5 comments about Eastern Condors.

1. While it's not flawless, this Fox DVD edition of EASTERN CONDORS is clearly the best we've ever seen of this 1987 Hong Kong action classic. Sammo Hung, the star and director, had graduated from old school kung fu films to contemporary stunt-filled action comedies with his Peking Opera classmates, Jackie Chan and Yuen Biao, and then a new direction (minus Jackie) with his all-star action comedy, MILLIONAIRES' EXPRESS in 1986. EASTERN CONDORS borrows liberally from THE DIRTY DOZEN (1967) and THE DEER HUNTER (1978), while injecting massive doses of kung fu, acrobatics, gunfire, black humor and tragedy into its tale of Asian and Asian-American military prisoners ("the Condors") sent on a dangerous mission into Vietnam in 1976, a year after the American withdrawal.
   
   The Condors' mission in Vietnam is to find and destroy an underground cache of American weapons to keep it out of Vietnamese hands. When they get to Vietnam they hook up with a trio of female Cambodian guerrillas (led by fighting femme Joyce Godenzi) who act as guides, but have an ulterior motive of their own. The group also picks up a local Cantonese-speaking black market dealer who's expert in kung fu (Yuen Biao). Thanks to a spy in the group, the Vietnamese army follows the Condors' every move.
   
   The nonstop action is quite cleverly staged, although some of it is a bit far-fetched. The characters and their relationships are generally quite interesting and we tend to feel sadness and grief when a member of the group dies (or is seriously wounded or maimed). Partly filmed in Canada, with outdoors action shot in the Philippines, the film offers a spectacular climax staged in an underground weapons complex designed and built to resemble the sets Ken Adam built for so many James Bond films.
   
   The film's expert cinematography is finally given a transfer that allows us to appreciate it in widescreen with 16:9 enhancement. However, both the English-dubbed and Cantonese language tracks are slightly but noticeably out of sync. The English dub is pretty awful. The subtitles for the Cantonese track are not the original ones we saw in earlier editions of the film. They're "dub-titles," transcriptions of the English dub dialogue which is far less interesting and dramatic than accurate translations of the original dialogue. So don't discard your earlier copies.



2. Although it has a couple of good actors the movie itself was very poorly done with a lot of work needed on the speech syncronization. The action was slow and unrealistic.



3. When I first watched it I thought to myself "this is so bad it's funny". After watching a little further I finally realized that it was a parody. I found it funnier if I watched it in 4:3 ratio instead of letterboxing, maybe because it cued in more on all those bad martial arts/action movies I'd seen before on television. Outstanding comedy/action (how many in this genre are there?)



4. But the fight scenes as a whole are awesome. this is possible my favorite yuen biao performance as he plays the pretty boy who is a bad boy. A bit out of place, but he is is top top top form. Add in Sammo(he stars and directs in this), Billy Chow, Yuen Wah, lam Ching Ying, Yasaiki Kuratu, Woo-ping, Phillip Ko...
   Not all these guys fight, but most do, and you WILL be happy. I thought that there also was too much gun play with people gruesomely being shot in the head. But then the guns get intersting and it is certainly not your average 1980's extremely low budget movie. They put some freaking time into this thing.
   So the movie is a true classic of the genre(not the war one) and it is truly an epic experience for people like me who are both old chool kung fu fans and love movies like Platoon. Platoon happens to be my favorite movie ever so I certainly can't compare it to that, but beats the holy hell out of ANY war movie in terms of INSANE stunts and hand to hand combat. And Sammo also has a very nice scene with a machetti, but then it gets even better when he gets hold of the heavy duty machine gun. It was just such a brilliant mix of war and kung fu. There will never be another movie like this. And tell me if the 3 guerilla women are not you're new favorite characteres. I know I will certainly be checking out Joyce Godenzi's works:)
   
   The picture quality is PERFECTO without a blemish on the print. Best Fox release I have seen yet. Also it has dual languages in 5.1 sound, you gotta love that.



5. the only reason i rate the movie one because i cant give it a zero
   worst movie ever made
   dont waste your money on it

4 comments about The Dragon From Shaolin.

