1 comments about Chop Socky - Cinema Hong Kong.

1. I remember back inthe 80s, saturday afternoon kung fu movies on TV, the Kung Fu triple feature matinees at the local downtown theater. These old school films remain some of the most entertaining and thrilling movie experiences to date(even inspite of all that CGI!).
   
   Chop Socky explains the story of how Chinese cinema was born with emphisis on the martial arts movies. It offers a good ecapsulated overview. Taking you through the early 1920s up to the present day. My only gripe is that it was too short. Not enough in the special features. There also should have been more on the Shaw Bros Studios. After all... they WERE fung fu theater during the 70s and 80s! Despite that, this is a must to own if you call yourself a fan of the genra.

5 comments about Heart of Dragon.

1. This is in response to the Feb. 5th review titled "ORIGINAL IS BETTER~!"
   
   While I agree with the message, it was put the wrong place. While in most cases the R1 releases of Hong Kong films are heavily cut and dubbed, these releases by Fox, are actually done by the fantastic HK company Fortune Star, and only released under Fox. They contain the UNCUT film in the original Cantonese language (DTS too!), as well as the English dub. As usual the picture quality is more than fantastic. The only downpoints are the usual Fortune Star downpoints: Hardly-to-no extras, and slightly edited sound fx,(but in this case no original mono sound). Also the subtitles are actually dubtitles, but are not terrible. In all, this is still one of the better versions of this film on DVD, especially for under $10.
   
   PS. As for the argument that "no other countries have their own cuts, like France," maybe you should look into Luc Besson's distribution of Asian (especially Thai) films.



2. So this movie is a Golden Harvest production where they pulled ALL the old school kung fu stars to star in a movie with not that much action. yeah, I don't get it either, but the movie is pretty good. It is about Jackie and his mentally retarded brother, Sammo. He pulls it off quite nicely and most of his scenes are evry funny. So whether you are a kugn fu fan or not, this is at least worth a peek.
   
   But let me name you all the stars. Again they all don't fight, btu it is nice to see them. But then again, most of them do end up fighing in the 2 bonus fights on the disk, so it's all good. Here we go-Jackie, Samo, Lam Ching Ying(nice eyebrows), phillip ko(really nice mustache), hoi san lee(36th chamber), wah yuen and hoi meng(hellz windstaff) star and do the stunts, james tien, Hark on-fung(warriors two), Blacky Ko(boxer's adventure), Roy chiao(a touch of zen), corey yuen, Dick Wei(avenging eagle), Wu Ma, Kar lok chin(operation scoprpio), and conan lee's friend in Ninja in the dragon's den. I left some people out so play name that old school star while watching this, it is quite fun.
   
   I only gave the movie a 3 becasue the movie was a bit cheesy, the haircuts were extra cheesy, and the music had me reaching for the remote a few times.
   
   The fox/fortune star release is VERY well done with dual languages and you need the original langualge for this. In kung fu, dubbing is ok, but in a more serious movie like this, you can't listen to those same, stupid voices. It is presented in a widescreen format and the pictuer is pretty good. bonus feature is 2 extra fight scenes. Which reminds me, I forgot that Chi Ling Chu(kugn fu hustle, snake in eagle's shadow) fights in one of the stupidest fights ever. ALso check out Lee Hoi San's funky hair do.



3. Jackie Chan is a cop who lives with his developmentally disabled brother. He is his caretaker and protector. Chan's character's dream since he was a child was to be a sailor and the chance arrives in the mail. A job offer. To do so, he must leave his brother in the care of questionable others. The brother gets in trouble often and before Chan leaves, he gets into a doozy of a jam.
   
   Okay, it's a hokey B movie with cheesy music but it was fun to watch. Lots of Jackie Chan action and a decent plot. Relax, don't think too much, grab a pop and munchies and enjoy the show.



4. Jackie is at his best in acting and action here. He has a brother to love and care for and does a very good job in protecting him.Check it out, you might like it.



5. Jackie Chan proves he is not only an action star in this movie. I loved it, but as a true Jackie Chan fan, it would be hard not to. For the first time Jackie and Sammo show a range of emotion that American audiences have never seen before. The intense scenes between the two of them leave a Jackie fan in tears. The two things I didn't like are the fact that Jackie doesn't dub his own voice and the dubber doesn't show the range of emotion that fits the scenes. Also the ending is a little vague, you're not really sure of the ending. Any way, for the true Jackie fan, a roller coaster ride and I enjoyed every minute of it!

5 comments about The Deadliest Art - The Best of the Martial Arts Films.

1. This could be the best martial arts tape I have ever had the pleasure of purchasing. The scenes contained in this compilation are some of the very best ever caught on film and until just recently, thanks to the popularity of Jackie Chan and Jet Li, had never been seen by a U.S. audience.

   This tape basically gives you a history of the martial arts in film. It starts with the granddaddy of them all Bruce Lee in some amazing and rare footage. The tape then goes into detail about the stars of today (today being the lates to mid 80's) and shows a number of clips from their movies.

   I highly recommend this tape for any Jackie Chan fan or Martial Laws Sammo Hung. They have clips of these stars in their prime when the could arguably called the biggest action stars in the world. Yes the U.S. rarely opened the doors to these Asian stars who took most of the rest of the world by storm.

   Towards the end of the tape it takes you into more of the cult aspects of martial art films. Mostly films with wire work and mystical plots even Ninjas!

   If you are unsure of getting that one Jackie Chan tape or that one Jet Li tape, take a look at this one first. You will not be disappointed!




2. Narrated by John Saxon, who played a fellow martial artist in "Enter the Dragon" with Bruce Lee, Sammo Hung, Jackie Chan... Wait, they're all potrayed in this tape! Along with Jet Li and the others this documentary gives you insight on how it is to be a martial artist. Gives you good, clean information and very crisp fight scenes.



3. This is the best martial arts Documentary
   about martial arts in film I ever seen.
   I real hope 20th century fox can put this film
   on DVD. I'll buy it on the spot.



4. This is an excellent video for collectors and enthusiasts. Those who plan to learn martial arts, should look elsewhere though.
   
   
   ---
   
   http://www.geocities.com/bjjamalta
   
   Official Web Site of the Bushido Ju-Jitsu Academy (Malta). The longest established Ju-Jitsu Organisation in Malta, for serious practitioners interested in Ju-Jitsu and self defence techniques.



