Seen any good Kung-Fu flicks of late?

[prinnysquad]

Well, a Friday night without watching a kung fu movie sat next to the world's finest practitioner of Ott Boxing.

So I relax on the sofa, with a big plate of eggs, chips and beans/sossies, and a beer, to watch my new rare:

Chivalrous Inn (1976)

A good choice. Check out the cast: Chang Yi, Carter Wong, Judy Lee, Doris Chen, Lung Fei and Champ Wang. Good old skool action with a typically twisting plot. A bit difficult to follow due to the double crossings, and the fact it's cropped to 4:3 so a lot of the subs are offscreen, but the settings are good and the performances quality. A nice line in shapes and weapons action (none of which was cranked), this film has a good pace, plenty of intrigue, and a distinctive palette, with a lovely mix of fuzzy pastel and bright colours. Enjoyed it a lot. Bitchin.

Fatty missed a good 'un.

[QualityChimp]

I finally took down Dragons Forever and really enjoyed it.

The three brothers seem to play characters really against their usual typecasting. Sammo is a gun dealer, Jackie is a womanising lawyer and Yuen Biao is potentially mentally ill!

But aside from the unusual characters, it's pretty much business as usual for them standing up for what's right and beating down the bad guys doing wrong.

There's a nice re-match between Jackie and Benny "The Jet" Urquidez although the reason for him wearing mascara is a little unclear. Maybe the Bey Logan commentary will clear things up! Apparently Yuen doubles for one of Jackie's kicks in this fight and it's not surprising as Yuen's at hit athletic best in this, flipping all over the shop.

Sammo's ace too and has a great sequence where he takes out several henchmen in a row and it's all filmed in one smooth take before cutting to the finishing blow.

I've been kind of spoiled watching all these Sammo-directed films from the 80s as I see to compare any other screen fights to them. I don't even think some of Sammo's later work (such as Ip Man 2) compares to the benchmark fight choreography in films such as the Lucky Stars trilogy, Eastern Condors, Project A and Wheels on Meals.

I kind of put off watching this as I'm a bit scared most of the fight quality will go downhill, but I've a few left to see like Pedicab Driver, that I'm hoping deliver the goods!

Other reasons, aside from the unusual character for the film not doing so well from Wiki:

Additional reasons cited include the occasional use of coarse language in the film, and the scenes of narcotics production, particularly Hung's character being injected with drugs against his will. The fact that Chan's character has a relationship with a woman may also have had an effect, particularly in the Japanese market, as many female viewers couldn't accept that their idol wasn't single. On learning that Chan was in a relationship in real life, one Japanese fan had committed suicide and another poisoned herself in the offices of Golden Harvest

[prinnysquad]

lol, those crazy mixed up chicks.

I think the stunt work was better in the 70s and 80s because HK and Taiwan weren't particularly strict on insurance issues, so you've got choreographers able to pull off better stuff.

Plus, Hung and Chan were at their creative peaks, fresh out of Chinese opera, with new genres within kung fu opening up new possibilities. Jackie, for example, was well into Buster Keaton, and kung fu comedies gave him a platform to develop the high-brow stuntwork he perfected.

Sammo's stuff was top in the 70s and 80s due to being a brilliant choreographer at a time when fight camerawork was at its peak - the need to have a fast, moving camera, but keep everything stable and well-framed. Last night I caught some recent fayre called Kung Fu Killer, and the camera was bouncing around and blurring like the one in Saving Private Ryan. I really had very little idea about what was going on and didn't 'feel' the fights at all.

[monel]

Dragons Forever is just brilliant, that kick I think you mentioned Jackie being doubled for, QC, was actually Chin Kar Lok. He doubled Jackie in other stuff too.

At his peak Sammo was one of the best choreographers ever, Pedicab Driver is definitely top notch plus it has a great storyline. With some of Sammo's less well known films like License To Steal, Paper Marriage, Where's Officer Tuba etc etc the fights are just as good but he has a lot less of them, using more comedy.

I love Biao's eccentric character in Dragons Forever, he really played that role well. With Jackie Chan, I'm a fan, but there have always been stories about him going round and High Risk, starring Jet Li and directed by Wong Jing features a hilarious parody of Jackie. Growing up I watched the interviews where Jackie said he did all his own stunts and so on, and he was promoted in the west for that, but he like others always used doubles.

[prinnysquad]

Bandits, Prostitutes and Silver

Wong Tao, Angela Mao, Lo Lieh, Phillip Ko.

