This almost unknown Swordplay movie begins in an atmospheric way reminiscent of the Italian spaghetti-western that anticipates the plot of Tarantino's Hateful Eight: we see the arrival of a group of cavaliers to a post horse station in the desert. They're a police escort for a dangerous prisoner (actor Ma Kei), and their commander (actor James Nam) is a very diffident one. Expecially because the people he finds inside the station aren't what they seem to be. Photography, direction and acting are more than adequate and the first part admirably relies on people observing each other, no dialogues, pure Sergio Leone style. I was astonished by the unusual elegance of a movie belonging to a genre where, too often, gratuitous action was more important than a good story and solid personages. Here you have both. Honorable Hong Kong film debut for Korean singer Nam Hoon Suck, renamed James Nam, or Nam Gungfan (or Nam Kung Hsiu in the cult classic Five fingers of death, where he was the blind one). Released in HK 4/8/70 and produced by Hong Kong Alpha, later responsible for several trashy-but-funny Bruceploitationers like Exit the dragon, enter the tiger and Bruce Lee against supermen. Ill Wind (also known under by title Post Horse Station) is a truly surprisingly item from the gloiruous days of HK Wuxiapian.
