# The Bastard
**The Bastard** (小雜種; also known as *Xiao za zhong*, *Nobody's Son*, and *Little Hero*) is a 1973 Hong Kong martial arts drama directed by Chor Yuen for the Shaw Brothers studio, starring Tsung Hua and Lily Li.[1](https://www.grindhousedatabase.com/index.php/The_Bastard_%28Shaw_Brothers%29) • [2](https://www.1905.com/mdb/film/2088227/) The film follows a nameless orphan raised by a kung fu master who leaves his mountain temple to find his parents, only to discover that his father is a powerful and feared man who wants him for something other than family.[1](https://www.grindhousedatabase.com/index.php/The_Bastard_%28Shaw_Brothers%29)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Original title | 小雜種 (Xiao za zhong); English titles include The Bastard, Nobody's Son, and Little Hero[1](https://www.grindhousedatabase.com/index.php/The_Bastard_%28Shaw_Brothers%29) • [3](https://kungfutube.info/12762) |
| Director and writer | Chor Yuen (楚原), screenplay by Chiu Kang-Chien (邱剛健)[2](https://www.1905.com/mdb/film/2088227/) |
| Studio and format | Shaw Brothers, Mandarin-language color film, 102 minutes, 2.35:1 aspect ratio[1](https://www.grindhousedatabase.com/index.php/The_Bastard_%28Shaw_Brothers%29) |
| Release | Hong Kong theatrical run 2–8 June 1973; some databases list 6 February 1973[3](https://kungfutube.info/12762) • [4](https://letterboxd.com/film/the-bastard-1973/) |
| Box office | HK$684,731, ranking 53rd among Hong Kong films for 1973[3](https://kungfutube.info/12762) |
| Leads | Tsung Hua as Little Bastard, Lily Li as the beggar girl Hsiao Yi[2](https://www.1905.com/mdb/film/2088227/) |
| Action choreography | Yuen Woo-Ping and his brother Yuen Cheung-Yan[5](https://www.silveremulsion.com/2016/02/10/the-bastard-1973/) |
## Spoilers
### Story
The hero, called only Little Bastard, was abandoned as an infant on temple steps and raised there by a kung fu master, who trains him in the martial arts and little else.[5](https://www.silveremulsion.com/2016/02/10/the-bastard-1973/) When he completes his training, the master sends him down the mountain to find his parents, his only clue being the place where he was found.[5](https://www.silveremulsion.com/2016/02/10/the-bastard-1973/) • [6](https://www.darksidereviews.com/film-the-bastard-de-chu-yan-1973/)
On the road he saves a beggar girl, Hsiao Yi, from a gang of villains, and the two become friends and traveling companions.[2](https://www.1905.com/mdb/film/2088227/) Through her he learns how the world works, and while observing events at a local brothel he is recognized as the second son of Gu Cheng Bo, a wealthy local baron.[7](https://www.sogoodreviews.com/reviews/thebastard.htm) The Gu family's first son sits in prison for the murder of an official, and the family sees in the innocent newcomer a son they can seduce with wealth in order to free the other.[7](https://www.sogoodreviews.com/reviews/thebastard.htm) Villains who notice his resemblance to the jailed son plot to make him a scapegoat for murder.[8](https://lawmovieworld.blogspot.com/2008/06/235-review-bastard.html)
The story turns dark when Hsiao Yi is murdered by Gu's gang. The disillusioned Little Bastard then unleashes his full martial arts ability on his father's household in a prolonged combat sequence that ranges through the family home and destroys it thoroughly.[9](https://spectrum.library.concordia.ca/981123/1/Campbell_MA_S2016.pdf)
## Production and style
Chor Yuen signed with Shaw Brothers in 1971 and was better known for visually rich dramas and wuxia (Chinese martial-arts fiction/film genre with heroic swordsmen) adaptations than for straight kung fu pictures.[7](https://www.sogoodreviews.com/reviews/thebastard.htm) • [10](https://www.filmcomment.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/2000s2005VOLUME-41-NUMBER-03-MAY-JUNE-2005.pdf) A thesis study of the studio's output describes *The Bastard* as arguably the closest thing in his filmography to a conventional kung fu movie in the masculinist mode, made alongside his 1973 action film *The Villains*.[9](https://spectrum.library.concordia.ca/981123/1/Campbell_MA_S2016.pdf)
