Devils on the Doorstep 2002

In the quaint hamlet of Rack-Armor Terrace, nestled at the foot of the majestic Great Wall of China in Hebei, a humble peasant named Ma Dasan finds his life turned upside down when an enigmatic figure bursts into his home one fateful night. The mysterious individual, known only as “Me,” unceremoniously deposits two bound and gagged captives - Kosaburo Hanaya, a hot-headed Japanese sergeant, and Dong Hanchen, a craven Chinese interpreter working for the Japanese Army - in gunnysacks, instructing Ma to keep them alive but captive for several days. With his home now transformed into an impromptu prison cell, Ma is left to ponder the intentions of this elusive figure, who vanishes as suddenly as they appeared.

As the villagers gather to discuss the unexpected turn of events, it becomes clear that Ma’s humble abode has become a hub of intrigue and deception. Hanaya, the Japanese sergeant, proves to be a formidable foe, repeatedly trying to provoke Ma and his fellow villagers into releasing him from his prison cell. However, Dong, the obsequious interpreter, cleverly manipulates Hanaya’s words in translation, presenting him as a conciliatory figure.

As the days turn into weeks, the enigmatic “Me” fails to return, leaving the villagers in a state of uncertainty and anxiety. The mystery surrounding the captives’ fate only deepens with the passing of time, until finally, six months later, the villagers decide that they have had enough. With Ma’s help, the prisoners are relocated to a watchtower along the Great Wall, where they languish under his care. However, their attempts to escape reveal Ma’s secret to the rest of the village, sparking a bitter argument and ultimately leading to the decision to hire an assassin from town to carry out the deed.

Ma turns to One Stroke Liu, a former Imperial executioner with a reputation for delivering swift and painless deaths. According to legend, Liu’s blade is so precise that it can sever a head with just one stroke, allowing the severed head to roll nine times on the ground, blink three times, and smile in gratitude for such a merciful demise. However, when Liu finally arrives at the watchtower, he proves to be a man of his word, but not quite as skilled as his reputation would suggest. Despite his best efforts, Liu fails to harm either prisoner with a single stroke, citing the will of Heaven as the reason for his failure.

With the prisoners still alive and well, Ma is left to ponder the true nature of the mysterious “Me” and the motivations behind their actions. As the villagers begin to lose patience, it becomes clear that the fate of Kosaburo Hanaya and Dong Hanchen hangs precariously in the balance, as they await their next move in this complex game of cat and mouse.

As Hanaya’s fortunes shift dramatically, his defiance melts away, replaced by profound gratitude towards the villagers who had freed him. He solemnly vows to reward their kindness with a bountiful offering of two wagons laden with grain should he be released from captivity. The villagers, moved by his sincerity, agree to release him and return the prisoners to the nearby Japanese encampment, unaware that Hanaya’s miraculous return would soon tarnish the Army’s war hero narrative. Captain Inokichi Sakatsuka, the encampment commander, is torn between honoring the agreement with the village and upholding the Army’s integrity. In a display of mercy, he orders his men to bring a rich bounty of food and wine to the village, accompanied by a feast that evening, as Ma slips away to fetch his lover Yu’er from a neighboring village.

As the night wears on, Captain Sakatsuka demands to know the identity of the person who captured Hanaya, while also accusing Ma of secretly mobilizing resistance fighters. Unsatisfied with the response, he orders the massacre of all villagers and the burning of their homes. Ma and Yu’er return to find their village in flames just as the darkness yields to dawn.

Meanwhile, Hanaya stands poised on the precipice of self-destruction before being halted by Captain Sakatsuka’s timely intervention: Japan has surrendered, bringing an end to the war. In the aftermath, Dong is publicly executed for his collaboration with the enemy, while Ma becomes consumed by a thirst for vengeance.

Disguising himself as a cigarette vendor, Ma lingers outside the Japanese encampment, now repurposed as a POW camp. When two unsuspecting soldiers emerge to purchase cigarettes, Ma seizes the opportunity, brutally attacking them and then breaking into the camp, slaughtering more prisoners. His search for Hanaya ultimately leads him into a trap, where he is subdued by guards before he can exact his revenge.

The Chinese Army, under the command of Major Gao, deems Ma’s actions too depraved to warrant execution at the hands of a fellow soldier. Instead, they condemn him to be executed by a Japanese POW in front of a massive crowd. Captain Sakatsuka presents Hanaya with a katana, which he uses with deliberate precision to deliver the fatal blow. As Ma’s lifeless head rolls across the ground, it performs an eerie sequence: it spins nine times, blinks three times, and finally settles into a macabre smile, a grim reminder of the twisted fate that had awaited ‘One Strike’ Liu’s victims.