Legend of the Fox (1980) Review

Posted on January 27, 2011 by JJ Bona
"Legend of the Fox" Chinese Theatrical Poster

“Legend of the Fox” Chinese Theatrical Poster

Director: Chang Cheh
Cast: Philip Kwok, Chin Siu Ho, Chiang Sheng, Helen Poon, Choh Seung Wan, Wong Lik, Chui Tai Ping, Wang Han Chen, Lau Fong Sai, Chan Hon Kwong, Chan Hung, Chan Shu Kei, Choi Kwok Keung, Chow Kin Ping, Ha Kwok Wing, Hung Fung, Hung San Nam
Running Time: 122 min.

By Joe909

When the kung-fu boom was on the wane, the Venoms and Chang Cheh began experimenting with different types of films. In particular, they made three swordplay movies between 1980 and 1981 that were based on novels: Ode to Gallantry, Sword Stained with Royal Blood, and this movie, Legend of the Fox. Ode to Gallantry is the only Venoms movie I haven’t seen, so I can’t say anything about it. But I can say that Legend and Sword are about as non-Venoms as you can get. In fact, they aren’t even that good.

Since the source material is heavy on character reversals and revelations, these movies seem more like the films of Chor Yuen (i.e. Clans of Intrigue, Magic Blade, etc). The Venoms were never as good actors as they were fighters, so these movies suffer. On top of that, the Venoms just didn’t have the presence of Ti Lung or Fu Sheng. I mean, am I the only one who has difficulty telling Kuo Choi and Chiang Sheng apart, when they’re both outfitted in Ming Dynasty garb and wearing fake moustaches? These guys all pretty much looked alike (and, to quote the oft-repeated story, critics always asked Chang why his Venoms crew was so “ugly”); their forte was action, not drama. Dialog and plot-heavy films did not suit them.

To make matters worse, the Venoms aren’t even the main stars. Chien Hsao-Hao, the naïve-looking “Baby Venom” who had major roles in Masked Avengers and Two Champions of Shaolin, here takes the main role as a young man seeking revenge for the murder of his father, Lu Feng. The opening of the movie features Chien and his dying master encountering all of the major principals of the story in a chance meeting of astronomic proportions. It’s raining out, and apparently this inn provides the only roof in town. So basically EVERYONE gathers under it, including Kuo Choi, whom Chien believes killed his dad, and sinister-looking Chiang Sheng, who we soon learn is the true instigator.

Through flashback we discover that Kuo was duped into challenging Lu Feng; as Kuo himself was out seeking revenge. Really, wasn’t everyone seeking revenge in ancient China? Anyway, Kuo and Lu hit it off, and their sword match lasts days instead of hours. As their bond grows stronger, Chiang Sheng realizes he’ll need to sabotage things so one of them dies. Chiang’s the villain in this movie, and let me tell you, he should’ve stuck to playing comic-relief heroes. Chiang looks about as uncomfortable in this role as he did playing the no-nonsense inspector in Masked Avengers.

If you think it’s strange enough that Chiang Sheng’s a villain, consider it even more strange that Lu Feng is a hero. In fact, Kuo Choi comes off as the villain in their match, but only because he’s been tricked into believing Lu Feng murdered his father. Regardless, Chiang secretly poisons Kuo’s sword, which results in Kuo accidentally killing Lu Feng. Earlier Lu had asked Kuo to raise his infant son should he die in their match, but before Kuo can get the child, a servant grabs him and takes off. This is the old man we see with Chien Hsao-Hao in the opening, who has raised him and taught him kung-fu.

The old man finally tells Chien the truth about his father’s death, before kicking the bucket himself. Now Chien, alone, hunts down Kuo Choi. He manages to save him from assassins, sent by Chiang Sheng, who nonetheless succeed in blinding Kuo. Next Chien goes about finding a way to cure Kuo, and once he has, the two finally take on Chiang Sheng. But the story’s so thick with characters you don’t know doing things you can’t understand, you’ve stopped caring by the final confrontation.

Legend of the Fox is one of the few Venoms movies that wasn’t imported to the West or dubbed in English. Therefore, you can only find it on the underground market, in Mandarin, with English subtitles. Is it worth the search? Depends on your level of Venoms enthusiasm. Once Celestial gets around to remastering and releasing the movie, I’m sure it will be an improvement; the tiny subs on the bootleg print sometimes make it hard to figure out what’s going on.

But even disregarding the poor subtitles, the movie just isn’t compelling. Just like Sword Stained with Royal Blood was a Kuo Choi vehicle, Legend of the Fox is a Chien Hsao-Hao vehicle. But who the hell cares about him? Venoms Lo Meng and Sun Chien are absent from this movie, and either one of them would have been preferable.

The action scenes are few and far between, and when they do come, the Venoms style of acrobatic kung-fu doesn’t mesh well with swordplay. Weapons are relegated to basic swords, and the carnage isn’t as prevalent as usual. Even the final battle is lackluster, although we do get to see a dude chopped in half. Lu Feng only appears in the first fifteen or so minutes, Chiang Sheng basically remains on the fringes of the action, sneering at everyone, and Kuo Choi himself provides more of a supporting, mentor-type role to Chien Hsao-Hao. So those hoping for the usual Venoms camaraderie will be severely disappointed.

Final word: this is my least favorite Venoms movie. Find it only if you need to complete your collection.

Joe909’s Rating: 5/10

Posted in Chinese, Reviews, Shaw Brothers | Tagged , , , , , , , , |

Flying Guillotine, The (1975) Review

Posted on January 27, 2011 by JJ Bona
"The Flying Guillotine" Chinese Theatrical Poster

"The Flying Guillotine" Chinese Theatrical Poster

Director: Ho Meng Hua
Producer: Runme Shaw
Cast: Chen Kuan Tai, Ku Feng, Wai Wang, Kong Yeung, Liu Wu Chi, Ai Ti, Lin Wei-Tu, Wang Yu, Li Peng-Fei, Li Shou-Chi, Lu Wei, Lin Feng, Shen Lao, Chiang Ling, Wu Chin-Chin, Hsu Kuan-Ying, Lei Lung, Ho Han-Chou
Running Time: 101 min.

By Joe909

Flying Guillotine is not a kung fu movie. Tell yourself that before watching it, and you might not be let down, because those expecting an old-school basher are going to be disappointed. Flying Guillotine is more of a historical epic with horror and kung fu overtones. The producers take the campy material and for the most part play it straight; therefore, this movie is about as far as you can get from a Chang Cheh piece.

Chen Kuan-Tai is among a squad of elite commandos chosen by the emperor to master the flying guillotine, a new killing device, which was created by the emperor’s adjutant, Ku Feng. The movie almost takes on aspects of a war film, as we see the men in a boot camp environment, going through drills. Here friendships and rivalries bloom; particularly, a nasty feud develops between Chen, the top soldier, and Frankie Wai, who unbeknownst to the others is a spy for the emperor.

Eventually the squad is sent out on a few assassination missions, each of which take place in the dead of night, the commandos in their cool black uniforms running silently across rooftops. Kuan-Tai soon realizes that the men they’re killing are all high-ranking, respected officials who have dared to speak out against the emperor. The bastard is using the squad to quietly rub out all those who disrespect him. When a fellow squad member figures this out, and also how omniscient the emperor seems to be, he freaks out, and it’s only a matter of time until he becomes a squad target. Frankie Wai meanwhile sets Chen up to be the next victim of the squad, intimating to the emperor that he’s a traitor. Chen is informed of this by a fellow squad member still smart enough to question his superiors, and so Chen gets the hell out of town.

