What was the last classic martial-arts film you watched?

[Duel to the Death]

2 hours ago, JackieRome said:

The film is good, but the comedy is unbearable. I struggled a lot without fast forward the ridiculous moments with Dean Shek. Even Mars made up that way is unwatchable. I wonder why they always had to wear ridiculous makeup with thick eyebrows, wigs, huge cartoon noses, just to recycle the actors in the movies. Yes, I know that the audience made people laugh like that ... it's a rhetorical phrase.

You know what's funny. In one of the interviews on the dvd, i think it was Lau Kar-Wing that said it was actually Dean Shek who came up with the idea they should train younger versions of themselves. And he also improvised his comedy bits. But he talked highly of him. Said he started out doing leading man hero kind of roles but after Snake in the Eagle Shadow he was stuck doing comedy ever since. He also said the audience back then laughed their asses off at his comedy. Guess it was a different time back then.

Edited August 3, 2020 by Duel to the Death

[JackieRome]

44 minutes ago, Duel to the Death said:

You know what's funny. In one of the interviews on the dvd, i think it was Lau Kar-Wing that said it was actually Dean Shek who came up with the idea they should train younger versions of themselves. And he also improvised his comedy bits. But he talked highly of him. Said he started out doing leading man hero kind of roles but after Snake in the Eagle Shadow he was stuck doing comedy ever since. He also said the audience back then laughed their asses off at his comedy. Guess it was a different time back then.

Yes, absolutely. I think the time they made certain films was important to understand how that type of comedy worked. He remembers me in overacting in Abetter Tomorrow 2. He has a nice expressiveness and he could do nice things, but he exaggerated in that kind of roles

[ShawAngela]

I revisited Superior youngster this evening, this time using the English language version, and I realized that first, last time I watched it, I hadn't recognized Bolo at all, though I was thinking that he looked familiar to me, and second, that the English dialogues are sometimtes not related in the same scene !

For instance, at the beginning, when the woman is massaging Bolo, she says something about how to trap Chang Li, and Bolo answers "you  know what you are my woman and that I won't let anyone touch you" or something like that ! What is the link between trapping Chang Li and giving away his woman ??!! Because it's not at all what she suggested, unless I didn't clearly heard what she said...

And once again, I repeat that it's a great non stop action movie.

[Duel to the Death]

Millionaires Express This movie is a who's who of classic stars. Talk about an all star cast. I recognized so many faces like Lam Ching-Ying, Lau Kar-Wing, Chung Fat, Kurata Yasuaki, Sek Kin and even Bolo. That was just a select few, i could be here all day naming names. And then afterwards i realized i didn't recognize a few until i saw the cast list like Hwang Jang-Lee, James Tien and Jimmy Wang Yu. I'd say the only thing missing was Jackie Chan. 

This wasn't the best movie but it sure was fun. Really enjoyed it. There was plenty of over the top comedy and zany jokes throughout. It was like the Hong Kong equivalent to Blazing Saddles. 

Besides a fight early on with Sammo Hung and Yuen Biao, all the fighting was saved for the finale. And we did get some real good fights. 

[saltysam]

Sun Dragon

Billy Chong,Carl Scott go against Louis Neglia in the wild west. Poor acting but entertaining. The new german DVD listed as 2:35:1 is in fact the old cropped version,though it is anamorphic.

[thekfc]

On 8/2/2020 at 11:27 AM, Duel to the Death said:

I like this move Lau Kar-Wing did catching the spear with his foot and kicking it back up. 

I also love how Sammo flipped the sword from behind his back with his right hands and then catch it with his left hands.

[Duel to the Death]

1 hour ago, thekfc said:

I also love how Sammo flipped the sword from behind his back with his right hands and then catch it with his left hands.

You must be talking about this

 

[DragonClaws]

On 8/3/2020 at 12:15 AM, One Armed Boxer said:

I got through watching this one recently thanks to the Pearl River Blu-ray.  If only the movie itself was as good as the treatment it's been given. 

Quote

While his bootmaster peers like Hwang Jang Lee and Casanova Wong got to work with the likes of Yuen Woo Ping and Sammo Hung, Tao-Liang stuck mostly to working in Taiwan, and for whatever reason there’s no real standout fight in his filmography that delivers that wow moment. Basically what you’re left with is a plank of wood that can kick, and that’s not enough to carry a movie.

 

Great review Paul, Sammo Hung choreographed the fights in the Golden Harvest produced Hand of Death and The Himalyan. Both of which starred Tan Tao Liang.

