No comments about Millenium Dragon.

5 comments about Dragons Forever.

1. Dragons forever is the last film from the three brothers and also the best, I think.



2. Jackie chan is amazing. Sammo Hung is amazing. Yuen Biao is amazing. Put the three of them in a movie, and it'd be hard to end up with something bad. Well, in this case, you end up with something great.
   
   To begin with, there's the martial arts. These guys are three of the best Asian cinema has to offer. Yuen Biao, though not widely know in America, is considered to be one of the most athletic martial artists around. Of course, Jackie and Sammo are no slouches either, and this movie delivers a lot of colorful action.
   
   But it's also funny. It reminds me of those old screwball comedies of the fifties. It's ridiculous, absurd comedy based on misunderstandings and well-intentioned deceptions. The scene where Jackie's date is interrupted by his two fighting friends is damn funny. And the interaction between these three friends is what makes this film a classic.
   
   For another great collaboration of this terrific trio, check out "Wheels on Meals", another fine film.



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. Wow, what an awesome movie. I have seen this like 4 times now and it just gets better every time. I am ALWAYS seeing something new. It is not like jackie's old school golden harvest films but has much more of a kinetic type of energy that just sucks you into the tv and you can't look away. So they don't go through a fight scene with like no cuts for 2 straight minutes but this movie is HARD HITTING. BEnny the Jet Urquedez vs jackie chan is one of the coolest thing ever put to the kung fu screen. he is caled Jet for a reason people. And if the jet that you are thinking of fought him, it would not work out very well for the little guy. Benny is actually more respected than Chuck Norris in the world Kickboxing Federation. BEnny went 200-0. Seriously, the guy never lost. If you wanna see Benny and Jackie Part one, check out "Wheels On Meals"(Seriously, that is the name of it). Add in a dream matchup like yuen biao vs. BIllY CHOW, and you have one of the best kung fu movies all time. AAnd did I mention that samo is in it. I didn't, ok, here is a few more. Philip Ko. Yuen Wah. Lo Lieh... And if you have ever seen legend of a fighter, this movie has sanaka it in(the japanese guy who kills himself after beardy beats him in a fight). IT HAS FREAKING EVRYBODY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
   
   So of course this movie could haev been better, but not really too much by kung fu standards. The fu is easily the best it gets, and for a jackie film, I would rate this as his best new school type of kung fu movie performance. EASILY!!!!!



5. I finally got around to watching this, and boy have I been missing out. If you enjoyed the famous H.K. trio (Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung, and Yuen Bio) from Wheels on Meals and Project A, then you will undoubtedly love this film. Dragons Forever has more of a Wheels on Meals feel to it then Project A for sure, especially with Benny Urquidez returning for a dream matchup against Chan once again.
   
   Dragons is a difficult film to aquire, and is pricey on dvd. In addition, I have not seen any English dubbed version availbale either (not that that is a bad thing) but some people, like myself, don't do well with subtitles. The option I chose was to record it off of Spike TV. To my surprise - subtitles. Who'd ever thought. It actually wasn't that bad, I really got into this film. The trio is simply amazing, and though they don't have too many scenes where all 3 are on the screen at once, you can feel a chemistry anyways as a viewer (especially if you have seen Meals on Wheels). I would say there are not an overabundance of action scenes, but in between the story still captured my attention well. Its not everyday you get to see some fun love stories unfold in martial arts films, and I have to admit, though a bit silly and maybe cheesy, I enjoyed Chan and Hung's never-ending scenes of winning over their loves.
   
   The action again is limited, but the scenes themselves are not. Dragons has some of the best martial arts choreogrpahy I have ever seen. Everything is so fluid and acrobatic, well timed, and just eye-poping. Chan's fight against Urquidez is a huge treat, though not as long as their fight in Wheels on Meals, it is still a solid 4 minutes of intense excitemnet. Benny gets barely any screen time before his fight, but he just looks evil in this one (in a cool way). And if that wasn't enough, Yuen Bio fights Billy Chow (bad boy in Fist of Legend) too. Billy Chow gets some more screen time, but I think he only has one line in the whole film. This is one of his earlier film appearances too.
   