1. It's a great pity that I have to write this about a Yuen Biao film. I really wanted to like a film which features Yuen Biao in a pseudo-Indiana Jones role, but it was impossible. Biao has starred in some classics like Kid From Tibet, Kickboxer, Project A and Millionaires' Express, but this easily ranks as his worst. The popularity of the Shaolin kids films was clearly the inspiration here, therefore you know that weak and crude comedy is the order of the day. In fact, the comedy makes Wong Jing look like Noel Coward in terms of subtlety. I at least expected good action, but Biao is totally wasted there as well. If you haven't got the message yet, DO NOT WATCH THIS FILM!



2. If you love Kung-Fu movies you will love this one.
   Not to mention the ever so cute Vivan Hsu is in it.
   Grab this today esp for the super low price.



3. First off, I would like to say that it would'nt be 100% correct to list Dragon from Shaolin as a Kung Fu flick. It's more like a family comedy.

   The story takes place in modern times, and centers around a boy monk in training. He's sent on a journey to find Budda, mainly because the Abbot of his tmeple finds him to be immature. While in the city, he is seperated from his two older monk chaperones, when he takes off to catch a pick pocket. Later he teams up with a riff raff scammer kid about his age. Together they try to raise money at the Great Wall by displaying Shaolin Kung Fu techniques.

   THe sub plot involves YUen Biao, who is trying to recover a stone head from a statue of Buddah. His scheming brother (who has a kung fu fighting girl friend), are also competing to recover the stone head. Biao and the boys meet at the Great Wall, after Biao saves Vivian Hsu from a group of low lifes. The plot progresses and several humurous situations pop up involving the boys, Yuen, and Vivian Hsu trying to recover the head from the villians. The finale involves a train fight, and chases through the cabins.

   The kung fu in this film is not spectacular. Also, Yuen Biao's ability as a kung fu fighter and acrobat are not capitialized on. The Kung Fu actress known as "Auntie", from the Shaw Brothers days, is also in the film sporting a bright yellow doo! Her kung fu skill is not shown well either.

   In the end I gave Dragon from Shaolin 3 stars for adding some light hearted family kung fu to the genre. This movie could be approprate for kids, and for those who are interested in different types of Hong Kong Cinema. I would'nt suggest that hard core Kung Fu fans try this. You'll probally feel cheated. I only wish "Auntie" and Yuen could have had a better sparring scene. They're both capable of doing one.




4. I watched the uncut official DVD of this, so it has an extra minute of the most gross-out sicko bathroom humor ever devised by sick minds. Very strong R-rate material. This is actually rated a light R equivalent, because certain body parts and partial nudity are considered less taboo in Hong Kong than in more puritanical societies. As for the story, it is very entertaining, and a good action comedy. Would have been a great family comedy, but with the R rating material mixed with a lot of kid humor, it has a limited range of interest to most adults. There is a light romantic banter between Yuen Biao and Vivian Hsuen which redeems the movie some, and overall it is pretty good anyway.

5 comments about Young Master.

1. I though this particular jackie Chan's flick was a little different from the rest, since his choreography/ comedy are usually the same. Simply, you see one Chan's flick, and you see them all. This one however was different, and interesting from the word "GO"!!
   I though he performed beautifully,,and not the same old same old. The villain was equally impressive, with his amazing foot works. He captured the audience's attention from the moment he escapped incarceration, and was set free by his buddies,,definately a fight scene to be remembered!!!
   
   If you're a true Chan's fan, rest assured,,,you will not be dissapointed. Truly one of chan's best earlier flicks,,,,would make a great addittion to the collection!!



2. Early Jackie Chan, some good kung-fu, not much plot, and what there is, is kind of confusing. oh you can follow it, but why bother? the dragon fight at the begining is quite good.



3. Jackie Chan had already established himself in Hong Kong as a box office champion with 1978's Drunken Master and 1979's Fearless Hyena, but he was not getting his fiscal due from Lo Wei Productions. So he opted out of his contract with Lo Wei and was hired by Golden Harvest. The Young Master was his first picture under that studio. The film was interrupted several times because of the contract dispute with Lo and a Triad that wanted a stake in Jackie's fortune. This was eventually settled with help by Jimmy Wang Yu whom Jackie would owe (along many other actors) several favors. Even with all this chaos, Jackie was still able to create a memorable and must-have film, though the movie is marked by continuity problems.
   
