No comments about The Prodigal Son (Digitally Remastered Edition) DVD.

2 comments about No Problem 2.

1. and cliched plot. the whole movie was like a comic book. a tiny weeny japanese waiter became an accidental tourist in hongkong after he was fired in japan's restaurant, then....well, i've already suffered a loss of about 2 hours of my lifetime, you think i'd be stupider to write a full review of this bad movie? you want me to stand on the treetop like what they did in this film and 'crouching tiger and hidden dragon' or play some cgi or gif graphic stunt like reeves did in the 'matrix'? well, i won't do it. period.



2. Very, very funny comedic performance by Okamura, adorned by the lovely presence of Wakana Sakai in her first(?) film performance. Also notable for Candy Lo's performance and the relatively brief appearance of Yuen Biao. Simply put: a light,fun movie. (As always, potential viewers can safely ignore the more xenophobic of Amazon reviews....)

1 comments about Amsterdam Connection.

1. This is one terrible movie. Decent cast, but not much else going for it. Wong Yuen San and Jason Pai Paio play brothers, but they belong to different gangs. The storytelling is extremely boring and nothing exciting happens. The only reason to get this is to see Bolo throwdown in the final fight. He puts on a great performance, though not the best I have seen from him. My favorite fighting performance from Bolo is in 10 Magnificent Killers, and he also gives great performances in Writing Kung Fu, Image of Bruce Lee, Fists Kicks and the Evils, Master Killers, Ruthless Revenge and Lucky Diamond. His no look kung fu is mesmerizing. Most people probably know him from the American movies he was in, but back in the 70's and early 80's, he was one of the best screen fighters around. He has been in at least 100 movies, but it's a shame that he only got to show off the best of his skills in a select few.
   
   So the movie is horrible, but worth watching for Bolo's performance. None of the other fights stood out to me. Chen Sing has a small role, and he probably has the second best fight of the movie. But it's not all that great.
   
   2/5
   
   The DVD from Crash Cinema has very good picture quality, and it's widescreen. But the English dub is horrible. One of the worst crew of voice actors I have ever heard.

5 comments about Winners and Sinners.

1. this is a good look at the precursor to that kind of humor. You can see how it influences such movies and has some smart writing (even if its sometimes predictable... you must remember it was a new style at the time). Overall its a fun movie with one great scene (clue: have you ever wanted to be invisible)



2. Jackie Chan, Jackie Chan, Jackie Chan... You Bak Guis didn't get it, did you? This was a Sammo Hung movie and if you were brought up in the 60's, 70's and 80's with the genre you would know that not all Chinese movies are about Jackie Chan, Jackie Chan, Jackie Chan... I am a Jackie Chan fan but I can open my mind to other types of these movies and enjoy the heck out of them.
   This movie paid tribute to many of the kung fu fighting movies by making a farce of the fighting. Did you guys hear the tribute to Wong Fei Hung. Oh, sorry... Who's Wong Fei Hung?
   Pick it up, sit down, shut up and enjoy the ride. You'll love this movie.



3. I don't have alot to say but this movie is funny, and you will have smile face when you watch it.



4. The movie starts off with these 5 convicts going to jail. They become friends and go live at one of the convicts uncle's house and try to make it on the outside world.
   
   There is not really much action and that is why I watched it. but the comedy was pretty good. It does have one hilarious sequence where one of the guys is reading a book on invisibility. When the other 4 find out they trick him into thinking he really is invisible. Sammo was at his best in scenes like these, but this movie didn't have enough of them.
   
   Now Jackie Chan is in this but he only appears in a few scenes and you will not see him for 30-40 minutes at a time Then when he does show up he will just be walikgn down the street and run into Yuen Biao and get into a fight. This fight was only 30 seconds long but was awesome! Jackie is a cop in this and he really should have been in the film a little bit more.
   
   So the group of convicts pisses off James Tien and his gang and they have one spectacular fight. Sammo has a flyign backwards jump kick that has to be seen to be believed.
   
   So this movie has like 7 action sequences but 1 or maybe 2 that really deliver.
   
