Shaolin Monk Fights Back, The | aka The Wandering Monk (1980) Review

Posted on January 1, 2011 by JJ Bona
"The Shaolin Monk Fights Back" American DVD Cover

"The Shaolin Monk Fights Back" American DVD Cover

AKA: Roaming Monk
Director: Cheung Wang Gei
Cast: Ching Ching, Choi Wang, Chui Chung Hei, Lee Bing Hung, Lin Hsiao Hu, Yee Yuen
Running Time: 85 min.

By Milkcan

Do not wander into this movie expecting a Kwai Chang Caine. The filmmakers have done a great job at deceiving the audience by using this title, as the movie is barely about a wandering monk, but is instead about a young boy who enlists the help of a monk to seek out revenge against a sinister crime lord who killed his father and kidnapped his mother years ago. The movie tells us that the monk inexplicably wanders once a year, looking for trouble and hoping to get into a fight to teach the bad guys a lesson, but it can be assumed he has some predetermined location in mind due to the quickness of his steps and a look on his face that suggests he’s on an errand. This is also a monk who babbles out philosophical preachings to the child in hopes of enlightening him for the better, but who then contradicts what was previously said the next time he opens his mouth. And not to mention, he also carrys a yellow pouch with a swastika embroidered on it.

Surprisingly, throughout the first half of this film, the scenes play out with a certain calmness not found in previous chopsockies I’ve viewed. This pace is fine at first, but it is soon realized an entire portion of the film was spent on a small gimmick to show us how skilled the monk is. The second half has a more hurried feeling to it, trimming the story down just enough for an 84 minute running time. Even then, “The Wandering Monk” isn’t as unorganized or as sloppy as one would think (It’s not great, either). The filmmakers have also shot for some comedy, giving us a several silly moments here and there that aren’t really that silly. However, the most noticeable and enjoyable quality of this movie are the fight scenes. There is an abundance of combat here between the characters, and the director allows them to fight for as long as it takes until someone gets knocked down. But these extended periods of time do come at a small price- the fighting is not particularly original or inventive. Infact, these scenes are drawn out to such a length, some audience members may become bored with the repetition. They are the type of fight scenes that are good only for one viewing, and they exceed on that level of required attention. The new Venom Mobs’ DVD release includes a “Right to the Fight” feature, in which you can instantly skip to the fight scenes at the click of a button. This movie is meant for this special feature, and if you somehow strangely happen to be holding the disc in your hands- make use of it.

“The Wandering Monk” is not a very fun movie, and I am not going to recommend it. But I will give it credit for it’s pacing, organization, and, although bland, lengthly fight scenes.

Milkcan’s Rating: 7/10

Posted in Chinese, Reviews | Tagged , |

Warriors Two (1978) Review

Posted on January 1, 2011 by JJ Bona
"Warriors Two" Chinese Theatrical Poster

“Warriors Two” Chinese Theatrical Poster

Director: Sammo Hung
Co-director: Choe Dong-Joon
Producer: Raymond Chow
Cast: Casanova Wong, Leung Kar Yan, Sammo Hung, Fung Hak On, Lee Hoi San, Tiger Yeung, Dean Shek Tien, Yeung Wai, Lau Kar Wing, Eric Tsang, Billy Chan, Peter Chan Lung, Wellson Chin Sing Wai, Chin Yuet Sang, Lam Ching Ying
Running Time: 90 min.

By Joe909

Warriors Two is usually discussed alongside its “companion” film, the better-known “Prodigal Son.” Both movies were directed by (and co-star) Sammo Hung, and the same character is featured in each. In “Prodigal Son,” Chang (Yuen Biao’s character) is young and brash, and we see how he learned wing chun. In Warriors Two, however, Chang is an old, wizened teacher, and Leung Kar-Yan portrays him. The odd thing is, “Prodigal Son” was produced 4 years after Warriors Two, so I guess you could qualify it as a prequel. (As Homer Simpson once told Mel Gibson, “Everyone likes prequels!”)

Warriors Two is the more old-school of the two movies, with all of the fantasy elements and superhero kung-fu you’d expect from the genre, something that was missing in the realistic “Prodigal Son.” Warriors Two also has more goofy humor, most of it oddly-placed. This seems to be typical of Sammo’s work, as “Prodigal Son” also featured humor sequences that seemed out of sync with the rest of the film. (Such as the slapstick scene of Sammo doing calligraphy, placed right after a grisly murder). Warriors Two features more of the same, including Sammo and Casanova Wong joking over the corpse of Casanova’s sister.

