Seen any good Kung-Fu flicks of late?

[megatron]

I
Shinobi and Megatron, I reckon this would be up your streets!

I gave it a blast the other night, and while it started off promising the story and acting got really bad towards the end. Real bad. Still the action was pretty good.

Bugs me that every time I see Ken Lo in a new film and he does little or no action these days. What is wrong with him!?

[prinnysquad]

Watched Shaolin and Wutang 2 (aka Holy Robe of Shaolin Temple) and Death Duel of Kung Fu recently.

Former was good epic mainland swordplay, and the latter a very traditional, quality shapes/kicking fest, with Wong Tao and John Liu in fine form.

[monel]

I had Holy Robe on VCD years ago but mislaid a disc so never actually watched it. Really wanted to watch it though, because it features an early appearance by Yu Rong Guang.

Death Duel, I used to like that a lot although I haven't seen it in ages.

I received that Warrior King/Tom Yum Goong disc I ordered in the Play sale and have been repeatedly watching some of the fights. Hadn't seen the film since it came out. Some of the action takes me back to when I first saw Yuen Biao or Jackie Chan at their very best. Also some of the extra features are great.

[Neil]

American Ninja.

Michael Dudikoff is lethal with a screwdriver

[monel]

I wouldn't mind watching the American Ninja flicks again, it's been a long, long time.

[killy]

Does anyone remember the title of a martial arts movie where there's a war vet who's teenage son from a lady he married in Cambodia/Vietnam(?not sure?) comes to stay with his American family, but the bad guys come to their house in the night and murder the whole family apart from the Cambodian kid and his American step-brother and they decide to work together to get revenge against said bad guys?

I can recall one of the main bad guys having a finishing move where he pulled a knife concealed at the top of his shoulder and slashed the victim's throat. Also the guy who trains the brothers is good with a sword but is offed by the knife-hidden-in-the-shoulder guy.

I remember enjoying the movie at the time but I can't remember the name of it. Any help is appreciated .

[prinnysquad]

Not familiar with that one. Is it American-produced? 1980s?

Watched 4 noobs this weekend.

The Dragon Lives Again
Absolutely extraordinary Bruceploitation film, which is brilliant for lovers of **** movies. It's a terrible, terrible film, but very surreal, and somewhat amusing. It's about Bruce Lee appearing in Purgatory after he dies (Purgatory = a traditional Chinese village, obviously). He meets the King of the Underworld, whose position is under threat from a gang of bad 'uns. Led by The Godfather. As in, the film character, The Godfather. Other characters include Dracula, a group of ninja mummies, The Man With No Name, The Exorcist, James Bond, Emmanuelle (who humps the King of the Underworld in a moderately-long scene) and Zatoichi. Bruce is assisted by a character from the Kung Fu tv series and Popeye. Yes, he eats spinach to kick arse, complete with theme tune. James Bond and Clint have their themes present too.

It's a car crash of ludicrous rubbishness. Everything about the film is atrocious. It's not even in particularly bad taste - it's just too stupid for that. Although, at one point Bruce asks Linda Lee for forgiveness for being a bit of a 'player', sounding for all the world like he doesn't give a **** about it. The story is feeble and doesn't even work as a satire. The martial arts is weak, apart from the last battle. The bloke playing Bruce Lee doesn't look anything like him, a fact explained away by the idea that when you die your physical appearance can change in the after life.

It's truly abysmal film, but when you see a shot of a Bruce Lee not-look-alike lying on a stone slab, wearing a pair of sunglasses, with a sheet covering his lower half, and a massive erection shape propping it up around the groin area, then you can't help but smirk in disbelief. It's his nunchuks by the way.

Look out for appearances by Simon Yuen (Drunken Master), Shan Kwai (Buddhist Fist hunchback) and Eric Tsang too.

Others to be written up later.

[prinnysquad]

Four Real Friends (aka Dragon Squad)

Jimmy Wang Yu stars in and directs this potboiler, alongside a stellar cast. He plays a gambler who joins up with three other fighters (Kam Kong, Chang Yi and Chen Sing) to challenge the authority of a town mafia boss (Lung Fei). The boss is assisted by a petty gang leader (Phillip Ko Fei) and a Japanese martial arts expert.

I thought this was a super little film, with a solid story and a relaxing, fascinating atmosphere. The fighting to start with is sparse and brief, but well directed. The Japanese guy's appearance in a scene is announced by a shrill, high pitched whistle, as he cools himself with a black fan. He is accompanied by four guys wearing baskets on their heads. His jump into combat is prefixed by him snapping his fan in half, throwing it away, and wielding two small batons, which contain extendable long knives. The kung fu is of the punch and block variety. It is fast and well choreographed, and looks and sounds like it is making contact , even though it isn't. All the characters seem beatable, so the fights are quite intense, as you know that death could be a real possibility.

The final fight is excellent - it takes place in a quarry, with Chen Sing taking on the Japanese guy in a hen barn next to it. It is a brutal, fast, terrific set piece to watch. They kick seven shades out of each other, and there's hens fluttering around everywhere, with the camera really dynamic and intense, but framing the action beautifully. There's one lovely moment of continuity when the camera pans above the Chen Sing/Japanese guy fight and peers through the hen-barn window above, to reveal through the bars the other fighters outside still blocking and punching their way through the bad guys.

I found this film an unexpected delight to watch. A flawed gem, I was thoroughly entertained.

[monel]

Dragon Lives Again is one of the few Vengeance titles I own. I read a review which made it sound great but it is quite crap. Bruce Liang doesn't look like Bruce Lee but is an ace kicker in other films.

killy-I don't think I've ever seen that film but if you ask on the kung fu cinema forums someone will probably know what it is. They get quite a lot of questions like that and they usually get identified.

[prinnysquad]

I'll do those other films soon, I just can't be arsed at the mo.

Got a few today:

Went to Metrocentre and into HMV. Bemoaning the piss poor martial arts section, I scratted around the rest of the store and found a section hidden away full of old dvds, obviously out of print stuff or whatever.

Amongst it, I found

HKL - The Postman Fights Back - £3 (Cheaper on amazon, but this was still wrapped, and I don't have to factor-in postage).
HKL - Magnificent Warriors - £10 (new, cheaper than new copies on amazon marketplace).
HKL - In the Line of Duty - £10 (new, but half the wrapping is hanging off. New copies on amazon marketplace = £40, used = £16)

I ignored copies of The Scorpion King, which I already have, another copy of In the Line of Duty, obviously, and Once Upon a Time in China 3, as I have the trilogy box set.

Bargain-tastic, I think.

Also managed to buy a copy of The Eagle Fist off amazon, thus completing my vengeance video collection!!

[monel]

My local HMVs are crap, anything they do have is usually around the 20 quid mark. They even reduced the martial arts dvd to a fifth of the old size and added the anime section to it...

Some good movies there at wicked prices, I would defo have purchased Postman Strikes Back as I don't have that.

In The Line Of Duty (part 4 retitled by HKL) is great. Heard good things about Magnificent Warriors and have a copy but have never seen it.

[goldmouth]

YES!!!

ive been out of the country for a month and ive missed this thread! lots of good movies for me to catch up on!

YOU ALL GET A THUMBS UP!

[prinnysquad]

Have to say I'm chuffed with that In the Line of Duty price. Funny to think there's still one sat on the shelf.

[killy]

Prinny I think the film was made in the late 80s or early 90s and is American.

Shinobi thanks for the suggestion, it's been annoying me for a few years now.

[prinnysquad]

Is it Breathing Fire? (1991)