   Also check this out to see Jackie Chan as the Tony Hawk of roller skating. And with a comment like that I feel the need to tell you that this movie is much better than Jackie's 'The BIg Brawl'.



5. Winners and Sinners (aka Five Lucky Stars) is a film that I liked better the second time I watched it. After shaken off all expectations of a "Jackie and Sammo" film and accepted the uneven and scattered nature of this ensemble movie I enjoyed it more. This movie was more important though when it came out then it is considered today. Jackie had a recent flop in Dragon Lord, though I did enjoy the movie, and Golden Harvest had been in a bit of a slump. Producer Leonard Ho got the idea from Cannonball Run (which Jackie Chan and Michael Hui had parts in) to create an assemblage of popular Hong Kong stars to star in this film. Winners and Sinners was a success spawning several sequels and reunited Jackie with Seven Little Fortune alums Sammo and Yuen Biao (who helped with martial art choreography; though his cameo as a fellow CID officer is less than a minute as a quick fight versus Jackie.)
   
   The Five Lucky Stars are cons who after spending their time in jail take a straight job with a cleaning company led by Curly aka Jack So (played by real life democracy advocate John Shum) who was framed for instigating a crowd to do harm in a parody of his real-life exhorts. The other four are Ranks aka Larry (Stanley Fung), Teapot (Sammo Hung who also directed this) as a cat burglar, Vaseline (Charlie Chin) a slick thief, and Exhaust Pipe (Richard Ng who performance was nominated as Best Actor for the Hong Kong Film Awards) who is bad at thieving automobile parts. They all live with Jack's sister known as Sis (Cherie Chung.) Unfortunately they spend way too much time trying to get her attention, leaving a lull in the early parts of the film. However there are some great gags such as Richard Ng thinking he is invisible with Wu Ma's great response to shatter his misconception - "...pretty good vision even when it comes to small objects" and a blind couple playing a Rod Stewart song at a carnival.
   
   There are some great stunt and fight scenes led by 7086 (Jackie Chan) a bumbling CID officer who beats up wrong suspects, kills his superior's turtle and accidentally throws a kid's ice cream away. When he is not destroying everything in his path he is part of an awesome stunt scene involving skates (at least he learned something good from The Big Brawl though he is doubled on some of the trickier roller tricks) and part of a good fight scene in a cafeteria with a little person with horrific teeth. The "ouch factor" is quite high in one scene where a villain gets kicked out of a window and lands on a concrete ledge than falls to the ground. I have the highest respect for these stuntmen who kill themselves for our enjoyment. This film definitely deserved the Hong Kong award for best Action Choreography.
   
   The story is mostly non-existent until the boilerplate briefcase full of counterfeit bills makes it's appearance. It belongs to Chan Chiu (James Tien always good as a cigar chomping villain) who is head of a triad gang. He was going to trade it to another triad gang led by Ho Man but it got intercepted and eventually and unknowingly in the possession of the Five Lucky Stars Cleaning Company. Of course, Agent 7086 wants this briefcase too.
   
   But this film was not made for the plot. It was made to be a crowd pleasing mixture of comedy and action, both of which it does very well. It parodies the more serious films with scenes such as Charlie Chin and Fung Hark On doing a martial art pose-down fight and the final action scene that blends comedy and stunts takes place in a warehouse which gets me thinking on how many films I have seen that have the last fight scene in a warehouse (rhetorical thought of course). There are some problems with the film besides the inert beginning including he abysmal electronic soundtrack that is eerily reminiscent of Heart of Dragon's soundtrack and the misuse of Lam Ching Ying as Chan's butler Chan. Overall this is an enjoyable film that is fun to watch that showcases several outstanding Hong Kong comedians and several outstanding action performers.

5 comments about Zu: Warriors of the Magic Mountain.

1. This movie's plot is a bit hard to follow (or pay attention to ) but the action and effects are absolutely incredible! I bought this movie because I absolutely loved Storm Riders and was hoping this would be as good if not better. You are better off renting it if possible.