5. hands down the best martial arts documentary ever!!!! It had the best scenes in martial arts history. Most of these movies you can't find in the US.

5 comments about The Iron-Fisted Monk.

1. The movie is the best. To bad it is not in english because when i seen it i was only 12 it is one of Sammo Hung best Films.Good acting surperb fighting everyone should have it.Only if in english please help me find it.Superkicks(aaron)



2. Here is yet another excellent kung fu movie done by Sammo Hung. The fighting is outstanding consisting of multiple kung fu styles facing off against each other, all done with superior speed and precision. Also sword and other weapons battles round out the action. There are still a ton of fight scenes but not quite as many as some of his other films, probably short by just a couple. The story is good and has decent acting. Briefly it is about Sammo leaving the Shaolin temple and settling in a town run by gangs and other power hungry men who always do what they please. Sammo gets indirectly involved and is forced to restore some authority. It is done well enough to keep your interest throughout and contains some scenes not normally seen in these type of films(nude, rape, a whore house). I was quite surprised with the amount of nudity shown(female). This movie is definitely not for children.
   
   The sound is very good, Dolby 5.1, and can be in chinese with or without english subtitles or english dubbed. The dubbing is done fairly well, I was pleased with it. The picture is extremely well restored and is very clear and sharp. It is also in an anamorphic widescreen format as most Fox/Fortune Star DVD's are. Some other Fox/Fortune Star films I reccommend are The Magnificent Butcher starring Sammo Hung, Knockabout starring both Yuen Biao and Sammo, The Prodigal Son starring Yuen Biao and Lam Ching Ying, The Young Master starring Jackie Chan, In The Line Of Duty 4 starring Donnie Yen and Cynthia Khan, and Duel To The Death starring Damian Lau and Tsui Siu Keung.
   
   The Iron Fisted Monk is definitely a good addition to any kung fu collection.



3. Warriors Two or Prodigal Son. While those two movies are true 5-star classics, Iron Fisted Monk just seems to come up a bit short, both in the action and the execution. While the fight scenes have typically good Sammo choregraphy, they just aren't QUITE up to his usual standards (in my opinion). However, the story is quite good, and make no mistake, the fight scenes are still very satisfying.
   As with any Sammo movie, be prepared for comedy to be mixed into the otherwise serious storyline (oftentimes very lame or inappropriate humor, by Western standards). This Fox DVD has a fantastically restored picture and sound (I always recommend watching with the Chinese audio track and English subtitles), and although there are no extras on the DVD to speak of, the price is a real bargain.
   One more important point to make is that this is NOT an uncut version of Iron Fisted Monk. The brutal rape scene in this movie is MUCH MORE extended and graphic on the Hong Kong issued versions of the DVD (so much so it is pretty uncomfortable to watch). Fox obviously used a cut print for this DVD. This really shouldn't matter to anyone, as the cut parts (about 20 seconds worth) add nothing to the story, but I am telling you so that you know.
   Iron Fisted Monk is a great movie for anyone who enjoys kung fu films, or even those who fondly remember watching 'Kung Fu Theater' on TV in the early '80s. I recommend Warriors Two or Prodigal Son first (both available from Fox), but if you enjoyed those, check out Iron Fisted Monk!



4. Sammo does an excellent job in this film (once again). He is probably one of the only 70's gong fu stars who could actually act, and it adds to the film. The reason for the 4 star rating - a lackluster ending. The film startled me at first (very graphic rape scene) but then fell into the all to familar formulaic ending.... while there's nothing wrong with a formulaic ending in the kung fu genre, the better films have a strange or demented twist (see "Thundering Mantis" ). Worth the money, but not a classic.



5. Sammo stars as a man who is learning kung fu so that he can fight the Manchus. The directing from Sammo is good, the camerawork is brilliant, the story is decent, and the fights are very good for 1977. Fung Hak-on plays the main villain, and Yen Shi Kwan and Chien Yuet San play his top 2 henchmen. Always nice to see those 3 in action. Chen Sing has a small role and unfortunately he doesn't get to show off his handwork as much as he usually does. If you have seen most of Sammo's movies and are looking for something else to feed your Sammo craving, then give this a look.
   
   3.5/5
   
   Picture and sound quality on the 20th century Fox DVD are good.

5 comments about Spooky Encounters.

1. I don't know what's written on the english box, but on the DVD-box I have it says "Amazing 30 minutes ending fight", but as the movie ended I still haven't seen that fight yet... During the whole movie there were like 2-3 fights, only one of the worth watching...
   I don't count the fights against the mummy for fights, since all he did was jump around avoiding the mummy

   If you like to watch two sourceres (sp?) keep throwing fireballs at each other, this movie might be something for you, but if you're looking for just a little bit horror, comedy or martial arts, then go look somewhere else, since this movie contains none of those elements :(

   Sammo Hung is among the best martial arts actors in the world, so I can't believe he would ever do something like this :(




2. On your website it was actually stated that it was acted by Alfred Cheung (Gui Meng Jiao) but after i have received the movie it was not.
   
   So, i don't know how to rate.



3. Fortunately for the viewer, Sammo Hung is able to just barely rescue this film from oblivion. His always interesting martial arts is the highlight of this piecs of fluff.



4. It's hard blending multiple genre elements and making them work (work well at least). For proof take a look at Spooky Encounters, a Sammo Hung starring and directed picture from 1980 that attempts the unenviable task of blending comedy, horror, and Kung Fu into a single cohesive work. Regretably for the viewer he doesn't quite get it right and the film is all over the place while still finding it possible to be boring at the same time. Sammo does manage to get all the elements that he wanted in here, it's just that without the ability to focus on any of them they all end up being spread a little thinly so none of it is able to impress (or sometimes keep your attention). Now when watching a low budget Sammo Hung movie you expect the dialogue and effects to be dodgey at best... but normally he more than makes up for it with his choreography and martial arts skill. Unfortunately here he keeps the fighting to a minimum until the finale (noticibly undercranked too), but even then it's nothing that you'll remeber long after the credits roll. Unlike the rest of the film though, the closing scene is memorable and so unpolitically correct that I can't even get into describing it here (I shot right up from my seat in awe even), it just has to be seen. All that being said, the movie is still watchable (do to Sammo Hung alone) and even some fun, however; this same formula was done much better in later films like Mr. Vampire and Big Trouble In Little China (a personal fave). The actual DVD release from Fox/Fortune Star is clean, crisp, and most importantly, incredibly inexpensive to buy.