Fighting-wise, the choreography is as good as you’d expect. I don’t think it’s as intricate or hard-hitting as that in “Prodigal Son,” but the fantasy elements add a nice touch. The final battle is the most memorable. It features a nice selection of colorful villains. There’s a pair of white-bearded, twin swordfighters, a couple stooges, and a Dracula-looking guy who uses a “floating in midair” style. Lots of great martial arts are on display, such as a shot of Casanova doing a super-impressive flying kick over a dinner table.

Warriors Two is another good Gold Harvest production, but I don’t rate it as highly as “Prodigal Son” or Shaw Brothers films from the same era. The fighting is great in it, but the goofy comedy and slapstick drag it down.

Final note: the DVD release sucks. There’s only one release out there, and it’s either from mainland China or Taiwan, because the only language featured is Mandarin. Luckily, English subtitles are included, but the menu options are all written in Chinese. The picture quality is nice, but the sound quality of the dialog is terrible, as there’s a terrible echo on all of the voices. It sounds like the voice dubbers recorded their parts in an empty theater. But still, this seems to be the only DVD release available, so if you want to watch the movie, it’s either this or a bootleg of a dubbed, pan-and-scanned, old video.

Joe909’s Rating: 7/10

Posted in Chinese, Golden Harvest, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , |

Matching Escort | aka Wolfen Ninja (1982) Review

Posted on January 1, 2011 by JJ Bona
"Matching Escort" American DVD Cover

"Matching Escort" American DVD Cover

AKA: Wolf Devil Woman 2, Venus the Ninja
Director: Pearl Chang Ling
Cast: Pearl Chang Ling, Meng Fei, Wong Hap, Peng Kang, Sek Fung, Chui Chung Hei, Chan Gwan Biu, Ho Hing Nam, Chai Hau Keung, Philip So Yuen Fung, Wong Kwok Fai
Running Time: 94 min.

By Milkcan

“Matching Escort” is one part a comedy, one part a revenge story, and one part about teamwork (and on the side there is a hint of romance). Keeping this in mind, as well as the overall history of these type of low budget movies, it amazingly stays focused and holds up well through the end. The princess of a respected emperor witnesses her father’s murder at the hands of an enemy vying for complete power of the land. She escapes death and, as time goes by, befriends an elderly man who teaches her in the ways of martial arts, preparing her for a showdown with the father’s murderer. This princess character is played by an actress by the name of Pearl Cheung. I haven’t seen a movie with her starring in it before, but I would most definitely now like to view more of her work. Her facial features, her body movements, the way she rolls her eyes and makes faces- this is an actress meant for physical comedy. I thoroughly enjoyed Cheung’s performance, and it was the saving grace of this movie.

Now, the comedy here is not brilliant or very funny. It is the type of comedy that stirs laughter amongst children, and has that absurd quality that can be found in a lot of anime shows. But it was Cheung’s performance that did make me smile several times. This comedy remains in the film throughout the first half, and occasionally will reappear later on, except in those scenes it is brought on by a different character: as a side story, a mysterious young warrior and his servant happen to appear everywhere at the right moments, and the servant is one of those dim-witted, slapstick kinda guys (although this setup doesn’t hinder the film, these two characters could have been avoided at no cost). By the time Cheung’s character learns how to fight, the movie plunges deep into bloodshed and revenge. Taking place mainly during the night hours, the killing scenes are well done and brought on by Cheung with a certain confident, cold-blooded feeling. She moves with the speed and flexibility of a Japanese samurai, drawing the blade, slicing, and retreating it back quickly. The fight scenes consist of a good deal of jumping and leaping, characters who cough up and spew blood, severed limbs, and interesting camera tricks that make characters seem as if they move at the speed of light. Even now, Pearl Cheung convincingly plays the part with a great seriousness and dark tone.

“Matching Escort” may not be the best the genre has to offer, and it may have hilariously silly sets and props, but it was made an enjoyable experience thanks to the exuberant and lovable Pearl Cheung.

Milkcan’s Rating: 8/10

Posted in Chinese, Reviews | Tagged , |
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