2. This MOVIE is way ahead of its time. The special effects, or fireworks as some reviewers put it were well in advance of anything I've seen in Matrix, X-men, Hulk, Spiderman and the like. If your looking for a storyline, plot and all that pick up a book instead of watching a MOVIE. For action packed, VISUAL ectsasy this is one of the greats. CGI is the wave of the future for movies my friends. Hell, the CGI Smigel from LOTR almost got an Oscar didn't he?



3. Despite this movie being about 1. magic, 2. kung fu, 3. general weirdness and cheap funny props, 4. lots of flying in colorful outfits, 5. a spattering of cutie Chinese girls who also know magic- all of which attributes people who love kung fu think should/MUST be a really great combo- it was actually so boring to me (a diehard kung fu fan) and hard to follow that i didnt' want to watch anymore of it half way thru.
   
   It looked like a high-budget Chinese kung fu fantasy film from the 70's. Oh wait, it was.
   
   There was NOT a lot of fighting/kung fu, but there was a lot of flying around in funny colorful costumes and strange,convoluted dialogue.
   
   I got the impression they filmmakers were trying for something really epic, an -alien- Chinese mythology that didn't quite have the neatly-packaged-story nature of familiar, Western mythologies. In short, it make no sense and didtn' try to explain itself (nor should it)! It was a good try tho and if I were Chinese and kind of weird and living in the 70s i'd think the movie is like Chinese star wars.
   --
   One more thing:
   They used saran wrap enshrouded with packing tape to depict large broken blocks of ice. I mention this to attest to the early Tsui Hark's innovative set design and creative props. It was a neat although distracting way to cut costs. Also worthy of mention in this regard is the fake, incongruent, drawn cartoon lightning interleaved with fancy acrobatics and disjointed dialogue.



4. The original Hong Kong version really is an incredible piece of work. I enjoyed the heck out of it. However it does require that you view it with a certain frame of mind. Most importantly you have to understand that it is not a character drama. There is little range of depth to any of the characters. They exist only to serve their various roles in the story. Think of it as if it were a legend passed down through the ages (like classic Greek mythology). In such legends you always hear the story told through a series of actions and outcomes. You're never given any insight into what drives the characters and we never see more than one side of them. They just represent these sort of unchanging idealized personas. The stories that come from this are fascinating nevertheless. So in this way The Legend of Zu is literally told in the style of a legend.
   
   That said the story is actually quite awesome. The basic premise is again very, very similar to classic Greek mythology: There is a mythical mountain range in China called Zu. Its highest peak, shrouded in mists, reaches up into the heavens. This place is populated by immortal beings who, in their scattered temples, have devoted themselves to various schools of thought. Across centuries they've honed their skills in the martial arts and have attuned their spirits to the forces of the universe. It is their task to maintain order and balance in the universe so that man can live in harmony with nature. Their actions influence the fates of the mortals below. Trouble arises when an unstoppable entity of pure evil calling itself Insomnia threatens to overthrow the most powerful school in the heavens, the Omei clan, and throw the world into an eternity of discord.
   
   The story is steeped heavily in Chinese lore so some parts are a bit esoteric, granted, but for the most part it's easy to follow if you can just keep up with it. There is a user on imdb who wrote "The most soulful, spiritual film I've ever seen," and I think I might have to agree with him. One of the more interesting aspects of the mythology is that just as the warrior has a spirit, so too does his or her weapon. As the warrior achieves mastery with the weapon their two souls act as one; until finally their sword is no longer a physical object but rather an extension of the warrior's own spirit, capable of unleashing devastating effects and allowing the possessor to fly. The weapons are all so unique in form and function that it makes the battle scenes quite unlike anything you've ever seen before in a martial arts film.
   
   The visuals and CGI effects, while perhaps not up to the level of say Lord of the Rings, are utterly stunning to behold. Every frame is like a painting straight from the mind of a creative genius. Matched to the superlative audio the film is quite a treat for the senses. All of this carried along by an engaging, complex, epic narrative and we have ourselves a little gem of a film! But like I said - you have to be willing and able to both divorce yourself from western conventions and to appreciate the sensibilities and beliefs of a different culture. Step out of yourselves for an hour and fourty minutes and just allow yourselves to enjoy this fun, lighthearted spiritual journey into the world of Chinese legend!