   Dragons is easily one of the best Chan movies created, and perhaps one of the greatest H.K. martial arts cast every assembled. If you were like me and haven't seen this yet, you are missing out. It's a shame its hard to find and expensive, but it just might be worth it.
   
   This is a film that Dragon Dynasty should consider re-releasing.

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 Righting Wrongs.

1. WOW. OK, this movie is a classic hardcore awesome martial arts movie. I love this film. I first saw the English dubbed version when I was young and it blew my mind away. I had seen a few Van Damme movies before I was enlightened by Yuen Biao and all the Hong Kong martial artists that followed. The speed, the viciousness, the martial arts, everything. Later on (many years of searching for this film - thank you Amazon.com) I saw the Chinese one (original version) with subtitles to help me out and was blown away again. This `is' the movie that inspired me to do martial arts, Kung-fu.

   The action is great and all the fighters duke it out without being the average flippy flashy ninja people. Yuen Biao is great. Fast and flexible, not a bad actor either. Biao is a friend of Jackie Chan, and has been a goof in Dragons Forever, but this movie is hardcore and serious. Cynthia Rothrock, I have lots of respect for her. She is one of the best female martial artists that I have seen. I admire that woman a lot (only in her good films though, so beware of the bad ones). This movie was made in the mid 80s, so it has a neat look and score to it. I like the song in the credits. The plot is actually not that bad. A lawyer who has seen many criminals get away and put in jail for a long time or short time, gets fed up with the law system and goes out to enforce it by hand (Yuen Biao). Cynthia plays a cop who follows the law to strike down the lawbreakers. They both fight to serve the law, but both on different terms. Sooner or later, it gets time to get down and dirty, better to say, down and bloody. There are more one on one fight sequences than one versus many.

   If you want to see this movie, I recommend that you get the Chinese one with English subtitles. In the Dubbed one, they said that it was all in Tokyo. Come on, Tokyo? It's Hong Kong! Personally I feel the dubbed one is a sell out in some of the lines. The Chinese one contains a few more scenes (I think - if memory serves me) and the dialog is much better. The ending in the Chinese one is very different from the ending in the Dubbed version that I saw some years ago (memory serves me on that). I like the Chinese ending better. If you have the time and money then get both, then you can make the decision for yourself, I won't tell you either endings.




2. Why? Because it is a double-sided disk, with two different endings, and other scenes which are found in one version, are not in the other. No, I'm not giving anything away here.

   This is an incredible film! The martial arts of Yuen Biao are unsurpassed. This film was nominated for a Hong Kong Film Award for Best Action Choreography. Wu Ma's heartbreaking performance was also nominated in the the Best Supporting Actor category...




3. This is hands down Yuen Biao's and Cynthia Rothrock's best movie! I'm not much of a fan of either of them, but this movie displays some of the best martial arts I have seen. The movie is extremely violent as well with a little gun-fu. Don't get me wrong tho, there is more hand to hand stuff here that'll get you pumped up. The story, Yuen Biao is a lawyer trying to prosecute 2 mobster-like individuals for arranging a hit on Biao's friend and his friend's family...without evidence, Biao decides to take matters in his own hands, but he is being trailed by a policewoman (Rothrock)...Biao will end up being at the wrong place at wrong time, and Rothrock will wrongfully accuse him...from then on its pretty much about finding the truth and RIGHTING WRONGS. Both Biao and Rothrock show their best stuff here and all of the fighting is clear and insanely brutal...Don't be fooled of the age of the film, a lot of classic martial arts flicks come from the 80's. Not only that, but the stunts are real here as well, and there are some crazy and awesome acrobatic moves in this film (although Rothrock doesnt really do hers). As for which version to get, I got the dual sided Universe version and Im assuming this is the original since this is a major HK dvd distributor. Either way, this movie is simply one of the best...it's definitely somewhere in my top 10 best martial arts flick...think of this movie as Michelle Yeoh's Royal Warriors with a lot more fighting and violence. The ending is quite unusual and it'll probably make you think, "Oh, it's one of those movies". Enough praise, I could go on forever...all martial arts fans should at least view this movie if not own it...check it out!!!!!!



