
Tai Leung, a young man who dreams of love and carves ivory images, falls in love with the pretty Kao Ai. Her cruel foster father owns a restaurant where she works, and he overworks and mistreats her. She blossoms when she meets Tai Leung, who is determined to rescue her from her hard life. Her foster father agrees to let her go, but only if Tai pays him a large sum of money. Desperate for money, Tai learns of a condemned pirate, "The Wolf," who has been sentenced to hang and will pay a lot of money for a substitute, and Tai agrees to take The Wolf's place on the gallows to ensure Ko Ai's happiness. However, things don't work out quite the way Tai planned.
Directed by Norman Dawn, Five Days to Live leans on a strong ensemble — Sessue Hayakawa, Tsuru Aoki, Goro Kino — to carry a story that balances spectacle with character.
The film landed with audiences for its craft and performances, and remains one of the most talked-about drama titles of 1922.
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