5. "Spooky Encounters" (aka Close Encounters of the Spooky Kind; 1981) is a seminal work in the hybrid genre of Hong Kong comedy/kung fu/horror films. While this had been done before by the Shaw Brother's "The Spiritual Boxer" (1975), "The Spiritual Boxer Part II" (1979) and Lo Wei's unsuccessful "Spiritual Kung Fu" (1978), "Spooky Encounters" is the film most causal in the formative kyonsi (hopping vampires) craze of the 1980s with "Mr. Vampire" (1985) as the best example of that subgenre with its plethora of sequels. It was directed by and stars Sammo Hung Kam-Bo ("Warrior's Two" and "The Prodigal Son" who would also produce "Mr. Vampire") during the golden age of Golden Harvest and was the first film under Sammo's Bo Ho Films Company.
   
   Sammo stars as Bold Cheung an affable courageous not-so-bright cuckold who works for Mr. Tam (I am not quite sure what Cheung does though). However, Tam is cheating with Cheung's wife and Cheung came awfully close to finding the two together; however, he did find a shoe that was left behind. Since Tam, who is going to run for mayor, does not want any scandal he decides to employ the services of a black-magic Taoist named Chin Hoi to murder Bold Cheung. Luckily his brother-in-witchcraft Tsui (Chung Faat who is also in Sammo's "Prodigal Son" and "Magnificent Butcher") is astonished he will breaks the rules of the sect (the four rules are: must not be greedy, must not kill, must not insult our god and must not behave badly) and goes off to help Cheung.
   
   Tsui's first good deed is to help Cheung survive a bet with an employee of Tam (played by the ubiquitous Wu Ma) to spend a night in a haunted place that looks like a giant storage shed. It houses a kyonsi - an undead vampire/zombie that is stiff, has to hop to get around, can suck blood through its long fingernails (does not happen here) and has good kung fu skills for some reason. Cheung being a bit of a dullard gets talked into staying two nights. Obviously this does not work so Mr. Tam ends up framing Cheung for the murder of his wife though no body is found. Now Sammo has the law after him led by the Inspector (Lam Ching-Ying) as well as the supernatural sorcerer.
   
   There is not much to complain about in this film. The few annoyances with the movie is the episodic structure the film takes on in the beginning and the underutilization of Lam Ching-Ying ("Mr. Vampire") fighting especially since he is credited as an action director. Also, the very ending is quite unsuspecting (not necessarily for Hong Kong aficionados) and seemed a bit excessive and hard to watch (for those who have not seen it I will not spoil it, it even startled me the second time I watched the movie). You also might not appreciate the film if you like chickens (unless you like exploding ones). There is also some mention of animal killing though nothing is shown (except for the chickens).
   
   The strengths of the film are many. Sammo is in the best shape of his life during the early 80s. He does look slightly corpulent but his kung fu and movement appears effortlessly and adroit (a big difference to how he would appear in the late 80s and beyond). I did notice he was doubled in a few scenes like when he was transformed into the Monkey King, he does not do some of the swinging movements, but for most he was not doubled. There are a couple of classic fight scenes with the tea house bit where Cheung loses control of his arm to the evil Taoist and takes on the tavern (I do not think it influenced Evil Dead II though you never know) and the excellent showdown at the Longevity Inn where Cheung is transformed into the Monkey King and has to fight the Dragon Slayer. In those fights Sammo does some great fighting with a bench in the first and a spear in the second. The whole finale I found quite entertaining with the dueling Taoists. Sammo's direction was also strongest in the 80s where he uses hand-held cameras to great use and has nice composition within frames. He does overuse undercranking in this movie though he tends to do that a lot in his films (as well as most Hong Kong films during that period). His best asset as a director is that he makes everyone else look better and never puts himself in the forefront if he does not have to.
   
   The mixture of humor/action/spookiness works well too. The horror aspect is definitely influenced by the Shaw Brother's films like "Black Magic" (1975) but never goes into the grossness (or nudity) of that film. The humor lightens the macabre aspect while kung fu and comedy meld well for some reason. "Spooky Encounters" is not scary or gore-filled by today's standards, but it is still a good spooky film that is a must for those into 1980s Hong Kong martial arts cinema or fans of Sammo Hung.
   
   Best advice learned from this film -- when you need more chi stamp the ground and if two opponents are evenly matched the one with the higher alter will win.
   
   I have the Fortune Star/Fox release which has a good transfer but no extras except trailers. The biggest plus is that there are no dubtitles. It does include the original mono release which I prefer over the surround sound because of the strange overemphasis it has on contact-hits and other noises. I did notice the score takes some cues from another film but I cannot think of what it could be nor could I find any information while researching for this film. The surround sound version of the movie seems to deemphasize aspects of that lifted score. Here is another example too of an R1 release Hong Kong release that does not match the Hong Kong Legends R2 release for extras. The HKL version has a Bey Logan commentary and other extras (I cannot comment on them since I do not own it).

5 comments about A Chinese Ghost Story (The Tsui Hark Animation).

1. This movie is for kids, and in that sense, it does a fine job. Not too scary, a little silly/funny, but a moving storyline. There are some oddities that probably resulted from translation, and it may be more compelling in its native language (some of the songs seemed particularly odd), but it was, all in all, an engaging and entertaining movie.



2. I found this quirky little gem at a local video store that specializes in foreign, independent, and classic films. Having exhausted much of the anime and Far East categories, I decided to give this one a chance, even though I had looked over it dozens of times before.
   
   I'm a huge fan of animation in all its forms, so when this piece began, I was bombarded by awkward, bulky CGI images playing as a background to the traditional 2-D approach to animation. Normally, I'd find that sort of thing appalling (hey, if the styles clash, they clash) but at the same time, the odd mixture seemed to work in a very surreal sense and heightened my dedication to the story, which, as it turns out, was about China, ghosts, and a bunch of mystical weirdness that really seemed to draw strength from its bizarre visual scizophrenia.
   