While on the run, he encounters a young, attractive street performer, who helps him evade his cronies, who are now in pursuit. In one of those life-changing decisions characters make without a second’s thought in old-school movies, Chen decides to marry this girl and run off into the woods with her, to live out a life of anonymity. Crazy thing is, it actually works, and they get several months of peace. We catch up with them, living in a small farming community, on the night Chen’s wife is about to give birth. In a great dramatic twist, a few of Chen’s former teammates finally locate him, and launch an attack while his wife’s giving birth. Chen takes them on in fury, barely escaping their guillotines.

Chen and his wife and new son move off again, and this time they actually get two whole years of respite. The squad continues to hunt him, more determined than ever. In particular, Frankie Wai wants him dead. The squad member who warned him earlier is the first to find Chen, and tells him all that’s happened in the past two years. While they’re talking, Frankie Wai sneaks up, tears the dude’s head off with his guillotine, and gets in a quick fight with Chen before running away.

Sending his family off, Chen goes to a blacksmith and devises a weapon to counteract the guillotine. Basically, it’s a metal umbrella. Mere moments after a couple prototypes are created, Chen’s attacked by a few squad members. The umbrella proves effective, but he’s able to get hold of a guillotine himself, and proves fatally to his former mates that he’s just as deadly with them as ever. Now the stage is set for a final standoff between Chen and Frankie Wai, the last squad member standing.

The Flying Guillotine pays more attention to plot, character interaction, and drama than your normal old-school movie. In many ways, this film resembles something from director Liu Chia-Liang, except that whereas Liu generally avoided having carbon cut-out villains in his film, director Hoh Mung-Wa makes Frankie Wai and the emperor pure evil. You love to hate both of these guys, and they both pull off their roles well. Chen Kuan-Tai is the emotional heart of the movie, and it’s refreshing to see a kung fu film with a hero who’s more concerned about his wife and child than his honor. Lau Ng-Kei, who plays Chen’s wife, is also great throughout, able to provide spunk, as in the scene in which she sidetracks the squad members searching for Chen, as well as scenes of heartbreaking emotion. Ku Feng is, as always, great in his role, making his nervous character worthy of both hate and pity.

The violence level is high, although there isn’t that much blood. Tons of people are beheaded, and usually all we see is the corpse flopping around afterwards, legs kicking spasmodically. It’s pure camp fun. Costuming is impeccable, but instead of the Chang Cheh-type kung fu garb, everyone wears more traditional and historically-accurate Ching-era wardrobe. The sets are the usual Shaw Brothers impressive, especially the outdoor scenes of the city during the nighttime raids. What little kung fu that’s featured unfortunately isn’t that great, falling squarely into the “clumsy” category.

Flying Guillotine was a huge success, and plans were instantly formed for a sequel. However, problems arose between Hoh Mung-Wa and the Shaws, which resulted in him leaving the project, as well as the majority of the actors in this film. Ti Lung stepped in to take over Chen Kuan-Tai’s role, and Ku Feng took over the role of the emperor. But that’s a story for another review.

Joe909’s Rating: 7/10

Posted in Chinese, Reviews, Shaw Brothers | Tagged , , , , , , , |

Dirty Ho | aka Rotten Head Ho (1979) Review

Posted on January 27, 2011 by JJ Bona
"Dirty Ho" Chinese Theatrical Poster

“Dirty Ho” Chinese Theatrical Poster

Director: Lau Kar-leung
Cast: Gordon Liu Chia Hui, Wong Yu, Lo Lieh, Kara Hui Ying Hung, Johnny Wang Lung Wei, Hsiao Ho, Wilson Tong Wai Shing, Chan Si Gaai, Yeung Chi Hing, Wai Wang, Shum Lo, Peter Chan Lung, Cheng Miu, Ching Chu, Fung Ming
Running Time: 99 min.

By Numskull

All right, folks…I’m gonna TRY to do this without laughing. No promises, though.

“Dirty…….Ho…..” is a kung fu comedy from Liu Chia Liang (Lau Kar Leung) in which the law-breaking Ho (*snort*) starts giving away money in a tavern…but his generosity is outmatched by Mr. Wang, and the two quickly become rivals (I guess Hos don’t like it when the competition is looser than they are). Later on, during a fight with a lute-playing girl whose body is manipulated by Mr. Wang (guess Wong Yue doesn’t play the only Ho in this movie), Ho RECEIVES a big, festering sore on the shiny bald head (how’s that for role reversal?) and finds out that only Mr. Wang can prepare a cure. Ho grudgingly becomes Wang’s pupil and starts to learn some more kung fu while being dragged around to get-togethers with Wang’s wealthy friends who share his interests in wine, antiques, and art. This is quite a change of pace from the thrusting and gyrating involved in their more physical student-teacher moments.

It turns out, Wang is the 11th son of the Emperor, so plenty of sex forms a major part of the back story to “Dirty Ho” (*snicker*). He wants no part of being a royal and lives his life away from the court, but nevertheless, the 4th son tries to have him killed by sending assassins pretending to share his passions after him. Thus, a wine-tasting session and a visit to an antique dealer become fights in which both participants pretend not to be fighting; I guess Wang doesn’t want the neighbors in “Dirty Ho” to overhear what he’s doing. Eventually he gets stabbed in the leg and takes his Ho to a secret location where they can continue to develop their relationship in private.

When the time comes for Wang to travel to the palace and confront his conniving brother, Ho must help him to travel there, and they meet some pugnacious Mongols on the way (no cops from the vice squad, though…how odd). Then, in the palace, they fight three other guys. Watch the one in red and white…he just sort of dances around while the other two do most of the work.

Finally, Wang shows up to confront his brother…and, believe it or not, that’s where the movie ends. No closure of any kind. So, after spending some money and getting a few cheap thrills, “Dirty Ho” (*wheeeeeeze*) leaves you feeling empty and unfulfilled…maybe even a little tainted.

Oh yeah, and the general played by Lo Lieh sounds like a guy doing a girl’s voice in the English dubbed version. Make up your own joke about transsexuals and men in uniform.

Numskull’s Rating: 6/10

Posted in Chinese, Reviews, Shaw Brothers | Tagged , , , , , , , , , |

Men from the Monastery | aka Disciples of Death (1974) Review

Posted on January 27, 2011 by JJ Bona
"Men from the Monastery" Chinese Theatrical Poster

"Men from the Monastery" Chinese Theatrical Poster

Director: Chang Cheh
Writer: Chang Cheh, Ni Kuang
Cast: Chen Kuan Tai, Alexander Fu Sheng, Kong Do, Lo Dik, Jamie Luk Kim Ming, Dang Tak Cheung, Feng Yi, Fung Hak On, Gam Gwan, Ho Pak Kwong, Hsu Hsia
Running Time: 92 min.

By Joe909

One of Chang Cheh’s “Shaolin Cycle” of movies made in Taiwan in the mid-1970s, Men from the Monastery features a unique storytelling approach, an impressive cast, and choreography from master Liu Chia-Liang. It’s not nearly as good as Chang’s Five Shaolin Masters, but it’s worth tracking down.

The film is separated into four mini-movies, the first three concentrating on the three main characters, the last featuring the three of them united as the titular heroes. This storytelling format is one of the main things that drew me to the movie. Chang even increases the artsy quotient by introducing the actors before each mini-movie, and then finally displaying the title in the fourth and final mini-film. More artiness is on show throughout the movie, as in Chang’s other Shaolin movies: namely the occasional use of black and white and colored lens gels. All of this proves that Chang was still putting solid work into his films at this time, before retiring to the quickly-produced Venoms movies of later years.