   Jackie stars as Ah Lung a mediocre student (funny he doesn't seem so in the film and that point is soon forgotten) who loses in a beautifully choreographed lion dance competition because his fellow adopted brother Jing Keung (Wei Pei), faked an injury and competed incognito for the Wei Yee school. Lung and Keung's sifu Master Tien soon finds out of this deception and this betrayal leads to Keung leaving the school. After an impassioned plea from Lung, Tien gives Lung his blessing to find his brother. Jackie takes his big white fan (important plot point.) Jing looks for work at the Wei Yee school, but is turned down when he is found to have helped the Wei Yee school win the Lion Dance competition. He is then recruited with two others, including Fung Hark-On (aka Fung Ke-An who was the martial arts consultant with Jackie) who has a large mole on his face - reminiscent of Jackie's mole in Police Woman, to free Master Kim (Hapkido expert Whang In Shik.) Jing uses his big white fan to help Kim escape. So Ah would later be mistaken for his brother and sought after by the local police inspector and his son (played by Hong Kong regulars Shih Kien and Yuen Biao.) This would lead up to an awesome fight scene between two of the Seven Little Fortunes, Yuen and Jackie. Yuen would expertly use a bench and you get to see Jackie use a pole again.
   
   Even with the continuity problems (even admitted by Jackie, including one scene where Jackie is fettered and the next he is not) and the overuse of sped-up footage and zoom shots (including one that is parodied in Kung Pow), this is a fun film to watch.. The high points of this movie are the Cantonese comedy and the sublime martial art scenes. In those fight scenes you get to see him use many props such as sword, pole, bench and even a skirt, a skill he learns from his encounter with the Police Chief's daughter played by Lily Li. The high point of the film is a showdown that involves an 18-minute plus scene between Jackie and Whang (Jackie in his autobiography "I Am Jackie Chan" considers this his ninth best fight scene.) I do not want to describe this sagacious scene too much, because it has to be seen. I will say that I have never seen Jackie get beat up so much in any other movie and most of it is shot with wide-angle lenses with few cuts. Even his solution to winning is unique.
   
   This movie is a must buy for Jackie Chan or Hong Kong film fans. The most important decision in buying this film on DVD is what label/version you purchase. There are many shorter versions out there, even several that are widescreen, but the scenes that are taken out are mostly from the action scenes! But, Fortune Star puts out a 106 minute version that is digitally remastered and has the Cantonese (along with dubbed version) audio. Though there is one caveat, many of the cheaper versions have a huge benefit that the Fortune Star DVD does not - Jackie Chan singing in English at the end of the film. Even without that benefit the Fortune Star release is by far the best version of an excellent Jackie Chan film.



4. Isn't it strange? I love old-school kung fu movies. I love Jackie Chan movies (at least before he started making films in America). Yet old-school Jackie Chan films can really be tough to take. Even some of his "classics". This movie is definitely a notch above "Drunken Master" in both fights and humor. It's just wildly inconsistent. Though it does have the Korean born Hapkido Grandmaster Ing-Sik Whang. He rocks. Everything else is a little off. Some of the humor is actually quite funny and there are some cool scenes. The lion dance, for example. It's not bad, and it is enjoyable to watch, but not on the level I was expecting for a kung fu movie. Though expectations will often turn a potentially good movie sour.
   
   The film is digitally remastered and in widescreen, so the presentation is nothing to complain about, but... having Wei Pai and Yuen Biao in your movie and hardly having them do anything IS. What a waste. Usually in Jackie's films of this period the final fight helps make up for the lack of substance that preceded it, but here it doesn't work. The choreography is very good, and ahead of its time, but the premise of the fight is too absurd for them to be able to pull it off. This does have an option for English dubbing. I was taking a chance thinking that it was subtitled only. 2.5, if that helps.
   
