Film Name: 马永贞 / Hero / 馬永貞
A classic old Hong Kong film structure, centered on gang warfare with Ma Yongzhen’s romantic entanglements as a subplot. Tan Si, backed by the British, and Yang Shuang, relying on the police station, vie for control of Shanghai’s turf. Yi Hu Chun vies with the Fourth Master for a watch. His mistress, Yan Yangtian, is singer Jin Lingzi. Ma Yongzhen and his brother-in-arms encounter the Fourth Master while doing manual labor, leading to their introduction. Conflict arises between Yi Hu Chun (Yang Shuang) and Tan Si, marking the first clash among the main factions. Ma Yongzhen seizes his first independent territory, gradually evolving into a three-way standoff. As tensions escalate, Yang exploits Yan Yangtian to undermine Ma Yongzhen’s friendship with Fourth Master, collaborating with the police station to defeat them one by one. He frames Fourth Master for murdering a foreigner. Ma Yongzhen is rescued and joins forces with Fourth Master for revenge, driving the story to its climax. Ultimately, Yang and Tan perish, and Ma Yongzhen departs Shanghai. The subplot remains concise and clear: heroes paired with beauties. Ma Yongzhen and Jin Lingzi form a bond, yet their relationship is delayed and ultimately missed due to the main conflict. After resolving their differences, they reunite. The subplot involving Ma Yongzhen and the Fourth Master’s mistress feels more like using her as a stand-in for Jin Lingzi, as both are singers. Meanwhile, Yan Yangtian, seeking to protect the Fourth Master, falls for Yang Shuang’s manipulation and deliberately targets Ma Yongzhen. Their relationship is one of mutual exploitation and betrayal—in a way, it’s a fated, ill-fated bond.
Wu’s charm in this series is uniquely captivating—the perfect embodiment of a heartthrob. Ma Yongzhen’s handsomeness feels like stepping straight out of a shonen manga, wielding dual pistols like Angel No. 1 Dawn from Fallen Angel. So cool! How could the young heartthrobs of that era be this gorgeous? qwq. I watched the dubbed version and suspect there’s no original audio—it’s a shame not to hear Wu’s deep bass voice. But imagine He Zhiwu—Wu’s voice leans more toward gentle than forceful. While he exudes coolness, there’s an underlying innocence and warmth. His original voice would probably sound adorable, haha. When he deceived Ma Yongzhen by saying Jin Lingzi married the boss, it instantly reminded me of “Ashes of Time.”
I still don’t quite grasp Yan Yangtian’s mindset. After following the Fourth Master for so long, shouldn’t he have seen through Yang’s true colors by now? Why would he rather betray the Fourth Master and kick out his friend Ma Yongzhen than question whether Yang truly spared the Fourth Master? The words of a traitor who informs are the least trustworthy. Yet when I saw Yan Yangtian reveal Ma Yongzhen’s survival to Yang Shuang, my first reaction was to believe she’d betrayed Ma Yongzhen again. I felt furious and frustrated—why help Yang Shuang when she treated both him and the Fourth Master so badly? I didn’t realize Yan Yangtian had already colluded with Ma Yongzhen. From the protagonists’ perspective, distrust of her was instinctive, their loyalties firmly with the Fourth Master. Yet her past betrayal of Ma Yongzhen was an undeniable fact. Like the fable of The Boy Who Cried Wolf, people are more inclined to believe a traitor will betray again than to trust their sudden redemption. From Yang Shuang’s perspective, he believed he held leverage over both Fourth Master and Yan Yangtian. He looked down on Ma Yongzhen, who had once been defeated by him, and held absolute advantage in this gang conflict. Thus, he was highly likely to trust Yan Yangtian’s intelligence. Returning to Yan Yangtian’s standpoint, collaborating with Ma Yongzhen was her only viable path to turn the tide.
The Fourth Master’s charisma was unmatched. Death might just be the most heroic ending. Never bowing down, choosing death over surrender—that’s the romance of a man.
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