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After swordsman Xian Xiao (Chang I) has saved the life of Judge Bao
Zheng from a group of ruthless assassins, he is made bodyguard of the
emperor (Chin Feng) and given the honorary title King Cat.
That though is a slap in the face of a group of heroes calling
themselves the Five Mice of Xiangkong Island, and especially the
youngest, Bai Yolang (Chiao Chiang) is bent on having his revenge. So he
steals Princess Yongan's new stove right from under Xian Xiao's nose, just
to provoke the hero, and leaves a message behind that would lead Xian Xiao
to him ...
Unfortunately though, that very same night, scheming minister Peng has
sent his thug Hua (Lo Lieh) to Princess Yongan's mansion to
assassinate her, but since he can't find her herself, he rapes and kills
three of her maidens ... with all the evidence pointing to Bai Yolang.
Xian Xiao, who investigates the case, can't help but soon come to the
conclusion that the killer really was Bai Yolang, and even Bai Yolang's
sister Yue-han believes he is guilty and helps Xian Xiao track down Bai
Yolang ... and soon everything culminates in a battle of the emperors army
against the Five Mice of Xiangkong Island, foubght all the fiercer
since Bai Yolang refuses to admit his deeds ... and he is very right at
that, since when it's almost too late, Xian Xiao finds out that the darts
with which the maidens were killed do not match Bai Yolang's personal
darts.
From here on, Bai Yolang and Xian Xiao decide to join forces to capture
the real culprits, and soon enough, their trail leads to Minister Peng and
his henchmen Hua - a trail that also leads through Minister Peng's vast
underground labyrinth full of deathtraps. Peng and Hua though have
meanwhile kidnapped Princess Yolang, which makes the affair all the more
urgent. After another big battle though, Minister Peng and Hua are killed,
Bai Yolang's reputation is restored, and Xian Xiao is offered Princess
Yolang's hand ... he refuses though since he has since fallen in love with
Bai Yolang's sister Yue-han.
A nice martial arts-mystery that seems to prefigure Chu
Yuan's celebrated Ku Lung adaptations by quite some years, and
even if King Cat doesn't match those movies in neither style nor
martial arts nor bizarre inventiveness, it's nevertheless good
entertainment, featuring an interesting storyline, colourful scenery and
some quite impressive battle scenes.
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