   1980



5. Young Master
   Cast: Jackie Chan, Hih Tien (aka Shek kin),Yuen Biao, Chiang Kam ,lily le ,Wang Inn-Sik
   Director: Jackie Chan (also stunt coordinator)
   Writer: Lau Tin Chee, Tung Lio, Edward Tang King-sang
   
   Compared to a list of about 75 other films, this one holds up pretty well, surprisingly. This movie continues in the tradition of the movies he made with Yuen Woo Ping (Snake in the Eagles Shadow, and the masterpiece Drunken Master). This is one of my favorite kung fu comedy ,and one of the best Jackie Chan movies ever. Being one of nine movies he actually directs in the decades he`s been making movies, it really make you wonder. Why only 9? When he is really good at it. This is one of the first films after Golden Harvest bought out his contract with Lo Wei (The Police Commissioner in Chinese Connection).
   
   The end fight is excellent. I know a lot about the martial arts and from a martial artist aspect this is one of the best. However this is a kung fu comedy as I stated, well, In that department it does not fail. It's actually quite hilarious. This is Jackie Chan at the top of his forum.

No comments about My Lucky Stars.

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 Shaolin Wooden Men... Young Tiger's Revenge.

1. I agree with the other reviewers who said the Columbia-Tristar veriosn cuts out so many good moments (what WERE they thinking!?!?!)! I have the English dubbed version, and it's pretty good - I'd recommend it to all kung-fu movie-philes (and especially Chan-o-philes!). The athletics are superb, although the film quality is not top-notch (it is, however, orders of magnitutde better than the "pea-green" situation with the Columbia release!!!!!!). it IS one to enjoy!



2. REMEMBER WHEN JACKIE CHAN KICKED ASS? REMEMBER WHEN JACKIE CHAN WAS THE COOLEST MARTIAL ARTS STAR ALIVE? WELL, UNFORTUNATELY, THAT WAS BEFORE HE GOT OLDER AND BEFORE HE STARTED POPPING UP IN HORRIBLE MOVIES LIKE ''AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS'' AND ''SHANGHAI NOON''. IN THIS CLASSIC MARTIAL ARTS MOVIE FROM THE 1970S, JACKIE CHAN PLAYS A YOUNG MAN WHO'S CONSTANTLY HAUNTED BY THE FACT THAT HE WITNESSED HIS FATHER'S MURDER. AFTER LEARNING SEVERAL STYLES OF MARTIAL ARTS FROM SEVERAL DIFFERENT PEOPLE [INCLUDING A PRISONER WHOM HE BRINGS FOOD TO EVERYDAY IN EXCHANGE FOR KUNG FU LESSONS], HE SOON SETS OUT TO FIGHT THE WOODEN MEN AND AVENGE HIS FATHER'S MURDER. A VERY GOOD MARTIAL ARTS MOVIE THAT HAS MEMORABLE FIGHTS, WHICH'RE ALWAYS FUN TO LOOK AT. THE MOVIE'S WORTH IT ALONE FOR THE CLASSIC CONFRONTATION BETWEEN JACKIE CHAN AND THE WOODEN MEN.



3. If you want UNCUT ORIGINAL version, ALWAYS look for ORIGINAL LICENSED Production. NOT US Release. Its a foreign film, it should not be US version to begin with~! HELLO!!!?? Why settle for LESS with US Version where they edit and cut so many excellent scenes especially with Jackie's Fighting Scenes. And US Release ruins the speed and sound as well. I have been collecting Jackie Chan's movies both HK and US Release Version for quite some time now. I found HK Version to be MUCH MORE in enjoyable, and HIGHER in Quality. American Market always like to "Americanize" and "Control". Regional Code Regulation thing is one of the example to CONTROL the Market. Why not let everyone enjoy the same HK Original Release move the same way ENTIRE WORLD enjoys it ?? No one makes Hollywood American movies to "French version" or "Chinese Version" ~! This what Americans are doing~! Well, enjoy the cheap "American version" then~! LOL



4. Shaolin Wooden Men was the second film Jackie Chan did for Lo Wei Productions and the first film he did under director Chen Chi-Hwa (who also directed Jackie in Half a Loaf of Kung Fu) - though Lo would get Supervising Director credit. Chan was lent out to this up-and-coming director who would give him more room to experiment. Jackie gave more effort on his martial art styles by mutating traditional forms like the snake form (one of Jackie's favorites) giving more flowing and flamboyant movement and being less classical in structure. Unfortunately, he did not have much say in his character development with a character that was still in Bruce Lee's shadow. Shaolin Wooden Men was considered the second flop in a row for a Jackie Chan led film.
   