   And then there was the story. Firstly, you've got your underdog who is dense as a rock, but ultimately a good guy, his love interest, who is kind of a retread of that old "bar girl with a heart of gold" character you'd see in old Western movies, three bumbling enemies who start out trying to destroy the underdog's ghost girlfriend but end up mainly fighting each other, and, of course, the vain villainess whose only goal in life (death?) is to hang on to her youth. What kid's flick would have been complete without her, after all? Apparently, kid vehicles in China work much as they do here, in that there was also a cute, anthropomorphic dog sidekick that would drop over or growl or bat his eyelashes comically whenever the situation demanded it. Despite the formula, I found his antics charming, and only ended up liking his character more after I learned that director Tsui Hark provided all his grunts, snarls, and whimpers!
   
   There's definitely something about the idea of a living man and a dead woman being in love--it's that darned Romeo & Juliet star-crossed lovers thing, again!--that stirs the romantic in me, so I found myself really rooting for Ning and SiuSeen's cause when they decided that the best way for them to be together was for them to be reincarnated and try to find one another on earth after their births.
   
   So basically what it comes down to is that it looks weird, feels weird, sounds weird, and that the weirdness is wonderful to experience. I could safely liken it to some of Tim Burton's films, if you really need an American equivalent to get a better idea of what you're in for. But it's still kind of a loose comparison; just check it out for yourself, and I'm sure you'll have more fun with it than you're expecting.



3. It is such a valueless gem produced by Pioneer and Tsui Hark and all the other excellent staff.
   The tune companies every single step of the story and reveal the true feeling between the two lovers.
   Ning is rare for his trueness and loyality and hard to find in reality, who is almost a perfect male for love. And Xiao Cian is just characterised as a super ghost, if more plots and stories added to enrich Xiao Cien that she sacraficed something for Ning, e.g. the scene she grabbing Ning out of "Black Mountian". This story will be perfect. However, this is just an animation for teenagers but not for adults, such a balance between male and female characters is necessary for girls.
   the ending song "Evening Fly" is such a diamond to summarize the "silver-shining" story.
   In all, it just tells you: True love can never be too far away.



4. It starts out extremely lame. that is compared to the rest of the story. This movie is for kids not adults for laughter and not too scary. the animation is good for a 1997 movie. This movie was not made in China but in Japan. I love seeing the ghostbusters having powers.



5. Despite the fact that A Chinese Ghost Story is actually a Chinese production (made in Hong Kong in fact), it's always being classified as an anime everywhere online. If you're still in doubt, you can check the DVD release and see that the only language tracks available are Mandarin, Cantonese, and English. Anyhow, I'll be joining the internet bandwagon by placing this review on the anime index.
   
   The first thing I noticed about A Chinese Ghost Story is the youthful look of the characters. Our hero Ning looks like a 10-year old boy (although he's actually older than that) -- being the vertically-challenged and roundish-ly drawn character that he is. It's kind of hard to believe that he has a girlfriend and that they are of marrying age already (but then people did marry young in ancient China). The female characters look slightly older, maybe around their mid-teens. Ning is immediately attracted to the ghost Siu Seen, and Siu Seen in turn gradually falls for Ning... but theirs is a love that's not supposed to be -- and that becomes the main dilemma of this unique story.
   
   Things happen in a frenzied pace, and get a little too chaotic for my taste. In many scenes, the characters run, scream, fight, and jump around all at once. The art and animation are good. Although the character designs are on the cutesy side, vibrantly rendered visuals abound. The Chinese countryside comes alive with backgrounds that are computer generated, reminiscent of video game FMV sequences. The theme songs and music also add a nice touch. They are unmistakably Chinese in style (performed by popular Chinese artists) and tempo, which suits the film perfectly. The English dubbing is pretty decent, albeit in this case the Mandarin track (if watching the DVD) would give you a more authentic experience. A Chinese Ghost Story gives you a brief glimpse of the intricate and interesting world of Chinese mythology. It's a fairly solid title which the whole family can enjoy.

5 comments about The Prodigal Son.

1. The first time i watched this flick i thought it was sorry and gave it 1 star but after seeing all the good reviews i decided to check it again and it looked like a different movie. The fight scenes are awesome. I wish they had a lasted a little longer. This is a great movie and a collectors item maybe a little overrated but still worth buying. I guess i didn't really watch it the first time



2. "Prodigal Son" has the absolute best authentic Wing Chun fight scenes I have ever seen in a movie. The movie starts off kinda slow and the Cantonese Opera scenes will probably turn off many viewers, however, if you can get past the first half of the movie it gets much better. Basically, when Sammo Hung appears in the movie and the training starts - that's when it gets worth watching. Overall, I would say the movie has some good fight scenes and some decent comedy, but Kung Fu students, particularly Wing Chun practitioners, will probably enjoy this movie more than others.



3. A definite must for any kung-fu flik afficianado. One of the few movies that display Wing Chun in action, and hilarious to boot. If you're not up for buying the DVD, Amazon also has the option to download the movie for $4.



4. Someone owes me an apology because I didn't see this sooner. Probably the white man. I've been in to kung fu for years and had never seen this until yesterday. What up with that? Out of all of Sammo's ground-breaking films, I've never even seen this in a store. I've seen "Iron-Fisted Monk" and "Warriors Two" in the store, but not "The Prodigal Son"? That makes no sense at all. While I like the other two, this one blows them away. It's by no means perfect, but what is?
   
   This movie wastes little time. Yuen Biao is the self-proclaimed town champion, not knowing that all his opponents are bought off by his old man. After getting his tail kicked by a cross-dressing, eyebrowless opera star (Lam Ching Ying, who's excellent), he begs the man to teach him real Wing Chun. The man declines, of course, so Biao joins the opera for the sake of persistence. After the opera troupe is wiped out by hired goons, Lam takes Biao home to teach him, with the aid of Lam's brother (Sammo Hung, who directed and is pretty amazing himself).
   
   The story is really nothing great, but the fight scenes totally are. Absolutely magnificent. You feel every hit, even every block. And talk about fast. The widescreen digital remastering job and optional English dub only makes it that much better. Some things did bother me; like how the slaughter of about 20 dudes seems like no big deal; and how Sammo isn't in this long enough, and doesn't really fight anybody. Those complaints aside, this flick rocks and is a crucial addition to any kung fu collection.
   