Well, if this ain't one of the most depressing kung fu films ever, I don't know what is! Wong Tao is a wagon driver who is saving up to buy his loved one out of the local whorehouse. He is collared by a bandit called Sparrow to help him rob a stagecoach full of silver, promising him a share of the loot. Meanwhile, local warlord Lo Lieh has a henchman who is employed to protect the silver en route to its destination. Unknown to the poor sap who has hired Lo Lieh's pal, it's all a bluff. LL's pal intends to arrange with a group of local bandits, led by Angela Mao and Phillip Ko, an interception of the wagon, where they can claim the spoils 50/50, and explain to their client that the wagon was robbed and there was nothing they could do. Obviously, this plan is ruined by Wong Tao and Sparrow's plan, who move to get the silver themselves. LL is furious with the whole affair!

A reasonably complex story, then, and some great performances from the leads. Angelo Mao looks as fit as f**k, and her backstory with Ko is one they could have made a spin-off about. There's some lovely settings in this film, great camerawork, and top class action. The fights get better and more frequent later through the film, and a few interesting weapons come into play. The ending is hardcore - tragic and quite unexpected. I won't forget that one in a hurry!

[prinnysquad]

The Secret Rivals

John Liu, Hwang Jang Lee, Wong Tao.

Class! Mega kicks, quality fistwork, brilliant settings, superb fights. A genre-changing film, it revolutionised the style and action in these films. Also, top music!

It uses music from this:



AWESOME

[monel]

Secret Rivals is a great film, even the crappy VCD version I originally watched. I think the original is a better film than the sequel, just better put together with a much stronger plot.

I also love Run Man Run (I think that's it), the version of that musical track with lyrics.

[prinnysquad]

The Lawman

Tien Peng, Lo Lieh, Ko Fei bit part.

Swordplay, a bit confusing really, but entertaining enough, with superb sets.

[prinnysquad]

Snake Deadly Act (1979)

Wilson Tong plays a guy who has raped Fung Hak On's wife. They have a snakefist duel, which Tong wins, sending Fung Hak On scurrying off. Maybe twenty years later, Tong is a respected local businessman, with a happy-go-lucky son, Ng Kwan Lung, who has a heart of gold. Ng tries to get a prostitute out of servitude at the local brothel, and gets into a fight with the sword-wielding madam, Angela Mao. As he gets his arse handed, Fung Hak On appears and rescues him. Later, Ng befriends a scoundrel and together they look to rumble the town's corrupt casino boss. The casino heavy kills the sidekick with a single Shadowless Kick, and Ng is getting a beating, when Fung Hak On appears once again and saves him.

Ng wants to be Fung Hak On's student (obviously without realising it is his father's old enemy) to learn snake fist style. Meanwhile, Fung Hak On explains that there is a group in town who are robbing people, and implicates Mao's brothel, the casino, and Ng's innocuous housekeeper (Phillip Ko) in the scandal. Who is the mastermind behind the scummers? Obvious answers on a piece of bog roll...

This film is a bit of a shapes classic really. Everything about it is classic kung fu. The settings - forests, long-grass fields, tree-covered mountains, towns - are all lovely, and very classically kung fu. The story is servicable, with classic content. There's weird comedy, a strange mix of tone and pace, and an abrupt ending. The costumes are classic old skool. You get me? IT'S CLASSIC.

But is it A classic? Maybe not. But I really liked it. It's so classic in nature as to be run of the mill in many aspects. But the fights are aces. Long, long shots with 12-15 moves in some of them, without a cut. Sometimes it's 3 fighters duking it out, and it's all beautifully framed and choreographed, with the camera sometimes panning and wobbling slightly as it watches the rumble, giving it all a kinetic, natural feel. But it's never unclear or confusing. The shapes work is top notch, really high level stuff, with strings of complicated moves and a bit of acrobatics. Tong introduces a lobster style at one point - great stuff. There's about 6 or 7 different fight scenes, and they get progressively better from the second fight onwards. Ko's fight scene is quality, and the opening fight between the two masters is top notch. Mao's swordwork against Fung Hak On's fan is a great bout. Ng Kwan Lung is a real enigma - I think he plays a great part, and he has a lot of skill, but apparently this was his only major role. He had a couple of other minor parts in other films, then seemed to leave the business. Shame.

Bolo even shows up in an odd scene as a market strongman entertainer!