   Jackie played a mute young man (called Dummy in the dubbed version) whose father She Lan was killed by an unknown assailant. I've read a couple of different rumors on why Chan was mute in this film: to make it easier on him acting and the other rumor was that Lo did not have confidence in his acting skill. Jackie's character has sworn revenge and to increase his martial artist skills he becomes an earnest student in a Shaolin monastery. He has trouble at first adjusting to monk life. Such activities as using lead shoes to carry water up and pour in barrels and chopping wood was difficult for the mute but he would note be prevented from learning Shaolin martial arts. It would normally take five years of this training before he could start on his fighting training, but the mute was crafty. He learned balance techniques from a drunken monk (Miu Tak San). He befriended a visiting female Buddhist named Nun Woo Mei (Cheung Bing Yuk) who taught him "Ten Shadows Eight Steps" to make him lighter on his feet. Several scenes of this technique reminded me of several of Missy Elliot's videos.
   
   In order to leave the Shaolin monastery Jackie would have to pass a test of fighting. He would have to go through a gauntlet of mechanized Wooden Men (strangely looking like a Monty Python gag) that many monks with more advanced training that the mute have failed. The mute was lucky in finding a Shaolin prisoner who befriended him and in exchange for food and wine would train him. Fa Yu (Kam Kong) is a curmudgeon character who says he is only captured until he learns "The Lion's Roar" which will shatter the internals of his enemies (or at least provide a cheesy sound effect.) He taught the mute several techniques which would help him pass the gauntlet as well as improve his fighting prowess.
   
   The Shaolin Wooden Men only play a small part of this film. The mute inevitably passes the test and burns the dragon and tiger insignias into his forearms by lifting a searing hot cauldron that marks the opening into freedom and the beginning of his travails. First he must deliver a message from Fa Yu to a gimpy pharmacologist who owns the Tsun Chung Pharmacy in the town of Ching Ho who is part of the Green Dragon and White Tiger gangs. This pretty much establishes Fa Yu with those gangs and the rest of the film deals with the (other) inevitable aspects of his escape and why he was imprisoned by the Shaolin.
   
   The martial arts are above standard, but not as good as the later Jackie Chan films. Though the final fight sequence does last awhile and is the highlight fight of the film. The plot is a martial art cliché with a student enrolling in a Shaolin Academy to learn Kung Fu to avenge the death of his father. There is also the ubiquitous training manual "Justice against the Devil" given to Jackie by a blind monk. However, the relationship between the mute and his teacher Fa Yu is an interesting angle reminding me of the relationship of Yuen Biao and Lau Kar Wing in Knockabout. Chan seems a little unsure of his acting ability, even without voice, but he always looks professional with the martial art choreography. I think most people will like the later Jackie Chan films better, but if you find a decent copy of this film they will think it is a decent film -- though not much better. Note: look for an early small speaking role for Yuen Biao.
   
   DVD Info: Choosing the right copy is also important. I own two different copies of the film both with their own problems. The Columbia copy reigns in about 96 minutes though it misses 10 minutes of the beginning. These ten minutes are very fun to watch. It includes the "showcase" beginning with Jackie fighting four monks each with a different animal style. It then includes his character having a nightmare dealing with the Shaolin Python Wooden Men and then a sequence showing normal life at the Shaolin temple. The Columbia version is also cropped to a 1.78 aspect. The line on the DVD about preserving the original aspect is hooey. The benefit of this DVD is that it has the Mandarin soundtrack and good subtitles. The second version I own is the Telefilms Internation DVD (also R1 and also hooey about being the Original Uncut Version) which has the original aspect, a more clear screen and the beginning that is missing in the Columbia version. This version is missing ten minutes that are in the Columbia version though it cost me only two dollars. It is missing any extras like subtitles or other languages. So the best thing to do is look for a copy that has 106 minutes or over, is not cropped and is not R1.