5. ZU: WARRIORS OF THE MAGIC MOUNTAIN (XIN SHUSHAN JIANXIA, featuring Bridgette Lin)is a film dating back to the 1980's and is NOT to be mixed up with the much more recent LEGEND OF ZU (SHUSHAN ZHUAN, in which Zhang Ziyi appears), which appeared a couple years back, even though both are directed by Tsui Hark and both are supposed to be (I want to emphasize: SUPPOSED to be) based on a long fantasy novel entitled SHUSHAN JIANXIA (SWORDFIGHTERS OF MT SHU) by Chinese author Huanzhu Louzhu (also named Li Shoumin; 1902 ~ 1961). Many of the reviewers here seem to get mixed up between the two movies. By the way, the novel's not yet translated into English, sorry -- even though I'm perfectly confident it's more than a match for Tolkien's trilogy in terms of content. :p (Certainly the novel has exerted a tremendous influence on later Chinese swordplay fiction, such as the work of Jin Yong or Louis Cha.)
   
   NEITHER movie is true to the original novel (which in my estimate would require at least five long films, serious). The films aren't even condensed versions of the novel. With both movies Tsui Hark has committed the unpardonable sin of whipping together a story with elements and characters selected almost at random from the novel, possibly even adding his own stuff, and naming the resultant hodge-podge after the novel itself. To give a couple examples of how Tsui Hark's movie departs from the novel, in the novel becoming a blood monster is a strictly voluntary matter; you must go through special training :p and can't become one merely by being 'infected' by a blood monster, as happens in the movie. (I don't remember the blood monster forming a coccoon of skulls around itself in the original novel, either.) Also, in the original story the green and violet twin swords were lost treasures discovered by accident by two GIRLS, NOT guarded by a female immortal who then handed them to two BOYS, as in the (earlier) film. And that's just two examples, mate.
   
   So does that automatically make ZU: WARRIORS OF THE MAGIC MOUNTAIN a bad film? Yes and no. Yes, because it's nothing short of sacrilege to mar a work of literature in this way. No, because the film actually does have a lot of cool and spectacular effects, such as fighting with swords of lightning ;) and the visually impressive and lovely interior of the palace/fort of the 'Ice Queen' (though I doubt these appear in the novel at all), and the film's own plot is not too bad, either (I personally would have much preferred that the 'Ice Queen' could eventually cure the hero who turned into a blood monster, though). Tsui Hark has a very annoying knack, however, for rushing the story so much that all you have to do is blink and you'll miss out on a huge chunk of what's going on. Can't you have at least a few slower and calmer moments, for Heaven's sake? (This gets even worse in LEGEND OF ZU, so much so the plot is in danger of being utterly lost to the viewer.) Also, sometimes the acting just doesn't feel emotionally appropriate. When you learn that your beloved martial arts teacher is in danger of turning into a blood monster and no one can do anything to help, what would you feel? How would you act? The one playing the role of the teacher's disciple in the film acted like a stupid idiot at the point of learning that hard truth. Really. Tsui Hark really should have known better, for goodness' sake. Also, would you not feel at least some sorrow when learning of your teacher's death, even though he has turned into an evil creature? In the film, the idiot apparently didn't. Yeah, he died, now let's move on. Sure, right.
   
   My overall assessment: superb graphics, passable plot, atrocious handling of human emotions. And that's not taking into consideration the violence done to the original novel.

No comments about Millennium Dragon.

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.

5 comments about Top Fighter.

1. Stupid climax, and no plot. Some good fight scenes, gave it the two stars



2. I have owned this video for a few years now and I think it's not too bad. This isn't really a movie, so much as it is a documentary. It shows fight scenes and interviews of various martial artists. One of the things I like about this is that you are introduced to some of the lesser well-known martial artists out there. I was impressed with the skills of most of the people in the video. It shows a little bit about the younger Jet Li and a couple of demonstrations and fight scenes. One fight scene is from 'Lord of the Wu Tang.' Not a bad movie, but it's a little more on the "fant-asia" side. Anyway, if you are interested in seeing new faces and talent, I recommend buying this.