4. I have tried searching for this film, that is known as ABOVE THE LAW, not knowing it is under another name. It is a very good film and quite entertaining too. Go buy it



5. Yuen Biao stars as a vigilante defense attorney. When all of his witnesses are killed, he looks to take matters into his own hands. Cynthia Rothrock stars a mahjong playing, kung fu fighting policewoman, and Melvin Wong stars as the dirty police chief. The story has many illogical things happening, but if you have seen a lot of Hong Kong films, you know they do whatever they have to do to move onto the next fight scene. Fan Siu Wong has a great role as a young punk. He doesn't get to do any action, but it is pretty hard to believe that this is the same kid who only 5 years later would attain a physique that even Bruce Lee would have marveled at. So to sum the movie up briefly, Biao and Rothrock finally figure out Melvin Wong is the bad guy, and it all leads to a spectacular finish.
   
   The story is not bad, but the action is definitely the best thing about this movie. Yuen Biao gives one of his very best physical performances, and Rothrock has a few nice fights including one of the better woman on woman fights of all time against Karen Sheperd. I always love to see the chain rope in action, and Karen Sheperd seems to be very skilled using it. Peter "Sugarfoot" Cunningham plays an assassin and has my favorite fight of the movie against Biao. They don't pull any punches and it is very intense. The final fight is good, but then there is a thrilling chase sequence that I was not expecting at all. Don't give up on this movie half way through if you don't like it, the last 30 minutes are worth a watch for any fan of action cinema.
   
   3.5/5
   
   I recommend the Dragon Dynasty version under the title Above the Law. The picture quality is pretty much perfect and it has great interviews with Rothrock, Yuen Biao and Peter Cunningham.

5 comments about Spiritual Kung Fu.

1. If there is anyone out there who hasn't seen this movie and wants to, be warned: Spiritual Kung Fu is NOT a flick that should be taken seriously. If however, you are one who likes DUMB humor as one reviwer put it, then you may actually enjoy this. As for me, I have seen some good Jackie Chan action comedies (Rush Hour, Mr. Nice Guy) but this one tops the charts on the level of pathetic.



2. This is one of my most memorable Jackie Chan movie which I saw it for the very first time when I was 12 years old, it was 1980 in Japan. Jackie Chan popularity was booming back then, and he made many TV show appearance in Japan. Now almost 25 years later in my life, I finally get to see this film again, here in the USA. The movie was better when I saw it as a child in the past. I suppose I have been spoiled by big money making movie productions such as by Hollywood. I wanted more, and better quality in sound and picture. I wanted it to be a wide screen. I wanted this and that comparing to American movies. But after all, this is a "Classic Chinese movie with a low budget film." The MAGIC of this movie is not so much in quality, but in ACTION, and UNDERSTANDING of culture, APPRECIATION of the art, and the one must have a good sense of IMAGINATION skill. LOT OF Kung-Fu movies require such senses to fully appreciate the movie. After all it is a movie. The movie such as TUXEDO, or THE ONE by Jet Li are so ruined by putting too much money into it in the production, becoming very much like Hollywood movies. Fake, and superficial. Sad to see. This movie will always remain as one of my Jackie Chan's prime time BEST classics.



3. I said what the heck and rented this movie because I like kung fu movies. well This movie had a good story line like most old school kung fu movies. And great fight scenes. Also I like that jackie chan emphasized less comedy in this movie and foucuses on kung fu unlike now. The only draw back is that its old, poor quality , and the special effects are ridiculous or it would have gotten 5 stars.



4. I love this film!!! Excellent!!! Maybe some of you want to watch a kung fu film to see nothing but pointless fight scenes, but I for one like to see some other things in my kung fu flicks. Styles for one, check. A little kung fu humor, check. A little more developed plot then just the regular ol' "you killed my family member now i must get revenge", check. This film is extremely well done and I recommend it to anyone who considers themselves to be a Jackie Chan fan. This is a must have!!!



5. I watched this movie with my sons (ages 9 and 7) and could only handle about 30 minutes of it because it was just so hokey, but my boys really enjoyed it, and had fun making up their own Shaolin moves for the rest of the night. They called me back in for the fight scenes later in the movie, and those are certainly worth watching because they are not bloody messes but are instead really intricately choreographed displays of martial arts technique. One other thing worth noting: it seemed as though the camera had zoomed in too far because it cut out important parts of the scenes. I didn't see an option to change it from full screen to wide screen, but if there is a way to do that, it would make a big difference.