5. 
   Jackie stars as a mute who has grown up at a Shaolin monastery since he was a boy and trains to become a fighter so he can revenge his father's death one day. He meets a prisoner played by Kam Kong, one of the most likeable kung fu actors ever. He develops a strong relationship with Jackie and helps him with his training so he can beat the Shaolin wooden men and leave the monastery. Jackie taking on the robot like wooden men was actually exciting because of his great acting and kung fu skills. This movie is definitely one of his best physical performances. There is a lot more to the story and it all results in an incredible emotionally charged ending.
   
   It was great to see Jackie giving such a different type of acting performance, but the kung fu is of course the brightest spot in the movie. Kam Kong is a large man and can do some amazing kung fu with that big frame. I wish him and Jackie would have fought more in movies.
   
   I love cheesy movies, but this is the complete opposite. There is no cheese to be found, it's just a very good kung fu movie.
   
   3.5/5
   
   I have the DVD from Telefilms International and it's watchable. Hong Kong Legends just released this uncut, but I don't know of any other uncut versions.

5 comments about Enter the Fat Dragon.

1. a classic film that makes fun of all the Brucexploitation in Chinese Cinema in the 70's and early 80's. The movie is very funny and is a well done spoof. The plot is very similar to Bruces Return of the Dragon - a young country boy traveling to the city to help out a restaurant and running into trouble with local gangster types. Sammos hero in the movie is Bruce Lee and he does a great job copying all of the moves(occasionally throwing in some of his own)and can pretty much whip everybody until he runs into three bodyguards - one white dude(an expert in boxing), one chinese dude(an expert in kung fu), and one black/chinese dude(an expert in karate) this is when the movie
   steps up the martial arts - the final fight scenes are very well
   done as well. A great addition to any kung fu movie collection and a must for any Sammo Hung fan.



2. Terribly charming, that is. Sammo Hung portrays a starstruck Bruce Lee fan, imitating him down to the haircut and monkey-like shrieks. Otherwise a simple-minded man, he displays throughout the movie Bruce Lee-like fighting prowess which, coming from a man his size, is hilarious to behold. The storyline is crap, there's no two ways about it, but the content is what makes it great. The various stupid moments (Sammo trying to buy sunglasses that look like a Bruce Lee picture, the millionaire's "revenge" daydreams, any time Sammo goes into Bruce Lee mode, the terrible english, the Black-faced Asian) are incredibly corny and fun to watch.
   
   Not only that, but the action scenes are actually decent. Normally I hate watching Bruce Lee's fight scenes, finding them FAR too contrived and silly, but Sammo manages to pull it off quite well. Maybe it's his funny and intense charisma, I don't know. Not only that, but Sammo even chooses to integrate some traditional Kung Fu fight scenes in the movie, bringing its worth in my eyes way up.
   
   The movie harkens back to the days when heros were idealized and worshipped, something severely lacking in today's society, with the dirt sheets and Hollywood scandals appearing everywhere. Chuck Norris did a similar theme with Sidekicks, and ideal heros, unfortunately, has become a dying breed of people. Something that endears the movie to me is that there's little swearing and the violence is surprisingly non-violent. Sure there are kung fu punches and kicks and the like, but the reactions are always almost Loony Toon-ish in their reaction, the victims having huge and goofy-looking sores where they were hit. And other than a single sex joke at the beginning of the movie, it's surprisingly clean, resorting to slapstick and farce for it's humor.
   
   So why am I giving it only three stars? Firstly, the movie quality is terrible in every aspect. It's easily seen that there was no budget for the movie (blackfaced Asian? What the hell?), although that definitely added to the campy silliness. Secondly, the video quality is horrible. The DVD claims to have it remastered, but it's incredibly grainy and looks antiquated, with even some marker markings showing up in some stills. The subtitles, as well, are pale and fuzzy white, making them really hard to see a lot of the time. Thank god the movie's plot is unimportant.



