Golden Needles (1974)

User Rating:

4.4/10   

Director:

Robert Clouse

Writers:

S. Lee Pogostin (writer)
Sylvia Schneble (writer)

Release Date:

17 July 1974 (USA)

Genre:

Action

Tagline:

Whoever owns them can rule the world

Plot:

Various factions are fighting each other to gain possession of a very special statue. The statue itself is not worth much...

Plot Keywords:

Hong Kong | Acupuncture | Flamethrower | Safecracker | Switchblade

Cast

Joe Don Baker	...	Dan
Elizabeth Ashley	...	Felicity
Ann Sothern	...	Fenzie
Jim Kelly	...	Jeff
Burgess Meredith	...	Winters
Roy Chiao	...	Lin Toa
Frances Fong	...	Su Lin
Tony Lee	...	Kwan
Alice Fong	...	Lotus
Clarence Barnes	...	Claude
Pat E. Johnson	...	Winter's man
Edgar Justice	...	Bobby
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Tiet Wo Chu
Yuen Fang	...	Acupuncturist
Yue Fong
Li Jen Ho	...	Patient
Richard Ng
Shan Tai

Also Known As:

The Chase for the Golden Needles (USA) (reissue title)

Runtime:

92 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Netherlands:16 | Norway:16 (1975) | Sweden:15 | USA:PG

Company:

Sequoia

An intriguing premise but with decidedly average execution

Joe Don Baker headlines in this Robert Clouse directed, minorly interesting tale concerning the hunt for a priceless golden statue that reveals the hidden acupuncture points that will when stimulated, rejuvenate any man into a super stud! Well it's certainly an intriguing plot device to be sure but the film itself is a sadly decidedly minor effort and is furthermore, mostly unengaging throughout.

Although fans of Jim Kelly may initially scramble to get hold of this to see the great man in action, I should warn you all that he actually hardly features in this and only gets to show off some of his skills in one sequence (which is decidedly badly staged I might hastily add at that).

Still to be fair, having stated the above negative points the film does have a rather good final twenty or so minutes and features a rather exciting chase sequence wherein our hero is pursued through narrow streets by an angry mob who are baying for his blood.

Certainly not one of director Clouse's finest moments (nor it's stars for that matter) but may just about merit a watch if you are a Clouse completest.

Note: I've got to commend the casting of the beautiful Frances Fong as Shu Lin - although not a great actress by any stretch of the imagination, her stunning beauty absolutely shines like a diamond in every single scene she appears in.