**A drama first, an action film second.** Reviewers consistently note that the film opens with a brief, wuxia-tinged fight but is not an action-heavy film; it plays closer to a comedy-drama for most of its running time, with action arriving in short bursts that serve the story.[5](https://www.silveremulsion.com/2016/02/10/the-bastard-1973/) • [7](https://www.sogoodreviews.com/reviews/thebastard.htm) The choreography by the Yuen brothers favors rough hand-to-hand combat and the destruction of large amounts of wooden furniture, a style one critic reads as an early step toward the stunt-focused work [Jackie Chan](https://www.edgepedia.org/jackie-chan) and [Sammo Hung](https://www.edgepedia.org/sammo-hung) would perfect in the 1980s.[5](https://www.silveremulsion.com/2016/02/10/the-bastard-1973/) The finale departs from the film's earlier restraint with a much larger showdown.[7](https://www.sogoodreviews.com/reviews/thebastard.htm)
The film's tone is unusually bleak for the genre. One review describes it as a tale of innocence abused, deceived, and exploited, whose message is not that goodness overpowers evil but a statement about the dark powers allowed to roam within wealth.[7](https://www.sogoodreviews.com/reviews/thebastard.htm) Another critic praises Lily Li's performance as the film's scene-stealer and highlights the developing relationship between the two leads as its real highlight.[4](https://letterboxd.com/film/the-bastard-1973/)
## Reception
Contemporary and retrospective ratings are moderate. The film scores 6.6 on IMDb and 6.5 on TMDb, while the Chinese database 1905.com lists 7.5 out of 10.[11](https://cinegraph.org/movies/the-bastard-1973) • [2](https://www.1905.com/mdb/film/2088227/) Retrospective reviews range from a two-and-a-half-star assessment that finds the elements never fully gel, to an enthusiastic appraisal calling it a drama classic of unexpected layered proportions and one of the finest films of any genre Chor Yuen attempted.[5](https://www.silveremulsion.com/2016/02/10/the-bastard-1973/) • [7](https://www.sogoodreviews.com/reviews/thebastard.htm) Common criticisms include a corny soft-focus love scene and a predictable climax.[4](https://letterboxd.com/film/the-bastard-1973/)
## Other films titled The Bastard
The title has been used by several unrelated films. A 1978 American television miniseries *The Bastard*, directed by Lee H. Katzin and running about 3 hours 20 minutes, adapts John Jakes's novel about a French duke's illegitimate son, played by [Andrew Stevens](https://www.edgepedia.org/andrew-stevens), who flees to the American Colonies and joins the Revolution as Philip Kent; the cast includes [Kim Cattrall](https://www.edgepedia.org/kim-cattrall) and [Tom Bosley](https://www.edgepedia.org/tom-bosley) as Benjamin Franklin.[12](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/bastard) Japanese director Seijun Suzuki made *The Bastard* (*Akutarō*, 1963) for Nikkatsu, a drama about a rebellious son of a Taisho-era noble family, based on an autobiographical novel by Tōgo Imura.[13](https://fictionmachine.com/2025/11/24/review-the-incorrigible-1963/) A 1968 Italian-German-French co-production titled *The Bastard*, directed by Duccio Tessari, stars Giuliano Gemma, Claudine Auger, and Rita Hayworth.[14](https://eiga.com/movie/66340/) The 1973 Shaw Brothers film is the subject of this article.
## References
1. [The Bastard (Shaw Brothers), The Grindhouse Cinema Database](https://www.grindhousedatabase.com/index.php/The_Bastard_%28Shaw_Brothers%29)
2. [小杂种 The Bastard (1973), 1905电影网](https://www.1905.com/mdb/film/2088227/)
3. [小雑種（1973）ショウブラ全集, Kungfu Tube](https://kungfutube.info/12762)
4. [The Bastard (1973), Letterboxd](https://letterboxd.com/film/the-bastard-1973/)
5. [The Bastard (1973), Silver Emulsion Film Reviews](https://www.silveremulsion.com/2016/02/10/the-bastard-1973/)
6. [The Bastard, de Chu Yan (1973), Dark Side Reviews](https://www.darksidereviews.com/film-the-bastard-de-chu-yan-1973/)
7. [The Bastard (1973), sogoodreviews.com](https://www.sogoodreviews.com/reviews/thebastard.htm)
8. [235 SB Kung Fu: The Bastard, Lawrence Movie World](https://lawmovieworld.blogspot.com/2008/06/235-review-bastard.html)
9. [Campbell, Re-Dreaming China (MA thesis, Concordia University, 2016)](https://spectrum.library.concordia.ca/981123/1/Campbell_MA_S2016.pdf)
10. [Film Comment, May/June 2005](https://www.filmcomment.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/2000s2005VOLUME-41-NUMBER-03-MAY-JUNE-2005.pdf)
11. [The Bastard, Cinegraph](https://cinegraph.org/movies/the-bastard-1973)
12. [The Bastard (1978), Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/bastard)
13. [Review: The Incorrigible (1963), FictionMachine](https://fictionmachine.com/2025/11/24/review-the-incorrigible-1963/)
14. [バスタード (The Bastard, 1968), 映画.com](https://eiga.com/movie/66340/)
---
*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Action and adventure films (individual works) › Martial arts films › Released 1943 to 1985*
*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license