3. I never thought it would work but Sammo Hung does a fantastic Bruce Lee imitation in this film. But not of the lame parody kind. He really does move fast and performs many of the techniques and mannerisms of the man himself. Not only that, he does a lot of other fighting styles as well. The goofy comedy is great too. This is one of the few unique kind of movies that is fun to watch and not take too seriously.



4. Indeed a guilty pleasure! One of Sammo's greatest(and unjustly forgotten) films, Enter The Fat Dragon stars Hung as a pig farmer obsessed with his "hero" Bruce Lee and who spends most of his time getting into trouble and hamming it up(get it? Pig farmer... ham? Sorry, that's the last one I promise) while doing it. Rarely has Sammo been able to balance action with comedy so flawlessly. Don't get me wrong, I'm an enormous Sammo(get it? Enormous... Sammo? He's fat people, and THAT is the last one... I hope) fan but... we all know that he nearly always brings great action, but his comedy? It doesn't always work so well, I mean there have been moments in his other movies but nothing like this, which plays out ridiculous scenario one right after the other that actually provide laughs... and when all else fails, he resorts to mimicking Bruce Lee in uncanny and amusing fashion(sure to induce smiles EVERYtime). Now obviously my 5 star rating will be more than a little skewed for most. I mean, can the movie really stack up to other so-called cinematic "classics" such as ET, The Godfather, or Citizen Kane? The answer is "hell yes!" Well, for fans of Kung Fu and Sammo Hung at least... Sammo using Jeet Kune Do on a herd of unruly swine, Hoi San Lee(36th Chamber Of Shaolin, Last Hurrah For Chivalry, Twin Warriors) painted black and sporting an afro and puffy purple shirt as an African American fighter(not the most PC thing ever... but bizarre and must-see to be sure), and my personal favorite scene featuring Sammo breaking up the filming of a Bruceploitation film by taking on the main imitator and his entire entourage(in a matchup featuring plenty of Lee's trademark howls and posturing). This film comes highly recommended for fans of classic martial arts mayhem or even those with any passing interest in this films star OR the man he obviously greatly admired. As for the DVD from Crash Masters? It's complete garbage unfortunately, with an awful print of the film and subtitles that are so small and light in color that they become near illegible oftentimes(and even when you can see them, they rarely read right... like the word "is" whenever "have" should be used), also no dubbed track is available here either. An extremely poor, bare-bones release for a film worthy of far more... hopefully someday it will get the release, and viewing public, that it rightly deserves.



5. Sammo Hung is amazing in this movie. The way he combines Bruce Lee's acting and fighting style with his own style is such a joy to watch. There's not much of a story here. Peter Yang plays a really weird guy who kidnaps a girl and Sammo has to save her. But Peter Yang has 3 tough fighters who Sammo needs to defeat in order to save th girl. Doesn't sound like much of a movie does it? Well, it's not. But the fighting is great and I don't ask for much more than that. Sammo uses a modern type fighting style the whole movie, and I love how he saves the only classic kung fu type fight for the finale. The comedy is decent at times, but the fights are what make this movie worth watching. It's a must see for Sammo fans. And not only is there Bruce Lee imitating going on, but also Jim Kelly. But couldn't they have found a black actor to play the Jim Kelly clone? What was Sammo thinking?
   
   3.5/5
   
   The picture quality on the Crash DVD is decent. Widescreen with subtitles that are readable about 80% of the time.

No comments about The Prodigal Son.

No comments about Supercop.

5 comments about Black Belt Theatre, Vol. 9: Snuff Bottle Connection.

1. Snuff bottle connection , aka Secret Rivals 3 in South Africa was always one of my favourite karate movies of the late 70's.However the DVD transfer does no justice to this movie.Who ever did the transfer to DVD needs to see an optician as almost half the movie is out of frame and this really spoils everything.Well if you prepared to watch it like that,I feel the company should drop the price to about $4.99 maximum.Do yourself a favour buy Invincible Armour instead.A classic in its true form.