The first mini-movie (the first three are about fifteen minutes long each) concerns Fu Sheng as Fong Sai-Yuk, who decides it’s time to leave Shaolin. Unfortunately, you can’t just walk out, but instead must pass through the “alley of death.” This is a maze of various traps Fong must avoid. In all honesty, this whole alley of death sequence comes off pretty hokey and low-budget. In fact, there is a definite low-budget feel to this movie, as most scenes take place outdoors, and those sets that are used, such as the alley, are minimal and inferior to the usual Shaws set design. Of course, Fong is able to leave Shaolin. He goes back to his hometown, only to find that it’s been taken over by a Ching bastard who fights men to the death while standing on poles. Fong takes the guy on, each of them standing on poles, a bed of spikes beneath them. This fight is equal to the finale of a regular movie, but here it’s just the end of Fong’s story, which leads directly into the next mini-movie.

The next “chapter” introduces Chi Kuan-Chun, who plays Hu Wei-Chien. He’s having trouble with a local gang of Ching bullies. They beat the shit out of Hu every chance they get, but he keeps coming back for more, regardless of his woman’s pleading. Finally Fong Sai-Yuk shows up and tells him to go to Shaolin Temple, where he can learn how to fight these guys. Hu goes, and we get a super fast-forward as he instantly returns, three years later, ready to kick ass. What Fong’s been doing all this time isn’t mentioned, but he’s there, ready to help his pal get revenge.

The third mini-film is all about Hung Sze-Kwan, as played by Chen Kuan-Tai. Hung’s running a guerrilla war against the Chings, but realizes he’s just one man, and can’t kill them all. Eventually he hooks up with Fong Sai-Yuk and Hu Wei-Chien, and the three of them manage to get rid of some Ching spies. It’s at this point the trio discovers that Shaolin has been burned to the ground. It’s payback time!

The burning of Shaolin leads into the fourth and final mini-movie. The three heroes hole up with several comrades and train themselves, knowing a Ching assault is soon to come. Sure enough it does, and this last half of the movie is wall-to-wall action. At many points it gets very gory, with men getting impaled by swords and spears and bleeding profusely, but all of this is filmed in black and white, to obscure the gore. Apparently this isn’t just US censorship; the Asian prints are supposedly the same. I guess we’ll find out for sure whenever Celestial gets around to releasing a remastered print. Two of the three heroes give their lives for the cause, one of them dying in a particularly-disturbing manner. This finale isn’t as thrilling as I would’ve wished, as the film lacks any memorable villains to root against.

Acting is uniformly strong, though Fu Sheng’s martial abilities aren’t as believable this early in his career. He’s also not nearly as comedic as in other films, instead playing Fong Sai-Yuk as a grimly determined hell raiser. Chi Kuan-Chun however was always a capable martial artist, and it’s hard buying it when he gets his ass handed to him repetitively throughout the first half of his story. Chen Kuan-Tai turns in the solid performance one would expect. And unusually for a Chang movie, a handful of women have important roles in the film, none of them cardboard cutouts.

Currently this film is available as a very low-grade Panmedia DVD. Only get it if you’ve got a jones to see the movie. Otherwise, wait for the Celestial remaster. I’m sure seeing this movie in remastered widescreen will improve the experience greatly. I’ll miss the English dub, though. Whereas most old-school movies feature English dubbing by guys with British or Kiwi accents, Men from the Monastery features actors with SEVERE British accents, which adds to the fun factor. I kept expecting someone to say: “Roit, luv, drop ’em!” or something to that effect. Several Shaw Brothers movies, such as Liu Chia-Liang’s Executioners from Shaolin, Lo Lieh’s Clan of the White Lotus, or Chang Cheh’s Venoms flick Shaolin Rescuers could serve as direct sequels to this film, so seek those out if you want to know “the rest of the story.”

Joe909’s Rating: 7.5/10

Posted in Chinese, Reviews, Shaw Brothers | Tagged , , , , , , , , |

Chinese Boxer, The | aka Hammer of God (1970) Review

Posted on January 27, 2011 by JJ Bona
"The Chinese Boxer" Chinese Theatrical Poster

“The Chinese Boxer” Chinese Theatrical Poster

Director: Jimmy Wang Yu
Cast: Jimmy Wang Yu, Lo Lieh, Wong Ping, Chiu Hung, Cheng Lui, Fong Min, Chan Sing, Yuen Wo Ping, Wong Chung, Wong Ching, Jason Pai Piao
Running Time: 85 min.

By Mighty Peking Man

Jesus. Bruce Lee sure screwed Jimmy Wang Yu over.

Fact #1: The Chinese Boxer was the first martial arts movie to embrace the “I must avenge my teacher” theme.

Fact #2: The Chinese Boxer was the first martial arts movie to feature bare-handed kung fu choreography. Before this, they were all wushu style action sequences.

Fact #3: The Chinese Boxer was the first martial arts movie to feature a scene where one Chinese guy walks into a room full of “Jap bastards” and wipes their asses all over the floor.

These are some pretty crucial evolutions in kung fu cinema, folks. Yet, it’s Bruce Lee who usually gets the credit for them.

But really, you can’t blame anyone for wrongly giving Bruce the credit for this stuff. The thing with Wang Yu is: no matter how many one-armed films he makes; how many eyeball sockets he pokes out; and how many times he co-stars with George Lazenby, he’ll never ever match Bruce Lee’s striking presence and intense physical skill.

It gets worse for Wang Yu. Even though he created highly influential kung fu films, he’s still often called a “has-been” and is usually put in the same category as Bruce Le or Bolo; especially by those who are unaware of his important role in the industry. Even his Master of the Flying Guillotine (which he also wrote and directed) is one of the first martial arts “death tournament” films. Yet, few people connect his name to this accomplishment.

Interestingly, Wang Yu went on to be a bad ass in his own right. While Bruce Lee was busy swallowing poisonous aspirin (planted in Betty Ting Pei’s one-night-stand-purse by ninjas), Wang Yu went on to become a real life, high ranked triad member. There are even stories of how he single-handedly defeated a pack of rival gangsters during a bloody knife fight. He also supposedly saved Jackie from getting killed by Lo Wei’s organization (but that’s another story). I mean, how cool is that?

The Chinese Boxer (also known as Hammer of God) is pure entertainment, especially if you’re in it just just for the action. It’s colorful, corny (for example, Wang Yu kicking ass while wearing a surgical mask and rice-sack mittens on his fists) and filled with more quick cuts and extreme zooms than any chopsocky I’ve ever seen.

The brutality is all over the place. It’s hard hitting and savagely bloody. The fight choreography by Tong Gaai is of early 1970s basher quality, but nonetheless, it’s interesting and doesn’t bore.

The production is solid. Some of the wide angle shots were obviously influenced by Japanese samurai films and are stunning to look at.

The villains are cartoonish, charismatic and have Mortal Kombat-like abilities. At one point, a Japanese baddie (Lo Wei) jumps up and breaks through a ceiling – then lands – for no apparant reason. The main villain’s right hand man (Wang Chung) sports a sinister white-powdered face and his kung fu technique is plucking out people’s eyeballs.

DVD NOTE: Celestial hardly fails when it comes to their re-mastered Shaw Brothers DVDs. However, their release of The Chinese Boxer is seriously f-cked up. During some very crucial parts of the film, the original soundtrack score was omitted for whatever reason. In turn, Celestial worked in new synthesized music and it sounds downright terrible. It’s very noticable and very annoying. I wouldn’t be surprised if some no-talent schmuck was hired to orchestrate the new synth music using an old Casio keyboard.