   1982. aka: Pull No Punches



5. Sammo Hung Kam-Bo's first film on Wing Chun and one of its important experts Leung Jan was the exquisite treatise named Warriors Two (1978). His second movie, The Prodigal Son (1981), would be a much more box-office successful and less didactic prequel to that film and would be his biggest hit until his next movie Carry on Pickpocket (1982). It should be noted that Sammo's importance to the action and martial art genre cannot be overstated and his 1980s directed efforts are still some of the supreme examples of Hong Kong entertainment. This movie is one of his best and among several of the Golden Harvest produced action classics that I have seen many, many times.
   
   In Warriors Two, the important Wing Chun practitioner Leung Jan was an elder gentleman brilliantly played by Leung Kar-Yan. He is now portrayed by Yuen Biao (Knockabout, Project A) as a protected somewhat spoilt kid whose hubris is directly related to the fact that he has won all his fights, unbeknownst to him though they were thrown. He keeps on his fraudulent winning ways until he tries to fight the brilliant and effeminate Peking opera female impersonator star Leung Yee-Tai (Lam Ching Ying: Mr. Vampire (1985), Painted Faces (1988)) who stars as Lotus Poon, is a master in Wing Chun and unwilling to take a bribe. This defeat along with the realization that all his wins were faked (and the help of another defeat by two "mole" people) leads him to seek a sifu in Leung Yee-Tai. He refuses and Leung Jan has his dad buy the opera so he can take a job there and hopefully get Yee-Tai to acquiesce.
   
   Meanwhile, Ngai Fei (played by the composer Frankie Chan Fan-Kei in his second acting performance) the son of royalty sees Yee-Tai fight and feels he must challenge him to a battle. This is analogous to the earlier story of Leung Jan; both are prodigal sons, except that Ngai Fei can actually fight. This leads to an awesome fight on a junk between Ngai and Yee-Tai that is interrupted by Yee-Tai's asthma attack. Ngai being honorable will not take advantage of his sick opponent. However, his two of his cronies employed by Ngai's father are not so exemplary. They see Yee-Tai as a threat and later try to off him in an overly violent attack by hired ninja-like assassins. This is one of the few scenes in the film where compared to the tone of the film was a bit excessive (though still quite cool).
   
   To escape from these assassins and to allow Yee-Tai to heal, they go to Yee-Tai's Wing Chun brother Wong Wah Bo's (director Sammo Hung) house where he is not teaching his overweight daughter Twiggy (Ho Wai-Han) how to fight he is doing calligraphy (one of the funniest and impossible to describe scenes; also shows his interest in this art form analogous to the calligraphy fighting scene in The Magnificent Butcher (1979)). He is a master of the long distance form (masculine) of Wing Chun while his comrade Yee-Tai knows only close fighting. Leung Jan must get both of these masters to teach him so he can become a stalwart in martial arts and take part in the ubiquitous training scenes.
   
   As normal in biographic cinema, Sammo Hung takes some dramatic license in its portrayal of these real-life characters (which he also did in Warriors Two). Leung Yee-Tai and Wong Wah Bo did in fact teach Leung Jan. Leung Yee Tai was in fact in an opera troupe "Red Junk" (also known as the King Fa Wui Goon troupe) and was known for his "Six-and-a-half point Long Pole" technique which was not addressed in this film. Leung Yee-Tai was known for playing a female lead (female players were illegal at this time) which his portrayer Lam Ching Ying also did under the tutelage of sifu Fan Fok-Fa. This helps in his authentic display and wonderful performance. Possibly his best, though he will always be known for being the thick eye-browed priest in Mr. Vampire and he has mentioned his favorite is in Painted Faces. While the history of Wing Chun is somewhat sketchy and anecdotal, the time period for this movie takes place around the 1850s.
   
   Hong Kong action film expert Bey Logan has named this as his favorite martial art film and it is hard to disagree. While there are a few moments of brutality that seem out-of-place and many of the fights make you wish they were longer, it is a thoroughly satisfying film. Two of the fights: with Lam Ching Ying fighting Frankie Chan and Yuen Biao fighting Frankie Chan are worth watching several times. The finale is quite brutal and fits the Wing Chun mantra of "If an opponent is hurt, go for his wounds" quite well. The action is brilliant, fast paced and fits the theme of the movie quite well with gorgeous displays of Wing Chun and other styles. The plot actually helps the film instead of being inconsequential or a distraction. It is also an exquisite looking film with cinematographer Ricky Lau Koon-Wai (director of Mr. Vampire and many more kyonsi films) doing a superb job. There are also the descriptive backstage Peking opera scenes and the Cantonese comedy which works almost seamless with the action helps make this movie a most enjoyable experience. In fact it is one of my favorite martial art movies (cannot choose one though) and one I would recommend to convert others on to this genre.
   
   I have the Fortune Star/Fox release which is uncut, has a good transfer but no extras except trailers. The biggest plus is that there are no dubtitles. However, the spelling and grammar can be atrocious at times (or quite hilarious) like "5There aren't" and "he's fate as a pig". It does not include the original mono release and the remix can sound quite bad at times. Here is another example of an R1 release Hong Kong release that does not match the Hong Kong Legends R2 release for extras. The HKL version has a Bey Logan commentary and other extras (I cannot comment on them since I do not own it).

5 comments about Magnificent Butcher.

1. This classic is definately Sammo Hung's best performance. The art of kung fu, very present and entertaining. Importantly,,the choreography very clear and transparent. This flick is a must have,,you will not be dissapointed!!



2. This movie is very Awesome! The previous reviewers I agree with their opinions about the movie. If the movie has a very positive rating then that's means you should consider purchasing it. I am a fan of Kung Fu and Yuen Woo Ping films. I gurantee anyone who loves Kung Fu movies, will especially love this film.