3. The fight scenes in this movie are awesome, and I can't believe no one else has seen this video.



4. this is not a motion picture it is a documentary of the best martial artists in the world from bruce lee ,to jackie chan, to jean-claude van damme........this is a great gift for a fan of the martial arts or a fan of any great martial artist ....this video has biographys of all the martial artists....and if you're a fan of van damme like i am you'll love this video because it has a great biography of van damme and an interview with van damme's old trainer...it also has pictures of van damme never seen before by the public.....all in all......a great video....great for all ages



5. A very informative and entertaining documentary on the history of the Kung fu film genre, along with information and history on many of the grat martial arts stars. If your a Kung fu film fan and are looking for something to give more background and explination to the phenominon that is kung fu motion picture then this is perfect for you.

5 comments about Tower of Death.

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



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



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



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



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

5 comments about The Victim.

1. The "Victim,,this flick has to be one of the best, and well choreographed movie with Leung Kar Yan,,,he performed stellarly. The movie in it's entirety is well worth what ever the cost. I must admit,,,I went out to purchased this flick based on the hype right here on amazon,,,and I am happy with that decission. The fight scenes are AMAZING,,the old school kung fu,,emmensely wicked. Trust me,,this is must have, rest assured you will not walk away disspointed with your decission to get this flick!!



2. A very good Sammo's film, clearly one of the best he directed and choregraphed in the late 70's (with "Warriors two"). Great martial performance by the effortless charismatic Leung Kar-yan (who's supposed not to be a true martial artist !). Many of the themes were developped in Sammo's later films such as "Pedicab driver" (the story of Leung Kar-yan's wife has similarities with the charater of Fennie Yuen).
   "The victim" of the title is not the one we expected.



3. I currently own over 220 Shaw Brother films made from 1975 to 1981, while Sammo Hung is not your classic action hero considering his non-athletic appearance. I never stop being amazed at what he is able to do athletically. I'm not a big fan of so called class clown kung fu flicks, that's why I've never really migrated over to films with Jacky Chan. But for some reason, Sammo Hung's comedy never out-weighs his true martial art skills. This film is a classic and a must have for any entry level or dedicated collector of martial art films.



4. Sammo Hung directs, choreographs, and stars as Chan Wing, a student looking for the ultimate teacher: One who can beat him in a fair fight. He wallops a few potentials, then meets his desired prospect in Chun Yau (Leung Kar Yan) who, as per usual, wants nothing to do with him. After some goofy attempts at trying to dodge the persistent lad, the master learns that the people he and his wife have been hiding from, have discovered his whereabouts. Chan Wing offers to help, but his request is again denied. He follows the master anyway, and the wife soon tells him about all the family drama that has kept them so mobile. Eventually the master accepts him (after tragedy strikes) and the final cards are dealt... and someone's bluffing.
   
   Though worthy of some criticism, this is a great flick. Plenty of fights, and ALL of them good. No waiting for the last 20 minutes to see some decent action, it's right from the get-go. I usually complain about the sense of humor in Sammo's older films, and there's some rather silly things that I could have done without (the "vampire" scene), but most of the comedy is brief and some of it is actually funny. I can easily overlook a little lame humor when it's punctuated with fight scenes like these.
   
   This version from Martial Arts Theater is full-screened and English-dubbed only. It has a selection for Cantonese, but it doesn't work. The picture quality is quite good, but one has to wonder why 20th Century Fox didn't remaster (and redistribute) this, like so many other Sammo titles from this period. Of the films I've seen that Sammo has directed, this is a close 2nd to "The Prodigal Son". This would be a great starting point for those who love kung fu, but are skeptical of comedies, and Sammo Hung comedies in particular. The film's only special feature is commentary by Ric Meyers and Bobby Samuels. I didn't listen to it, but I hope they mention what an amazing performance Leung Kar Yan gives and that it's worth the price of admission... cuz it is. RECOMMENDED.
   
   1980



5. This film by Sammo Hung is truely a 5 star classic Leung Ka Yan has two great fight scenes in this film one with Wilson Tung and the final battle with Chang Yi is unbelieveable. Not to mention a good story about love and hate,all the performances here are great.