Don’t worry, though. It will, in no way, ruin your overall appreciation for this milestone kung fu classic.

Mighty Peking Man: 8/10

Posted in Chinese, Reviews, Shaw Brothers | Tagged , , , , , |

Drunken Monkey (2003) Review

Posted on January 27, 2011 by JJ Bona
"Drunken Monkey" DVD Cover

“Drunken Monkey” DVD Cover

Director: Lau Kar-Leung
Cast: Wu Jing, Lau Kar Leung, Shannon Yao Yao, Chi Kuan Chun, Gordon Liu, Li Hai Tao, Chun Hoi Liu, Sammy Lau Wing Kin, Lau Kar Wing, Lau Kar Yung
Running Time: 97 min.

By Numskull

The first Shaw Brothers film since 1985. Lau Kar-Leung’s return to the director’s chair after eight years. The first old school, damn the torpedoes, honest-to-God Hong Kong martial arts flick of the new millennium, after a long string of crapfests starring pop music stars who have no business being in front of a movie camera. Just cause for fans of the genre to shriek with delight. The conditions surrounding Drunken Monkey, I’m afraid, are of considerably more significance than the film itself.

I’m not going to pretend that the production of this movie was a Great Big Deal for me. Unlike a lot of you folks, I’m not an especially devoted follower of the martial arts genre and I didn’t grow up on Saturday morning Kung Fu Theater on TV. My reaction to the news that the legendary Shaw Brothers studio was returning to active filmmaking and that one of its most esteemed directors was going to christen the comeback was a casual “hey, cool” as opposed to the fervent joy that a lot of the die-hards probably felt. So, it is with only moderate disappointment that I, with my limited expertise in this area, consider Drunken Monkey a largely unremarkable effort.

It starts out promisingly enough, with the principal actors doing a martial arts demo during the opening credits, like in many kung fu films of yesteryear. We are then introduced to Man Pao (Chiang Chun Wan) and Bill Chun-Yuen (Lau Kar-Leung), two brothers who run a delivery company for those extra-special, bandit-drawing packages. Man Pao uses the business to facilitate an opium smuggling operation, and when Bill finds out about this, he is marked for death by Yu Hoi-Yeung, Man Pao’s partner in crime. After a grueling battle with Yu and his henchmen, Bill is left for dead but found by a young woman named Mandy (Shannon Yao, who is welcome to come and kick my ass anytime she likes).

The film then jumps ahead by a year, and there is a drastic change in tone and focus. It now follows the exploits of Chan Ka-Yip (Lau Wing Kin) and his “grand-uncle” Tak (Jason Wu Jing), who is actually of comparable age. Ka-Yip is an artist who wants to illustrate a monkey style kung fu handbook and finds himself unable to finish the project in a satisfactory manner. Who better to resolve this problem than renowned monkey kung fu master Bill Chun-Yuen?

A. Nobody
B. A dead dog
C. King Kong
D. The gorilla from that phony “Ghostbusters” cartoon show that had nothing to do with the movie

Okay, let’s assume you selected “A” and move along. Ka-Yip and Tak fuck around for a while to pad the length of the film and then go looking for Bill. There’s a lot of irksome, buffoonish comedy in this phase of the movie. Ka-Yip has a high-spirited mother and a dour father, somewhat reminiscent of Wong Fei Hung’s dad and aunt in Drunken Master 2, which Lau Kar-Leung also directed until Jackie Chan got tired of having to use real kung fu and sacked him. I hoped that things would progress more steadily after these two dolts met Mandy and Hung Yat-fu (the one and only Gordon Liu), a detective who meets the Chun-Yuen brothers in the first part of the film. Alas, more lagging ensues. I don’t mind forty fightless minutes in a martial arts movie, as long as those forty minutes are filled with worthwhile stuff. But, The Tak & Ka-Yip Show wears out its welcome pretty quickly.

Things do heat up eventually, and after Ka-Yip and Tak get whipped into fighting shape by Bill (Mandy is already taken care of), there’s a big battle involving pretty much every surviving character, with Tak getting a bit more spotlight than the rest. Good stuff, but getting there was a chore.

Don’t get the idea that Drunken Monkey is a bad kung fu movie. I’ve seen worse. MUCH worse. But it’s not quite the Second Coming that some folks would expect from the circumstances surrounding its release.

Numskull’s Rating: 6/10

Posted in Chinese, Reviews, Shaw Brothers | Tagged , , , , , , , |

Organized Crime and Triad Bureau | aka OCTB (1993) Review

Posted on January 26, 2011 by JJ Bona
"Organized Crime & Triad Bureau" DVD Cover

“Organized Crime & Triad Bureau” DVD Cover

Director: Kirk Wong
Cast: Danny Lee, Anthony Wong, Cecilia Yip, Roy Cheung, Parkman Wong, Ricky Yi, Fan Siu Wong, Lee Fai, Louis Koo, Stephen Chan, Eric Kee
Running Time: 100 min.

By Woody

It’s been months since I’ve watched a Hong Kong film. After discovering the intelligent cinema of countries like Japan and Korea, it’s hard for me to go back to simple minded action films and lame-brained humor. Save a few choice directors and stars (Wong Kar-wai, Leung Chui Wai, Fruit Chan), Hong Kong cinema is all but dead to me. But there was a point in time when great films were made in Hong Kong. That point, for the most part, has passed. The talent well, as far as directors are concerned, has dried up. The Asian economic crisis has really taken it’s toll on the films in another way. People don’t want to go to the movies to think. That’s always been a problem with Hong Kong movies…or a good thing, depending on why you watch them. People in Hong kong want escapist entertainment. When they are asked to think about something in a film, they will often do it subconsciously, as open discussion of politics in an unspoken no-no in the world of HK film. And after the said crisis, it’s gotten even worse. Whatever complexity or intelligence was once in the movies has all but given way to Wong Jingery and sub-Hollywood crap.

So I wasn’t too enthusiastic when I bought “Organized Crime and Triad Bureau”. No, it’s not a recent Hong Kong film, but my impression of Hong Kong movies has been at an all time low. I want films that are challenging. That make you think. That don’t supply easy answers. OCTB, as it will be referred to throughout the remainder of this review, is one such film.

Inspector San (Danny Lee) is a man obsessed. Head of a squad within the Organized Crime Bureau, San is your typical Dirty Harry, a man who will get justice, no matter what the cost. San and his squad repeatedly beat and torture suspects, and are always on the look out for the CAPO, who are there to make sure such things do not happen. At the present moment, San is obsessing over the capture of Tung (Anthony Wong), a gun-running gangster on the run with with gun-toting mistress (Cecilia Yip). Tung is not your typical gangster. A violent gangster on the outside, inside Tung is a caring father, and deeply loves his mistress, whom he has promised to protect when she was violently raped years earlier.

The scene that I think shows the greatness of this film comes later on. Tung has escaped the clutches of San and his men in a hospital, and is trapped in an operating room, where a young boy is being operated on. There is a stand-off. The doctors are unable to operate. Tung looks at the boy’s mother and then at the boy, who is covered in burnt flesh. He gives himself up, telling to the doctors to finish operating. This comes only minutes after a scene in which we are shown the graphic details of Tung’s crimes, including cutting off one ma’s arms, legs, and genitals. There are no easy answers in this film. Tung and San are both in that grey area. You root for Tung to escape, but know he is a ruthless killer. You want San to lose, but know he is fighting for justice.

