literature. Nicknamed "Panther Head", he ranks sixth among the 36 Heavenly Spirits. In some folk tales derived from the novel, he is said ...
*Wong Chung as
Shi Xiu
Shi Xiu is a fictional character in '' Water Margin'', one of the Four Great Classical Novels in Chinese literature. Nicknamed "Daredevil Third Brother", he ranks 33rd among the 36 Heavenly Spirits, the first third of the 108 Stars of Destiny.
...
*
Ti Lung
Tommy Tam Fu-wing (, born 19 August 1946), known professionally by his stage name Ti Lung (), is a Hong Kong actor, martial artist known for his numerous starring roles in a string of Shaw Brothers Studio's films, particularly '' The Duel'', '' ...
as
Wu Song
Wu Song ( zh, c=武松, p=Wǔ Sōng), also known as Second Brother Wu ( zh, c=武二郎, p=Wǔ Èrláng, labels=no), is a legendary hero recounted since the 13th century; and one of the well-known fictional characters in the ''Water Margin'', on ...
*
Lily Ho as
Hu Sanniang
Hu Sanniang (literally "Third Sister Hu") is a fictional character in ''Water Margin'', one of the Four Great Classical Novels in Chinese literature. Nicknamed "Zhàng, Ten Feet of Blue", she ranks 59th among the 108 Stars of Destiny and 23rd am ...
*Fan Mei-sheng as
Li Kui Li Kui may refer to:
*Li Kui (legalist), government minister in the Wei state
*Li Kui (chancellor), chancellor of the Tang Dynasty
*Li Kui (Water Margin), fictional character in the ''Water Margin''
{{hndis, Li, Kui