3. Sammo Hung stars as Butcher Wing, the famous student of Wong Fei Hong, and Master Wong is played by Kwan Tak Hing! Kwan would be the standout performer, except for the fact that he only has a cameo and the rest of the cast does such a good job. When Sammo's brother comes to town, he gets fooled by Fung Hak-on and has to fight for his life when he doesn't give Hak-on his money. His wife gets kidnapped for Hak-on's own personal pleasure, and Sammo goes to take down who he thinks the kidnapper is, a drunken master character (played by Fan Mei Sheng) based on Simon Yuen from Drunken Master. When the drunk tells Sammo all that has happened, Sammo goes to rescue his brother's wife. He also rescues a girl who is actually Master Ko's daughter. Ko is the master of the rival kung fu school of Wong Fei Hung and Sammo must now battle Master Ko's men after Hak-on frames Sammo for killing Ko's daughter.
   
   The story is good, but the action is out of this world. This is Sammo's best fighting performance of his career, but the rest of the cast is just as good. Lee Hoi San gives maybe his best performance ever, Chung Fat's Cat's Claw puts even Jackie Chan to shame, and Lam Ching Ying (he uses a fan to fight with) shines brightly in his first major fighting role. After making about 100 movies playing Wong Fei Hong, KWan Tak Hing is probably the brightest spot in the whole movie. He is old, but his single fight scene is just as good as the others. Similiar to Drunken Master and Dance Of The Drunk Mantis, the stunt doubling for Fan Mei Sheng's drunken character is very fun to watch. Usually when I watch a movie that everyone says is great, it rarely meets my expectations. 'The Magnificent Butcher' is one of the rare exceptions. It is a kung fu fan's dream movie. The cast also includes Yuen Biao and Wei Pai (the snake from Five Deadly Venoms), and a lot of character actors from Sammo and Yuen Woo Ping's other movies. Yuen Biao has maybe the best fight of the movie against Lam Ching Ying, but there are so many great fights to choose from.
   
   5/5
   
   Make sure you get the Deltamac or Fox/Fortune Star version. Both have very good sound and picture quality.



4. Though this movie is considered a classic, I had seen the first few minutes of it about a decade ago, and really wasn't interested. There are a few of the so-called classics that I never really cared for: "Drunken Master" comes to mind. Don't hate it, it just does nothing for me. Knowing that this movie was made by the same director (Yuen Woo Ping) that made "DM", I figured that it didn't deserve a 2nd chance. Knowing also that it starred Sammo Hung, who was famous for kung fu comedies, strengthened my assertion that I was right. After watching and enjoying Sammo's "Prodigal Son" and (to a lesser extent) "Warriors Two", I decided to give "Magnificent Butcher" a serious try. It also helped that I had seen and loved Woo Ping's "The Buddhist Fist", from around the same time period. I applied the "grain o' salt" method and finally watched it. All I can say is "Holy Crap!" Why did I waste so much time not loving this movie?!?
   
   Sammo plays Lam Sai Wing, one of the more famous students of Chinese healer, pugilist, and hero, Wong Fei Hung. It's very difficult to get into the story (though it is easy to follow) without giving anything away. So I ain't sayin' nothin' 'bout that. What I will tell you is that the fights and styles represented here are crazy, cool, and a whole lotta fun. Wild Cat was my personal favorite, though it's not too easy on the ears. For every one thing in this film that annoyed me, there were about 50 other things that I absolutely loved. Most interesting is the casting of veteran actor and White Crane master Kwan Tak Hing as Wong Fei Hung. Known for his many portrayals of Master Wong (he holds the record for one actor playing the same role ALL-TIME, in around 70 films), he still shows his chops with a calligraphy brush at just under the age of 75! The entire cast is recognizable to old-schoolers and many of the actors deliver some "best-ever" moments.
   
   20th Century Fox gives us a well-remastered picture and an audio option of an English or Cantonese soundtrack with, or without, subtitles. Some silly bonus features are also included, but likely won't excite fans. Goofy as this movie is, it has moments of deadly seriousness. Some things would be better left hinted at and not shown, but I have seen worse and it's a minor complaint. I don't have an official top-ten (my list is in no particular order), but if I did, "Magnificent Butcher" would certainly be included. 4.5 out of 5 and HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
   
   1979



5. After the major success of Snake in Eagle's Shadow (1978) and Drunken Master (1978), both directed by Yuen Wo-Ping, the comedic template that fueled these films would be remade over-and-over again with the sifu/student relationship in the forefront (often starring Yu Jim Yuen students like Cliff Lok in Choi Lee Fat Kung Fu) and often employing an elderly beggar who is adept at drunken kung fu (the art of Zui Quan). Golden Harvest's Magnificent Butcher (1979: Chinese title is Lam Sai Wing) follows this pattern with Yuen Wo-Ping as the director and co-action director with leading man Sammo Hung as the student Lam Sai Wing, the venerable Kwan Tak-Hing in his most famous role as sifu Wong Fei Hung and Fan Mei-Sheng (Postman Strikes Back (1982)) in the Beggar So type role. In fact, the biggest negative attribute about this movie is it is a byproduct of not only the sifu/student/beggar films, but it incorporates many elements from Sammo Hung and Jackie Chan films of that era -- which I will detail later.
   
   Sammo Hung is the perfect actor for Lam Sai "Butcher" Wing -- a real-life portly (not as rotund as Sammo though) butcher by trade and student of the legendary Wong Fei Hung -- because of his physical adroitness and personal affability. I might have problems with the plot, but not with Sammo Hung's performance. Butcher Wing, as portrayed in this film, is a student who gets in trouble and shames his master (analogous to Jackie Chan in Drunken Master). He happened to overly, excessively and somewhat unintentionally beat up an elderly man (Fung Ging-Man) who had just stole a Chinese chess piece in a rage for losing the game. The chess player goes to Master Kao (Lee Hoi-Sang, Warriors Two (1978), The 36th Chamber of Shaolin (1978)) to get even against Wing (though who could blame him) by making up lies about Wong Fei Hong and Butcher Wing.
   
   Master Tao confronts Wong Fei Hung about his student's (erroneous) lack of respect for Tao and his school and engages in one of the highlights of the film -- a calligraphy duel. Without spoiling the scene by explaining it, it is quite exquisite in its use of a very flexible Kwan Tak-Hing (good to see him stay in shape in his later years) even though he is doubled for the more difficult actions. Needless to say who won, but later Wing gets the full wrath of Hung by being disciplined to do a tortuous horse stance (much like in Drunken Master).
   