What is different here than most Hong Kong films is that this film has characters and not characters. Tung and San are both humanized. We feel empathy for both of them. We feel for Tung and his mistress, you deeply love eachother. We feel for San, whose ex-wife is cruelly used against him. Who cares about victim’s rights over the rights of a killer. Very few films, Hong Kong or otherwise, get that deep, and that alone makes this worth checking out.

On the action front, as this is an action movie, you will not be disappointed. Kirk Wong brings his usual flair to the action scenes, which, though often intricate or unlogical, feel realistic due to the depth of the proceedings. There is some great guerrilla filmmaking on display here, with a gunfight taking place in Kowloon towards the end that just had to have been shot without permits.

The performances are what make this film great. Danny Lee essentially reprises his character in Woo’s “The Killer” here, only making him less honorable and noble. Lee plays San as a man who could care less about Miranda Rights. A man obsessed with justice, no matter what the cost. Cecilia Yip is haunting as Tung’s mistress. After being rescued years before by Tung following a brutal rape, she devotes her life to the troubled man, even when he repeatedly cheats on her.

But more than anything, this film belongs to Anthony Wong. It’s astounding to see him go from the previous year’s over-the-top performance in “The Untold Story” to a restained and stoic one here. Wong plays Tung as a man of contradictions. He’s a honorable, loyal friend…who kills people. He loves his mistress…but sleeps with other women. He is a devoted father…but has no problem with killing the fathers of others. He is a good man…and an evil one. Wong shows that Tung is an bad man who wants to do the right things. He doesn’t want to do wrong, but it’s in his nature.

This is the best Hong Kong film I have seen in a long, long while. It is action packed, but intelligent. It doesn’t give you any easy answers. You have to make up your own mind about what is right and wrong. It does something the average Hong Kong film wouldn’t dream of doing. It makes you think.

Woody’s Rating: 9/10

Posted in Chinese, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , , , , |

Friends (1973) Review

Posted on January 26, 2011 by JJ Bona
"Friends" Chinese Theatrical Poster

“Friends” Chinese Theatrical Poster

Director: Chang Cheh
Writer: I Kuang, Chang Cheh
Producer: Run Run Shaw
Cast: David Chiang, Alexander Fu Sheng, Lily Li Li-Li, Lo Dik, Wai Wang, Wong Kwong Yue, Bruce Tong, Chow Yun Gin, Lee Yung Git, Tino Wong Cheung, Yen Shi-Kwan, Fung Hak On, Alan Chan, Yuen Shun-Yi, Huang Ha, Got Dik Wa, Leung Gwing Wan, Fung Ging Man, Chen Wo-Fu
Running Time: 104 min.

By Mighty Peking Man

Unlike Chang Cheh’s usual recipe for films like “The Young Rebel,” “Chinatown Kid” and “The Delinquent,” “Friends” is not another story revolving around a troubled teen who gets mixed with up all sorts of gangster shit. Instead, we get seven troubled teenagers who get mixed up with all sorts of gangster shit. However, the movie mainly centers around the two characters played by David Chiang and Alexander Fu Sheng. The rest of the guys are thrown in for backstory (so don’t worry about about a convoluted character-heavy plot).

“Friends” starts out 10 years after the events of the movie. All seven friends are getting together for a reunion and are talking about the “good old days” of partying and causing trouble in night clubs. Following this quick opening scene, the rest of the movie is one long flashback.

Jiaji (Alexander Fu Sheng) is the son of a strict billionaire. Hua Heng (David Chiang) is a starving artist trying to make a living. One day, Jiaji bumps into Hua Heng during a brawl. After the two successfully outdo their opponents, the two become friends. Hua Heng introduces Jiaji to the rest of his buddies and they all form an unbreakable friendship. Thrilled with his new peers and bored of his lavish and sheltered lifestyle, Jiaji decides to run away from home to hang out with his new mates.

It’s only when Hua Heng’s girlfriend, Gao Xin (Lily Li), fails to to pay off some debts owed to local gangsters that serious trouble starts to brew. To help pay off the debt, Jiaji decides to trick his father into giving up some money. However, this sneaky move ignites a series of events that puts them all into a deadly situation.

Watching the late Alexander Fu Sheng in “Friends” makes me realize how much he makes David Chiang look like Bruce Lee’s cardboard cut-out performance in “Game of Death.” Well, maybe not that bad, but who WOULDN’T lose 50% of their charisma standing next to Fu Sheng?

And speaking of Alexander Fu Sheng, what a waste of talent. Sharp looks. Charming personality. Natural screen presence. In fact, if Jackie Chan hadn’t proved that he could routinely defy death, Fu Sheng would have been the man (imagine Fu Sheng in “The Tuxedo” instead of Chan). He’s known around the world as “The James Dean of Hong Kong.” (Come to think of it, why do Asians always have to take their legendary stars and equate them with iconic American talent? Anita Mui, the “Madonna of Hong Kong”; Chow Yun Fat, the “Cary Grant of Hong Kong.” I mean, you don’t see Americans saying things like “Steven Spielberg, the Tsui Hark of America.”

Anyway, for more on Alexander Fu Sheng, be sure to check out the documentary that’s included as an extra with the Celestial DVD. It’s short but sweet. It also could have been more informative, but it still offers a quick and easy way to get to know this great talent.

Choreography greats Lau Kar Leung and Tong Gaai do their thing. Whatever. Typical mid-1970s Shaw shit. If it’s not interesting, it’s boring. I mean, seriously, who the fuck watches a tale of scrawny little bad-asses in a Chang Cheh flick for the fluid action? For me, it’s story time!

“Friends” has a great soundtrack, especially if you’re into the funkiest of obscure ’70s music. Other songs contain original music with lyics written by Chang Cheh (like he did with “Singing Killer”). Also, it’s nice to see that Chang Cheh “borrowed” Ennio Morricone’s theme from “Death Rides A Horse,” which was recently resurrected in Quentin Tarantino’s “Kill Bill Vol. 1.”

If you’re expecting lots of blood and a high bodycount, then you might be disappointed in “Friends.” I wasn’t, however. (And believe me, I live for Chang Cheh bloodfests.) Though it’s lighthearted, it still has lots of action and the plot is very entertaining, enjoyable and refreshing. It’s also nice to see the rare pair up of David Chiang and the late Alexander Fu Sheng.

Highly recommended.

Mighty Peking Man’s Rating: 8/10

Posted in Chinese, Reviews, Shaw Brothers | Tagged , , , , , , |

Savage Five, The (1974) Review

Posted on January 26, 2011 by JJ Bona
"The Savage Five" Chinese Theatrical Poster

“The Savage Five” Chinese Theatrical Poster

Director: Chang Cheh
Producer: Sir Run Run Shaw
Cast: David Chiang, Ti Lung, Chen Kuan Tai, Danny Lee, Wong Chung, Wai Wang, Wang Ping-Ping, Lu Ti, Kong Do, Wong Ching, Jamie Luk, Ngaai Fei, Yen Shi Kwan
Running Time: 91 min.

By Mighty Peking Man

A gang of bandits take refuge in a small town, where they force a locksmith to open a stolen safe containing cash and gold. During their stay, the men decide to have a little fun by beating, raping and murdering innocent people. Amongst the town folk, five guys (David Chiang, Ti Lung, Chen Kuan Tai, Danny Lee and Wang Chung) decide to man-up and take the evil bastards on — hence, the “Savage Five.”

