Gambling for Head (1975) Review

“Gambling for Head” Theatrical Poster

Director: Jimmy Nam
Writer: Jimmy Shaw
Cast: James Nam, Shao-Hung Chan, Kuen Cheung, Nan Chiang, Shao-Lin Chiang, Chi Chu Chin, Chun Erh, Yi Feng, Tsan-Hsiung Ku, Hok Nin Lau, Ke Ming Lin, John Patton, Travador Ramos, Fui-On Shing
Running Time: 86 min.

By Jay Dune

Revenge plots are classic tropes that we see in martial arts movies all the time. Heck, even Western Action movies maintain that notion of revenge. Something bad happens to someone’s family member, and someone has to seek out justice, at all costs. Well, that’s what we are supposed to get with the movie Gambling for Head, and while the unfortunate title suggests that we are going to get an epic assault of the senses, and the poster makes it seem like there will be a fighter with a cool claw hand, we actually get a slow moving, boring, and somewhat formulaic kung fu movie. 

This 1975 action film stars a variety of actors that you may or may not know, and the film has not been updated or remastered, however, it has been dubbed in English. As you progress through the movie, the plot unravels in an unconventional method. At only 86 minutes, you should be able to gather the story quickly, but unfortunately, the edit that came to the west seems to be missing something, or has been edited into a framework that just doesn’t make sense at times. 

To that effect, you are going to have to sit through over an hour of story, with minimal action to see what is going on. If you aren’t paying a lot of attention, or you aren’t 100% committed to the action that is going on, you will miss small plot points that explain the reasons for progressing through the story. 

As you meander through the plot, you are introduced to several kung fu body guards that are sent out to the countryside to find and beat up gamblers that didn’t pay their debt. After this has. Been sourced, we get introduced to a couple of brothers that are struggling to make ends meet, and are taking care of a young child. When one brother goes out to get a job, refusing to become a bodyguard for the gambling hall that is sending out their bouncers, he leaves the other at home. With no money, that brother goes out to try and get medicine, but is thwarted when he only has one dollar, and the medicine costs two. He then gets the bright idea to go and gamble for the dollar, and upon losing, is so distraught he comes back and says, “I’ll Bet My Head!”, which is why the title is what it is. This doesn’t go well, and the bouncers, the murder crew, or whatever gang name you want to give them attacks him as he doesn’t want to die or give up his head, and they do a number on him. While the movie doesn’t show a decapitation, it’s eluded that he is murdered by the gang for his foolish bet. 

Fast forward to the young girl, now dead, and the brother arrives. He see the child dead, and finds out about his brother, all of course is not told on screen in this edit. Instead, you have to make assumptions, and assume that’s what happened, because he immediately shows up at the gambling hall with a sack of heads. You see, he killed all the bouncers, and now wants revenge. All of this is not explained in the movie, it is subtly told to you in one liners, and doesn’t show you how he fought them, or how he knew all the bouncers etc. 

By the time you settle in for this final showdown, you have given up more than an hour of your life to inconsistent story telling and minimal fighting. I almost gave up on this movie. Then in the final quadrant, the movie goes all out, and our main hero seeks revenge and takes on all comers. He takes out all the gambling hall’s employees, and after that is done, he takes on the final master. The final master puts on fight that includes multiple weapons, multiple kung fu styles, and a lot of back and forth. I could not identify the exact style of kung fu portrayed, but there were several rods used, and a claw chain used at one point. 

Gambling for Head is not a stellar movie. It can be very boring to sit through, but if you’re a fan of kung fu movies, you’ll enjoy the final sequence most. I’m not sure if the original edit has more story to it, but the Western released dubbed option has bad editing, and a rushed final set of sequences, that lead to a great final fight. For a throwaway kung fu movie, I can truly say that the final fight scene is worth checking out, even if it is only on Youtube.

I must admit though, I like the title, it reminds me of a terrible adult movie I might or might not have dreamed up. If the end fight didn’t have so much back and forth, with a focus on length, different kung fu styles, and weapons, I would say this was a passable movie, and yet, it’s got some charm. It is almost as though the director knew he was putting together something boring, so he put all his effort into the final sequence, and that saves this from getting a lower rating than it does. 

Note: The edition of the movie used for this review was part of a kung fu movie box set. It was only 86 minutes long. There is an edition floating around online that is 102 minutes long, but I didn’t get that version at the time of this review. Also, due to the limited nature of information, and misinformation on the dvd cases, imbd, and other pages, the information presented is accurate to what is available at the time.

Jay Dune’s Rating: 5/10