2. I used to own the VHS of this. I thought to myself this movie has to be great, right? It stars two of the best bootmen in the business, John Liu & Huang Cheng-li. Roy Horan a.k.a. Louis Sit from "Tower of Death" & "Snake in the Eagle's Shadow" is in it. Even the King of Sticks Hsu Hsia is in it. The plot's workable and all, but the fu is what counts, and it was only OK. There were a couple of decent fights here and there, especially between Liu & Hsu, but with talent of this caliber it should have been better. What a letdown the grand finale was between Liu & Huang, especially after seeing these two battle it out in the classic "Secret Rivals 2" & "Invincible Armor". I couldn't put my finger on it but it seemed as if John Liu was "carrying" Huang during the fight. This was definitely NOT one of Huang's shining moments, including that totally unconvincing stuntman (it was so obvious) doubling for Huang during the end. Maybe Huang Cheng-li was burnt out or something. I can't review the DVD because I haven't seen it, but I can review the movie. The bottom line is, for what it's worth, I sold my VHS on e-bay and re-watched "Invincible Armor".



3. Now doctor something down there commented that it is a good movie but you don't want to get this version. I have to back him up. Pans and scans are always pretty bad, but htis one managaes to zoom in even closer. Hwang looks pretty bad ass in this one, looks better than instant kung fu man at least. And mang fie's brother, the guy who played dual roles in instant KFM is back and I can't figure out why he is in these movies. He is a decent actor, certainly not up ther with his brother, but his fu is also worse than his bro. This is unexceptable. It slows the movie down, casue whenever he fights, they have to do the close up flip shot over and over again. But liu is looking good. And hwang doesn't look quite as bad as that guy says. His iron fan technique is very good, though not original and not the best you are gonna see, btu still an enjoyable final fight.
   
   The gweilos are the ones that gave it the 3rd star for me. They are not great at screen fighting at all and one of them has a bad wig and just looks unbelievably stupid. But it is fun to watch them fight in this movie presented by ng-see yuen. There are 3 of them and 2 really get to fight, one just throws people around, and the other does karate kicks that go flying past guys faces and yet the whip crack sounds. I really enjoyed all their fight scenes. But more than that they brought out the snake hawk style and that was very nice to see. It was performed supremely by Hsu Hsia.
   
   Now the dubbing is particulary bad for the russians!!!!!!! But with a little heroic acrobatic kid, Hwang lee, and John liu, I would prbably bump my scoer up to a 4 if the dvd presentation wasn't so bad.
   
   And I almost forgot that there ARE SCENES OBVIOUSLY LEFT OUT. This is unnacceptable, I guess thta you just have to hope that groundzero is recording form the uncut vhs. So a 2.5, but I give it a 3 for creativity.



4. I'm a John Liu fan since I was a child, therefore, no matter what movie he's in,,,to me it's nothing less than a stellar performance. I'm a little surprized to have seen the poor review on this flick. Before writing this review, I went back to watch it again for the 3rd time, and still cannot see why most people gave it approximately 3 stars! I'm just blown away by that. I think this particular flick is really good,,the old school kung fu very transpartent, the choreography is impressive and importantly the DVd transfer satisfactory!! I would not give this flick nothing less than a 4 star, and well deserving so!
   
   I'm never one to follow trends,,I usually set them. I also noticed many people on Amazon usually based there reviews on what other people have to say, and therefore score the movie respectively. That is kinda sad I think. Here is an advise for you followers with absolutely no opinion of your own, don't be a follower,,be a leader, so you may lead by example!!



5. first of all i am reviewing the SOUL BLADE dvd print of this movie...
   
   Im not gonna talk about the print of the movie but movie itself.
   Fisrt of all this is a must have for all secret rival fans !!! and hwang jang fans. Yuen wo ping done the action and all performances are great , the plot is good , unique and the action is above average but nothing special . Its worth having for the fact that jon liu and hwang jang are impressive , and do have a great talent . The movies not cheesy , even though it has the annoying kid from sleepin fist , however he does not spoil this film[wacth and find out why]... there are small bits wehich bring the film down , but nothing... but most of all it is entertaining.
   
   i bought tis flick after reading both positive and negative reviews. Websits like dragons den , hk cinema rate this movie high , some have rated it low , which i cant understand why..
   it has VERY mixed reviews...
   
   so overall I STRONGLY RECCOMEND YOU FIND A SOUL BLADE OR OTHER PRINT FOR THIS MOVIE.