Most of the time, The Savage Five feels more like a Spaghetti Western than a kung fu flick, which is probably intentional. It doesn’t help that a lot of the “borrowed” soundtrack contains snippets of Ennio Morricone’s score from Giulio Petroni’s 1968 flick “Death Rides A Horse.” Plus, you got the whole Western themes going on: small peaceful town disrupted, a locked safe, and a main bad guy, whose weapons of death is not his hands, feet, knife or sword, but a pair of pistols. Also, gun power plays an explosive part of the film’s climax.

For the most part, The Savage Five is pretty straight forward as far as the plot goes. Nothing unusual or no real surprises are uncovered. One thing that is refreshing about the film is none of the five men are good at kung fu; this is why courage, from more or less average men, is probably the main focus of the film.

As far as the action, those who are familiar with Chang Cheh’s work will get what they expect: lots of bloody violence and heroic deaths. Lau Kar-Leung’s choreography is solid, and is not the typical “swinging arm” bullshit we get with most pre-1975 martial arts flicks. Of course, this is what makes most Shaw Brothers projects so special: the ease of creating an all-round quality piece of entertainment.

Mighty Peking Man’s Rating: 8/10

Posted in Chinese, Reviews, Shaw Brothers | Tagged , , , , , , , , |

Police Force (1973) Review

Posted on January 26, 2011 by JJ Bona
"Police Force" Chinese Theatrical Poster

“Police Force” Chinese Theatrical Poster

Director: Chang Cheh
Co-director: Tsai Yang-Ming
Cast: Wong Chung (Wang Chung), Lily Li Li-Li, Wong Hap (Wang Hsia), Alexander Fu Sheng, Got Dik Wa, Wong Kwong Yue, Tino Wong Cheung, Fung Hak On, Bruce Tong, Lau Kar Wing, Yen Shi-Kwan, Hsu Hsia, Yuen Shun-Yi, Brandy Yuen
Running Time: 101 min.

By Joe909

Police Force is a nicely-done early 1970s action vehicle that sports not just kung-fu shenanigans, but also lots of shootouts that prefigure the Heroic Bloodshed of the 1980s. The only problem is, Police Force takes quite a while to get going. Chang Cheh apparently had the resources of the Hong Kong police force at his disposal; unfortunately he used them to sometimes ill effect.

Many old school movies fill up the running time with pointless fights or having the main character go through several forms to show off his skill. Police Force instead fills up a good portion of the first hour with boring, unending parade drills. That’s right, parade drills. Lots of static shots of HK police marching around, presenting arms, and the like. It doesn’t make for riveting cinema.

Thankfully, about an hour into the movie the story kicks up a notch. The film concerns Wang Chung’s character, who joins the police when his buddy Fu Sheng is murdered. The murder itself is strange. It’s supposed to be just a random mugging that goes awry, but for some reason Chang Cheh has the murderer appear earlier in the movie, watching Fu Sheng and Wang Chung compete in a karate tournament. This makes it seem that the murderer has targeted Fu Sheng, or that it’s a conspiracy of some sort.

Anyway, Wang Chung joins the police force so he can find the murderer and get revenge. This seems to be an elaborate plan; any other sane guy would just dress up like a bat and stalk the streets at night, doling out his own form of justice. Regardless, Wang Chung basically flies through training. Most Shaw Brothers movies have that fun factor whereby time passes swiftly. Police Force reigns supreme in that category, however; five years pass in just a few minutes of screen time.

Training and duty have subverted Wang’s original intent; now he no longer seeks to kill Fu Sheng’s murderer. The blood lust that instilled his early career on the force has dissipated. This really provokes the ire of Fu Sheng’s girlfriend, who continuously harasses Wang Chung to get with it, find the killer, and do him in. Wang happens to be working on a case in which an unidentified body holds the key to solving; it turns out that Fu Sheng’s murderer is involved in the case.

Instead of turning the movie into another revenge vehicle, Chang Cheh takes several twists and turns, all of them unexpected and pleasing. The ordinary Chang hero would avenge his brother’s death, while bleeding onto his white outfit from multiple horrendous wounds, but Wang Chung is a staid policeman through and through. The crux of his development comes in a great scene in which he finally comes upon Fu Sheng’s murderer, while Sheng’s ex watches on. And this doesn’t even come at the film’s climax.

The finale features a one-man raid on a criminal boss’ yacht, as Wang Chung (awkwardly) drops onto it from a helicopter and kills countless men before reloading his pistol. I should mention that the production values on this movie are very high. The end sequence is more like something you’d expect from a 1980s action movie, rather than an early 1970s “chop sockey.” I’m really surprised this movie wasn’t picked up for distribution in the West.

There are of course occasional missteps in the plot, but that’s to be expected. Also, I couldn’t help but get sidetracked by the music. Lots of old school movies are infamous for stealing music cues, but Police Force takes the cake. A large portion of the music is taken from Marvin Gaye’s soundtrack to the movie Trouble Man, the main theme in particular. The music editor even proves himself to be an early DJ, by mixing the opening breakbeat from “Trouble Man” into an acid guitar riff by some unknown group.

To sum up, this movie holds a lot of surprises for viewers who figure if they’ve seen one Chang Cheh movie, they’ve seen them all. I do wish some of the parade drill stuff had been tightened up, but once you get past that, you’re rewarded with a nice police procedural/drama/action flick. And on another unfortunate side note, since this movie was made in the early 1970s, you don’t get much of that funky garb the decade would become known for. In other words, not much “bell bottom fury.”

Joe909’s Rating: 8/10

By Mighty Peking Man

When a Karate stud (Alexander Fu Sheng) is murdered, his best friend, Guodung (played by Wang Chung, no relation to the 1980s music group), decides to join the police force to avenge his death. Guodung makes a vow to himself and to his deceased friend’s girlfriend, Shen Yan (Lily Li Li-Li), to catch and kill the murderer. 5 years pass, Guodung, now a senior inspector, discovers deadly new clues that lead to his friend’s killer. The closer he gets, the more his superiors warn him that he’ll be a disgrace to the force if he goes on with a personal vendetta. At the same time, Shen Yan, who is still obsessed with finding the killer, reminds Guodung the reason he joined the force to begin with. Guodung finds himself in the middle of pleasing either the force or Shen Yan; he also realizes the consequences that follow no matter which option he chooses.

Knowing it was directed by Shaw great, Chang Cheh, I was expecting Police Force to be good, but not this good. It never lags and is paced just perfectly. Thanks to the time it was made, it has the colorful 1970’s written all over it. Don’t let the bad polyester clothing and the mini-Datsuns fool you into thinking it’s a typical modern-day chopsocky flick (“Slaughter in San Francisco” and “Rumble in Hong Kong” come to mind — how dare I compare this to that shit, but you get my point.). One thing’s for sure, director Chang Cheh is truly the equivalent of Sam Peckinpah and is obviously the forerunner to John Woo and Ringo Lam.

Police Force marks the first appearance by a young Alexander Fu Sheng. However, he is not the star. He has a small, but crucial role that even Fu Sheng purists should see. Fu Sheng or not, Police Force is a more-than-worthy addition to your Celestial Shaw Brothers DVD collection. Pick it up and Wang Chung tonight.

Mighty Peking Man’s Rating: 9/10

Posted in Chinese, Reviews, Shaw Brothers | Tagged , , , , , , , |

King Eagle (1970) Review

Posted on January 26, 2011 by JJ Bona
"King Eagle" Chinese Theatrical Poster

“King Eagle” Chinese Theatrical Poster

Director: Chang Cheh
Cast: Li Ching, Ti Lung, Cheng Miu (Ching Miao), Cheung Pooi Saan (Chang Pei-Shan), Cheng Lui (Cheng Lei), Bruce Tong (Yim Chaan), Chan Sing, Wong Chung, Tung Li, Hung Lau, Cliff Lok, Lee Sau Kei, Wong Kwong Yue, Yuen Wo Ping, Yuen Cheung Yan, Yuen Shun-Yi, Yen Shi Kwan
Running Time: 80 min.

