Delightful Forest (Kuai huo lin) is a 1972 Hong Kong movie produced by Shaw Brothers, based on a story in The Water Margin. The legendary fighter Wu Song (Ti Lung) is sent to prison in Mengzhou province after murdering his sister-in-law and her lover. There he meets with the prison officer "Golden eye" Shih En (Tien Ching), who saved Wu from the baton punishment required for new prisoners. Wu learns that Shih's restaurant named the "Delightful Forest" has been occupied by Chiang "Door God" Chung (Chu Mu) and now he seeks his revenge.
This film contains examples of:
- Anti-Hero: Wu Song is considerably more brutal and nasty than other Kung Fu heroes. He is an outlaw after all.
- Arrogant Kung-Fu Guy: Wu Song and Chiang Chung.
- Appeal to Force: When Wu Song relates his troubles to a man, he's cheerfully told that he should just kill everyone, and he'd be free.
- Ain't Too Proud to Beg: Chiang Chung. Also, two of the assassins on the bridge after trying (and failing) to kill Wu Song. He slits their throats in mid-sentence.
- Bad Guy Bar: Both Mandarin Duck Hall and Delightful Forest.
- Boxed Crook: What Wu Song becomes.
- Booze-Based Buff: Wu Song demands to drink three bowls of wine at every passed tavern on his way to Delightful Forest. He claims that booze will only make him stronger, and when he's drunk he's unbeatable. He's right.
- Couldn't Find a Pen: At the end if the villa battle, after Wu song had massacred every villain, including servants, guards, and the like, Wu Song then writes with his own blood on the courtyard's walls, "Wu Song is the Killer", before leaving for Mount Liangshan.
- Finishing Stomp: The is how Wu Song finishes off his last opponent, Jiang the Door God, by stomping Jiang's throat against a wall, crushing his windpipe.
- Gorn: Considerably more violent than your usual Kung Fu movie. The final fight in Mandarin Duck Hall especially, where Wu Song actually writes "Wu Song killed all these men" in blood on the wall after killing everyone. Yes, everyone.
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Suspiciously Similar Song: The main theme is pure copy of 'Man with Harmonica' from Once Upon a Time in the West. - Sword Fight: Tons of them, with High-Pressure Blood galore.