[Team Andromeda]

Growing up I watched the interviews where Jackie said he did all his own stunts and so on, and he was promoted in the west for that, but he like others always used doubles.

To be fair Jackie meant did ,ost l the Big pay off stunts himself.
And for me its the stunts that never get that much attention, that tended to be Chan's most dangerous work, like the climbing of the Flag pole in Project A (to me it was more dangerous that the Clock Tower Fall), the Fight on the Crane In the Protector, My Lucky Star's (the ferris wheel), Mr Nice Guy ( Climbing the truck ) Where one slip and you're in serious trouble

I quite like this TV stunt while making Dragon Lord



I also think who ever double for Brigitte Lin in Police Story (when Chan throws her into the swimming pool) did one of the most impressive stunts I've even seen in my life

I kind of put off watching this as I'm a bit scared most of the fight quality will go downhill, but I've a few left to see like Pedicab Driver, that I'm hoping deliver the goods!

It does, the 2 fights early in are just incredible , especially the fight at the start, there bodies flying everywhere, and there's a great one with Lau Kar Leung

[prinnysquad]

Secret Rivals 2

More fights, more dynamism.
Less meaningful story, far less development and character exposition.

Nice to watch a balls-to-the-wall whupsmasher, but disappointing that some of the plot threads/scenarios/weapons weren't focused on more.

It was different to the first, yet also similar. Weird. I liked it, but sometimes was wondering about what could have been.

Still, with a cast of Tino Wong, Hwang Jang Lee, John Liu, Corey Yuen, Yuen Biao, Blacky Ko and Phillip Ko, all I could ask for is FIGHTS!

[QualityChimp]

The Legend is Born: Ip Man

Finally found time to see some kung-fu action! Was worried this would be far inferior to the two Donnie Yen films about Ip Man, but it's actually pretty good.

Production values were a lot higher than I expected and there's a decent cast. There's loads more fighting in this than the Yen films. Everybody's always sparring or fighting!

A few too many edits in a couple of fights, which I found a little distracting even though they're very well edited. Other scenes had some great composition and used Sammo-style camera movement from one fight to another.

Highlights included Sammo Hung and Yuen Biao sparring blinfolded, Ip Man's son in a cameo role kicking the actor playing Ip's arse and the final battle of Ip Vs. a zillion ninjas using just one pole.

Got a few more treats lined up if I manage to put EDF down for a bit!

[QualityChimp]

I saw Legend of the Fist: The Return of Chen Zhen.

Seven years after the apparent death of Chen Zhen, who was shot after discovering who was responsible for his teacher's death (Huo Yuanjia) in Japanese-occupied Shanghai. A mysterious stranger arrives from overseas and befriends a local mafia boss. That man is a disguised Chen Zhen, who intends to infiltrate the mob when they form an alliance with the Japanese. Disguising himself as a caped fighter by night, Chen intends to take out everyone involved as well as get his hands on an assassination list prepared by the Japanese.

The film sees Donnie Yen reprise his role as Chen Zhen that he played in the TV series Fist of Fury, which in turn was based on Bruce Lee's film of the same name.

The film is bookended with a couple of tremendous sequences but the middle bit is a bit slow-moving with only a couple of skirmishes and lots of thoughtful looks into the distance from most the cast members.

The film starts before the Second Sino-Japanese War in France, 1917. Chen Zhen and his brothers-in-arms are fighting with the French against the Germans. When the French retreat, it's up to Chen Zhen to take out the Germans on his own and save his friends. It's a bit far-fetched, but a really exciting sequence as Donnie Yen uses free-running and MMA fighting to attack German soldiers fortified within a house and pinning his comrades down.

Imagine Saving Private Ryan but with a traceur and a pair of knives!

By the end of the film, everybody knows Yen's character is Chen Zhen and a battle with the Japanese ensues with a nice nunchaku sequence with lots of Bruce Lee noises.

I did enjoy it despite the middle section dragging from being overlong, but I find the strong Chinese National pride a bit hard-going at times.
Ip Man: The Japanese are scum
Ip Man 2: The English are scum
Chen Zhen: The Japanese and most English are scum

[Sketcz]

Why have I only now just discovered this thread? It's a goldmine of content.

*tracking post*

[QualityChimp]

Legend of the Drunken Master/Drunken Master 2 on Sky Indie NOW! (8pm Tues Nov 2nd). One of Jackie Chan's finest, especially the end fight!