By Mighty Peking Man

Ti Lung plays a loner swordsman named Jin Fei (aka King Eagle) who, despite being one of the best fighters in the martial world, minds his own business and avoids fights whenever possible.

One day, Jin Fei crosses paths with an injured man, who had just escaped a group of attackers. Though barely alive, the man manages to pass on secret information about how the leader of the Tien Yi Tong clan was betrayed and murdered by Hung Sing-tien (Cheung Pooi-saan), the clan’s second in command.

Knowing he’s going to die any second, the man urges Jin Fei to deliver his crucial message to the rest of the Tien Yi Tong clan; but just as Jin Fei is about to ignore the situation and walk off, the gang of attackers (Hung Sing-tien’s men) show up and suspect that their victim might have “talked” to Jin Fei…

There’s a lot more to King Eagle, but basically the movie revolves around the act of betrayal, revenge, and surprisingly, love. Yes, there’s a romantic subplot revolving Jin Fei falling for a woman named Yuk Lin, played by Li Ching. Oddly, Li Ching has a dual role – both as Jin Fei’s love ineterest, and as Yuk Lin’s evil younger sister, who works under the notorious Hung Sing-tien.

Everything from the costumes, set designs and just the overall look, are fantastic. And for being a film from 1970, they managed to do a great job with the camera effects when the two Li Chings appeared on the screen together. I dig the James Bond “borrowed” On Her Majesty’s Secret Service music, as well.

King Eagle has enough action (featuring solid choreography job by Tong Gaai and Yuen Cheung Yan) and for the most part, flows along at a decent pace.

However, I do have a grip that really stops it from being a Chang Cheh film that I could have really loved: the film’s ending was very anti-climactic and disappointing. Maybe I’m just used to those good old Chang Cheh endings; you know, long bloody fights, heroes dying very slowly and painfully. The final fight for King Eagle seemed like it ended before it even started. Come to think of it, some of the action in the first half of the film was a lot more gripping.

I say give it shot. After all, it’s a Chang Cheh film.

Mighty Peking Man’s Rating: 7/10

Posted in Chinese, Reviews, Shaw Brothers | Tagged , , , , , , , , |

Condemned, The (1976) Review

Posted on January 26, 2011 by JJ Bona
"The Condemned" Chinese DVD Cover

“The Condemned” Chinese DVD Cover

Director: David Chiang
Cast: David Chiang, Lily Li Li-Li, Choi Wang (Tsai Hung), Pai Ying, Guk Fung (Ku Feng), Woo Gam, Kong Yeung, Lee Hoi Sang, Chan Shen, Keung Hon, Shum Lo, Wong Ching, Yuen Sam, Robert Tai, Shih Ting Ken, Poon Cheung Ming, Gam Man Hei, Yen Shi-Kwan
Running Time: 102 min.

By Mighty Peking Man

Obviously, the folks at Celestial (the company who released this DVD) decided to write the plot without even watching the movie first. Check out the description off the DVD case:

“In the film, Chiang plays a righteous character who helps an unjustly imprisoned swordsman accused of stealing. Together they break out of prison and serve notice to all the evil men in their lives that a new deadly duo is in town.“

Well, it’s half right. They do break out of prison to get revenge. And yes, David Chiang does play a righteous character who helps an unjustly imprisoned character, only, the character (played by Tsai Hung) is not a swordsman, he’s a straight up kung fu fighter (totally swordless!); and he wasn’t accused of stealing, he was thrown into prison because he was blamed for murder. Also, the thief they’re talking about is actually Chiang himself, not Tsai Hung’s character.

Anyways, not really important, but I thought I’d point that out since some of us like to watch films based on plot.

After watching The Condemned and David Chiang’s other directorial project, The Drug Addict (which I rated a 4/10), it’s pretty safe to say that the guy definitely belongs in front of the camera. In this case, he not only directs The Condemed, but also stars in it, along with Tsai Hung.

Bascially, The Condemned is shitty and decent at the same time.

Much of the film is draggy, uninteresting and almost feels like you’re watching a non-Shaw Brothers generic kung fu flick (not to say that all Shaw flicks are good…). Even David Chiang’s performance is sorta half-assed. I mean, we still get that David Chiang charm, but here, his performance seems a tad less magnetic – let’s put it this way, Chang Cheh gets a better performance out of the guy.

In addition to David Chiang, Chan Shen, Pai Ying, Ku Feng and Lily Li, we are introduced to Tsai Hung’s character, the second half of the duo. I don’t know much about the actor, since I’ve I’ve only seen him in a couple of other titles (and he usually plays a bad guy), but I can tell you this much: he has as much charasima as a bowl of corn flakes. He looks like a lizard and has some of the worst facial expressions I’ve ever seen; but on the other side of the coin, he’s one hell of a bad ass. And you’ll know why David Chiang picked him to begin with once you’re a little more than half way through the movie…

And this is where The Condemned gets decent. It nearly becomes a Bruceploitation movie with the way Tsai Hung takes on the bad guys with his Bruce Lee-style fighting moves: Fights are direct and solid, guys are falling to the ground from a single punch or kick, etc. Meanwhile, snippets from Lalo Schifrin’s Enter The Dragon score are playing in the background (either that, or a soundtrack that sounds very similar in style).

One thing I really dug was the cool visual effects which suddenly appear out of nowhere. At one point, blood literally drips (not splashes) down from the camera lense. Also, not sure if this is the first film to so, but there are a couple of bone-cracking special effects (ie Romeo Must Die) that are both effective and cheesy.

Basically, if you can sit through most of the movie, you’ll be kindly rewarded with the kung fu action towards the film’s last third. It gets violent, bloody and even catches you by surprise with some of its cruelty.

All in all, not bad. Not good. Like I said, it’s shitty and decent at the same time. I can think of hundreds of kung fu films to watch before recommending this one…

Mighty Peking Man’s Rating: 5/10

Posted in Chinese, Reviews, Shaw Brothers | Tagged , , , , , , , , |

Human Lanterns | aka Human Skin Lanterns (1982) Review

Posted on January 26, 2011 by JJ Bona
"Human Lanterns" Chinese Theatrical Poster

“Human Lanterns” Chinese Theatrical Poster

Director: Sun Chung
Cast: Lau Wing, Lo Lieh, Chen Kuan Tai, Tien Ni, Sun Chien, Choh Seung Wan, Lam Sau Kwan, Lo Meng, Ngaai Fei, Siu Yam Yam, Erik Chan, Cheng Miu, Cheung Chok Chow, Fung King Man, Ha Ping, Hon Lai Fan, Lam Chi Tai
Running Time: 95 min.

By Mighty Peking Man

Long before Anthony Wong was serving human Chinese “pork” buns in Untold Story (1993), Lo Lieh was kidnapping woman and making beautiful Chinese lanterns out of their freshly peeled human skin.

One thing I like about Human Lanterns is that it’s straight forward and crystal clear. It’s almost as if Suen Chung puts himself in the viewers’ shoes when he’s planning his storytelling process. The characters are well thought out with a flash of differentiation (Lau Wing and Chen Kuan Tai have a great chemistry). There’s mystery, but no real twisty secrets that many films rely on. Everything is pretty much in-your-face with no bullshit attached.