   Meanwhile, chubby Lam Sai Kwong (Chiang Kam, Drunken Master (1978), Choi Lee Fat Kung Fu (1979)) is looking for his "skinny" brother (using a real old picture of Sammo Hung), but gets tricked into losing his wife May to a lecherous Tai Hoi (Fung Hak-On in a role similar to his one in Iron Fisted Monk (1977) just not as nasty). Concurrently, a beggar (Fan Mei-Sheng is also doubled a lot; sometimes it looks like Sammo Hung) with great drunken boxing skills comes to town stealing inebriated chickens and barely prevents the attempted suicide of Sai Kwong. Sai Kwong gets the beggar on his side and he goes off to confront Tai Ho. Tai Ho being much more brilliant than the beggar and Lam Sai Kwong gets those two to fight each other -- in that fight you will see a Popeye gag that was used before in Half a Loaf of Kung Fu (1978).
   
   Eventually the good get together against the bad (Tai Hoi and 5 Dragons School) though Master Kao is treated as bad, but he really is not, it is just his hubris and tragic belief in his son that leads him to the wrong path. However, the biggest positives of this film are certainly not the storyline. The action scenes directed by Sammo Hung and Yuen Wo-Ping are excellent. Lam Ching Ying starting with a fan and ending with elbow knives has an excellent battle with Yuen Biao. Also during this same scene, Yuen Miu with his mad monkey kung fu skills has an excellent fight with Wai Pak. Also there is a great finale with Lee Hoi-Sang versus Sammo Hung. Hung does an excellent flip move (not doubled during that move) during this melee that has to be seen. Sammo was in top physical form during this era and the amount of martial art must have movies from this period he is in is extraordinary. Plus the use of Kwan Tak-Hing is quite commendable and works perfect for this film. This was originally the first time I saw him perform and was later made aware of his awesome reputation in earlier Cantonese Hong Kong films (now when will we see these Wong Fei Hung films come to DVD?).
   
   For me there are enough negatives to keep this from being a classic martial art film. Too much of the film is derived from other martial art films (even more than I mentioned above in the previous paragraphs, including a Knockabout (1979) reference ala what happens to Sai Kwong) and the script has too much of the Wong Jing (co-writer with Edward Tang) touch with the uneasy mix of violence and slapstick comedy not melding well (though I did like certain gags like the pig trotters one). But for fans of Kung Fu action, much will be forgiven or ignored with the excellent martial art scenes taking precedence as the main impetus to watch and own this movie. I like this film, I just do not love it. However, there are many scenes I do not mind watching over and over again.
   
   I have the R1 Fortune Star/Fox release which has a good transfer but mediocre extras including trailers, photo gallery, quick biographies, production notes and "amazing" Sammo Hung music video. The big minuses are the dubtitles and no original mono. Here is another example of a Hong Kong R1 release that does not match the Hong Kong Legends R2 release for extras including a Bey Logan commentary (unless you do not like him).

5 comments about The Game of Death II.

1. Whoever thinks the choreography of this film is bad is highly mistaken, it's some of the best stuff ever. Also, Tong Lung's kicks show he's no hack, in fact he probably kicks in this movie more than all of Bruce's films in total.
   
   Just like other Ng See-yuen and Yuen Woo-ping collaborations, this movie is all about TKD practitioners. Essentially, this film is Bruceploitation combined with a typical bootmaster filled Seasonal Films movie.
   
   While bruceploitation is no doubt disrespectful stuff, Yuen Woo-ping's choreography and Yuen Biao's stunts saves this one.
   
   Listen to Eric Jacobus, he knows what he's talking about (just search him up and you'll find out why).



2. except karate tiger 4--ha ha, i know you probly like that.
   
   This is also called game of death 2 and officially is called the last bruce lee movie, even though he's not really in it, that's ok, cause like 5 guys that can rival bruce( hwang lee is the only guy i think would really stand a chance against bruce) are in this.
   
   So I advise you to get the GM 2 version, it has english dub that certainly can't rival the jet li collection in badness, but it does havesome altime classic dubbed lines, also look for the song that tarantino ripped for kill bill, which he improved drastically, but it he went with the same singer
   
   Eevry action scene in this is so freaking sweet(except the ones with the white guy).
   
   The main topic that I want to bring up of this movie is the scene where bruce's brother(in the movie)gives in to a yellow toothed nice bodied woman, and she tries to kill him, he prevents her from doing so but then this guy in a lion costume storms in.
   
   Now I have seen this movie about 5 times, and it seriously gets better every time you see it. The first time I saw it the first fight in the greenhouse REALLY caught my eye, but I didn't really like it. Well I need to start watching all movies sober at least the first time but it's really hard when watching a movie called game of death 2 and i didn't even like the first one.
   
   Anyway back to the lion scene----
   I still can't figure out whether or not this lion was supposed to be a real lion or a man dressed up in a lion costume. i would love other opinions on this because it is truly mystafying. And I don't know how to spell that word but I can't think of another one to describe this truly unique movie experience that this lion gave me.
   
   So please check this movie out if you get a chance.
   You are not going to find this in any 50 pack or something because it is a good, so just go buy it at bestbuy for 7.99 like I did, and I guarantee you will rate this as one of the the best Hwang Lee action films, and it is also my favorite cassanova wong performance ever so enjoy.
   
   Oh yeah, it has aYuen Bioa scene, I think he was fighing with a pole, but that ranked like #14 for fight scenes in this.



3. useing 3 min. worth of bruce lee footage(and not the best of that) doesn't mean bruce lee stars in or would even put his name on this junk. this is just a case of tring to make more money of his name without any care for what he wanted or what he stood for.shame on them for making this mess,and shame on me for buying it.



4. Game of Death II (aka Tower of Death) is a dichotomy of a film. It is a Bruceploitation film (though it is one of the better ones) and it is an exiting revenge flick. Raymond Chow had apparently not made enough money off of the insipid Game of Death and was slowly leaking "newly found" footage of Bruce so it was bound that he would create another film with spliced in footage, redubbed dialog and, of course, Bruce's namesake. A lot of people were using Lee's name to promote their own productions, but Golden Harvest (who Bruce worked for; though technically this was a Seasonal production) was the worst of these offenders.
   