Human Lanterns has a fine balance of well-choreographed martial arts, a hint of horror and a pleasant amount of gore. As you’d probably expect, action is still the main showcase of the movie. With a title like Human Lanterns, you’d expect a lot of explicit imagery; there is, but not a whole lot, but as long as you’re expecting a “kung fu movie” first, you’ll be pleased if you’re hunting for a dose of shock value.

I wonder how this flick would turn out in the brutality department if someone like Chang Cheh directed it (I have a feeling the guy would go nuts over the blood and gore), but as it stands, Suen Chung did a great job as is and any drastic change would only lesson the film’s appeal.

Human Lanterns is my first and only venture into the films of Suen Chung. Judging from what I saw here, I wouldn’t mind checking out more of his work.

Look for memorable guest appearances by Venoms Lo Meng (as a contract killer) and Sun Chien (as a cop).

Mighty Peking Man’s Rating: 8/10

Posted in Chinese, Reviews, Shaw Brothers | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , |

Sanjuro (1962) Review

Posted on January 25, 2011 by JJ Bona
"Sanjuro" Japanese Theatrical Poster

“Sanjuro” Japanese Theatrical Poster

Director: Akira Kurosawa
Writer: Ryuzo Kikushima, Akira Kurosawa
Cast: Toshiro Mifune, Tatsuya Nakadai, Keiju Kobayashi, Yuzo Kayama, Reiko Dan, Akihiko Hirata, Takashi Shimura, Kamatari Fujiwara, Takako Irie, Masao Shimizu
Running Time: 96 min.

By Mairosu

After Yojimbo proved to be a huge commercial hit, messrs Kurosawa and Mifune teamed up for another humorous caper about the wisecracking nameless ronin, and this time with equal success. Sanjuro is admittedly more light-hearted and has more action than the faux-serious Yojimbo, and those characteristics, along with the short running time, make it probably the best Kurosawa film for the newcomers to his oeuvre.

This time, our reluctant hero – the scruffy ronin who likes to call himself “Sanjuro” (Mifune) with a random plant serving as his family name (in Yojimbo he’s Sanjuro Mullberry (Kuwabatake), here he’s Sanjuro Camelia (Tsubake) – is getting busy helping some young samurai solve a case of a corrupt superintendent and a loyal chamberlain (for the speaking impaired of you, “chamberlain” means “high ranking court official”). The superintendent has taken the chamberlain captive as a result of one youngster’s faux pas, and is just about ready to send in his troops to finish off the young bucks, but – but – there comes Sanjuro to the rescue. Literally out of the blue, Sanjuro joins the fray and first brainstorms a way out, then fends off all the guards and then gets fully involved in the rescue plot.

This time, unlike in Hidden Fortress, it is high adventure. I found Sanjuro much more pleasing on a pure arcade level, as the film is filled with wisecracks and action sequences (which are on a better level than in Yojimbo, and you even hear the swordplay sound effects here and there). Again, director abandons his habit of implementing social commentary throughout the film and just concentrates on the fun ride that this film proved to be. The only social note might be that again, individual thinks better than a group, but that’s nothing which is too purposely hammered into your head. There is however a hilarious element to the whole story, and that is the appearance and the dialogue of Chamberlain’s wife and daughter, who are a total contrast from the usual “damsel in distress” – the old lady is pretty calm and composed throughout the whole of film, and still manages to dispense some pearls of wisdom to Sanjuro such as “killing is a very bad habit”. The funniest moment is when Sanjuro is supposed to give a sign to the rest of the samurai by sending white camellias down the stream – when that happens, everyone jumps alert at the good guys’ stronghold, while the women just charmingly react with “oooh, how nice !” (referring to the bunch of camellias floating down the stream).

There is an interesting debate going on about the time period in which Sanjuro is set. Most people have noticed that, unlike Yojimbo, Sanjuro is set in a more serene and socially stable period – which can be observed on the garments of the protagonists. So, basically, what we have here is the same character – of same age, “thirty, going to forty” – in a time period two decades prior to Yojimbo. Someone at IMDB pitched the idea that Sanjuro is actually just a roaming folk hero and a protective spirit, who intervenes whenever something goes awry, and that sounds like the most likely solution one could subscribe to. Unless you think that Mifunes grow on a tree in Japan, which again, might not be that unlikely.

I’ll have to warn the potential viewers about the bloody final duel which occurs between Mifune and Tatsuya Nakadai, who just like in Yojimbo reprises the role of the main villain (this time much less flamboyant and without a firearm). Two of them engage in a very brief duel on a plain minutes before the ending credits, and you’re advised not to even blink when they assume their fighting positions – if you’re not careful, the shot might breeze by you and you might miss one of the greatest climaxes in the Japanese contemporary cinema (a subjective opinion obviously), right up there with the arrow salvo of Throne of Blood and Watanabe’s last breath in Ikiru.

So, so far, I saw six Kurosawa films in seven days, and the top list can be ranked like this as of now:

1. Ikiru
2. Throne of Blood
3. Sanjuro
4. Yojimbo
5. Stray Dog
6. Hidden Fortress

And to think that all six are actually quality work. I have nothing against Hidden Fortress really, it’s a classy film in its own right and I gave it three stars, but I liked Sanjuro, Yojimbo and Stray Dog just a shade better. Well, in all honesty, I like Sanjuro a few shades better than Yojimbo, Stray Dog and Hidden Fortress, hence…

Mairosu’s Rating: 8.5/10

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Killer Meteors, The (1977) Review

Posted on January 25, 2011 by JJ Bona
"The Killer Meteors" Japanese DVD Cover

“The Killer Meteors” Japanese DVD Cover

Director: Lo Wei
Cast: Jackie Chan, Jimmy Wang Yu, Philip Ko Fei, Lee Man Tai, Chan Wai Lau, Man Man, Ma Kei, Tung Lam, Sit Hon, Lily Lan Yu Li, Chan Sam Lam, Ching Kuo Chung
Running Time: 91 min.

By Numskull

Easily one of the five worst movies that Jackie Chan has appeared in, and what a surprise that the Anti-Christ himself, Jimmy Wang Fuck Yu, is involved. Granted, he wasn’t yet the benevolent, sanctuary-granting angel that he was when Island of Fire was made, but still, the mere sight of this man on-screen is enough to send waves of negative psychic energy from the TV screen and into your living room. It won’t do anything as bland and trite as levitate your bed or bang your pots and pans… oh no, it will give your pets rabies, drive pre-adolescent children mad with horrific hallucinations, and generally fuck your shit up. You have been warned. Anyway, here are…

10 things I would almost rather do instead of watching Killer Meteors: 

  1. Parade through Harlem with a Nazi flag
  2. Watch a porno movie with Roseanne Barr performing sordid sexual acts upon a helpless killer whale
  3. Trade places with the guy who gets trapped in the room with the poison gas in the beginning of The Rock.
  4. Be buried chin-deep in bloody stool and then go for a swim in shark-infested waters
  5. Implant my consciousness into the body of a hamster being presented to Richard Gere
  6. Hire a blind acupuncture therapist to neutralize a pain in my scrotum
  7. Sodomize a llama
  8. Undergo two decades of martial arts training and then leave my career in the hands of Robert Clouse
  9. Watch “Fantasy Mission Farce”
  10. Get anally raped by Jimmy Wang Yu

P.S. Sodomy is funny (^_^)

Numskull’s Rating: 1/10

 

Posted in Chinese, Reviews | Tagged , , , , |
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