   The first act of the movie is the least interesting and worst part of the film. Bruce Lee stars (posthumously edited in) as Billy Lo (Bruce Lee) who visits his friend Chin Ku (Hwang Jang Lee) who is currently beating up an under-classed challenger. After an reestablishment of friendship between the two (never a good sign in a Kung Fu film), he visits an abbot (Roy Chiao revisiting his role from Enter the Dragon so they can reuse and redub footage) to discuss about his contumacious brother Bobby Lo (Tong Lung who also starred in Game of Death).
   
   Of course, the scenes that compromise the first act are not only exploitative of Bruce Lee they are also poorly done. The most obvious is that the backgrounds do not match between Bruce's footage and the new footage. Also check out the sculpted back muscles of Bruce and compare them to his double. It is not even close. The fight scenes with Bruce (and his double) do not flow well. However, anytime you see a fight scene and that Bruce (or his double) does a difficult move such as a flip you will notice that it is the incomparable Yuen Biao (he even has a small role toward the beginning.)
   Bruce later visits the funeral of his friend Chin Ku and he is prevented from examining the body (this must mean something to the plot.) When the ceremony takes place a helicopter comes by and snags the coffin. For some strange reason, well to dispose of the fake Bruce character, he jumps on the coffin as it is flying away and is hit with a dart and falls to his death. This is absolutely absurd. Though this is not as bad as the 70s clothes at the funeral or the tacky real funeral footage of Bruce Lee that would come next.
   
   Now the movie gets more interesting and less exploitative. Bobby learns of his brother's death from his father who tells him to meet Sherman Lan. Sherman tells him to go to the Palace of Death. Now this is an interesting place. It is owned by Lewis, played by Roy Horan who has been an executive at Seasonal, an actor who also acted in Snake in the Eagle's Shadow, a student of Hwang Jang Lee and currently a lecturer at HK Polytechnic University; obviously his life is more interesting than this film. Bobby suspects Lewis as the culprit behind his brother's death. Lewis likes to eat raw meat, is surrounded by lions (who are fed the fighters that he defeats), Killer Peacocks and a one-armed valet (oh my). The one-armed assistant, a monk from the Fan Yu temple) does not seem that he could be of great use to Lewis, but Lewis says that he is faithful and he has known him for a long time (do not dwell on this fact because the absurdity of what happens later is quite hilarious). I really do not trust one-armed people in Hong Kong films unless they are played by Jimmy Wang Yu.
   
   Lewis tells Bobby of a tower built by abbot Hung Kuang. However, it cannot be found above ground. The abbot had it built underground (this is a nice twist until you see how much they spent on the set design and how many levels there actually are). Obviously there is going to be a show down there with Bobby fighting however is behind all of this madness. I will not give it away (or tell what happens at the Palace of Death) but it is fairly obvious who it will be.
   
   The final act of the film leads to some good fighting scenes, obviously with the help of action director Yuen Wo-Ping, as Bobby makes his way down the tower (try to see how many times Yuen Biao is used as a stunt double; hint check every other move Bobby makes). Most of the film is entertaining (not counting the irritating and unnecessary flashbacks). There is always going to be tackiness involved anytime you invoke Bruce Lee's inimitable name; but once the movie gets past that it is fun to watch. In fact it is the best Bruceploitation film out there -- though that does not necessarily mean that much.



5. For a B movie forgetting the Kung FU fans, but writing it as a B movie comedy.
   You have some left over footage from another movie and a dead star, well the chinese production company decided let us make another movie, so how do you make the plot, so it goes like this:
   
   Bruce Lee's best friend gets killed, so Bruce Lee goes to avenge his death, then Bruce Lee gets killed and then very tacky use of real funeral footage of course being resourceful, so then Bruce Lee's little brother goes out to avenge the death of Bruce Lee who was out avenging the death of Bruce Lee's best friend.
   Now no exploitation movie should be without a 100 Chinese Elvis posers that wear Elvis style Gi and have Elvis style square sun glasses on, this is classic. So in the end and I am giving away the plot here is that Bruce Lee's best friend was not dead, but fights Bruce Lee's little brother to the death, who was trying to avenge Bruce Lee's murder who was out to avenge the death of Bruce Lee's best friend when he died, but who didn't really die.
   So if you like exploitation comedies and are a beer drinker, this was alot of fun for me if you like this type of thing. If you think this is a serious action kung fu movie, then I suggest you drink more beer

5 comments about Zu Warriors.

1. i remember when they first showed a prview of this moive in theatres long time ago in 1999. it was only playing in selected theatres and i wanted to see it pretty badly. few years later i could not find a dvd anywhere i went. finally it comes out and i buy it on amazon and man, was i dissapointed. sure martial arts in movies is great if you like it, but it was not so good in this film. also the special effects which they were praising about in this film looked like a kid in his parents garage made it. in all, this film is lucky to recieve 1 star.



2. This movie will be appreciated by Martial Arts Lovers...Not the ones with Guns in them...This is a Wuxia Pien, Film and Expect the CGI and Animation but it is the Dragon Ball Z Brought to LIFE without the fake looking stuff like the cheap budgeted Martial Arts Films..This has lots of Fantasy but filled with Fighting ...It's Great...If you love Jet Li Films of the flying action fighters..then this is your type...GET IT!



3. Came across this last night on KungFuHD and was more than pleasantly surprised. While this may be considered a remake of the 1983 original it was different enough that I didn't know. Yes, some character was sacrificed for CGI effects - this was all about the special effects. I saw the longer 1:47 subtitled version which was mostly non-stop action so I don't see how they could have have cut this down to 80 minutes and have ANY story left. As others have said it's like DBZ and Star Wars (new ones) with a hint of LoTR thrown in - the Evil guy was named Mordo.



4. Keep your expectations low and this movie will pass as entertaining. There's a nice story in the movie, but the script doesn't do it justice. I played the Enlgish language version, so I don't know if the Chinese version was better. The special effects were great at times, but were terrible for the most part. The actors were great and did the best they could. Some interesting fighting scenes. The immortal beings storyline reminds me of the Japanese anime Scrapped Princess, which I do recommend. Watch it for some of the creative visual effects, but don't buy it.



5. im in love with this movie. the action, and colors, and just the mystical powers alone is enough to get you hooked.