[Liersi]

The Dumb Ox (1974). This early Tommy Lee choreo joint really isn't much of a fight film. It's a Western/morality tale with a decent script, some good brooding acting from Jin Gang (Kam Kong) and the always lovable pair of Long Fei and Shan Mao doing what they do best: looking like bastards doing bastardly things! Now, how anyone can be fooled by these mugs is beyong me, but as the film begins, Long Fei and Shan Mao are very mich in the good graces of a small village in the middle of a big forest, thanks to their work as kung fu teachers for the local youth. The geographical seclusion means that everyone is close, and there's only one mountain road in. As silver transports get robbed and the bodies start piling up, suspicion quickly falls on taciturn blacksmith "Ox" (Jin Gang), not least thanks to a mysterious stranger (Lei Jun), who unveils his past as a convicted bank robber.

This is what I'd call "The Chinese Misunderstanding: the Movie". All of these supposedly good and righteous people need but a whiff of proof to get lynching. Some guy said? Hang him. He was seen somewhere? Kill him. He helped you, stuck around, made no attempt to hide or escape, but your brother, who is nothing if not a violent vegetable, says he did it, then the fucker must have done it. To say the film made me mad would be an understatement. The sheer human void on display made me sad. Then Jin Gang's dignified portrayal of a reformed career criminal made me happy again. Seriously, the guy saves the film. He didn't get mad where I did, and was the better man for it. Some great character beats throughout, with Ding Xiang's village prostitute being the standout. The script has a lot of courage and heart, and makes the film worth seeing beyond the fighting.

The action! Well, it's 1974, so we're swinging it more than striking it, but thanks to Tommy Lee there are some nice touches. First there's the requisite weird Tommy weapon: something that looks like a sharpened hoof iron attached to a chain. Wicked. Then there's the attention to fight narrative and detail. Once more Tommy foregoes the long fights until the finale, because they wouldn't make sense. It's a story about a guy who doesn't want to fight, because killing is his past life, and when he fights, he kills. When his old partner shows up, however, we get more of the Tommy goodness. Tandem fights, opponent swaps, some nice attention to detail, technique and power. And some nice speed courtesy of Song Jinlai (Sung Gam Loi). Song also brings some crisp timing and aggressive body language which elevate the fight. All in all, pretty good for 1974, and an interesting entry in the transition period between the flailing and technical styles in choreography. Tommy's still finding his groove here, but you can see him. Literally, he's in the movie. So is a very young Tai Bo as his buddy.

As I said, don't see this solely for the action. It's got a nice Western mood to it, and director Wu Ma doesn't hide his ambitions in the soundtrack. The script is a cut above, and is well worth the relative scarcity of full on fighting.

[One Armed Boxer]

4 hours ago, DragonClaws said:

Great review Paul, Sammo Hung choreographed the fights in the Golden Harvest produced Hand of Death and The Himalyan. Both of which starred Tan Tao Liang.

Cheers DragonClaws, and thanks for that catch! For some reason when I think of Sammo my mind always discounts the choreography he did before 1977 (when he made his directorial debut with 'Iron Fisted Monk').  I think when he sat in the directors chair his choreography really came into his own, not only with the moves but also with the camera work, impacts, and alike.  Not to write off his choreography before then, but when I think of Sammo's best choreographed fights, Tan Tao Liang's work in 'Hand of Death' and 'The Himalayan' definitely aren't front of mind!

[ukrevrend]

3 hours ago, One Armed Boxer said:

Cheers DragonClaws, and thanks for that catch! For some reason when I think of Sammo my mind always discounts the choreography he did before 1977 (when he made his directorial debut with 'Iron Fisted Monk').  I think when he sat in the directors chair his choreography really came into his own, not only with the moves but also with the camera work, impacts, and alike.  Not to write off his choreography before then, but when I think of Sammo's best choreographed fights, Tan Tao Liang's work in 'Hand of Death' and 'The Himalayan' definitely aren't front of mind!

I've never been a Flash Legs fan, way too slow for my liking! But I must admit, there is one movie where I have to pay him some respect, Showdown At The Cotton Mill, he's fast and menacing (as the baddie)! 

Bless

[Drunken Monk]

Work got a little busy for me over the last week so I wasn't able to watch my daily batch of kung fu movies. Today was a little slower so I put on Fatal Flying Guillotines. Up front I have to say I'm not Carter Wong's biggest fan. He may have jaw you could grind coffee beans with but don't find him to be very charismatic and, more times than not, he's a clunky fighter.

This film does itself a disservice. It should be big and silly. And at times it is. But it takes itself too seriously and keeps going back to the plot. Forget the plot! We get it; there's a special book and Carter Wong's angry his mum died! Give me more guillotine action!
The fights work. Even Carter Wong looks alright here. The choreography style is a sort of shapes/basher hybrid in that it doesn't quite have the finesse of a 1979 shapes movie. With that said, it's all very enjoyable. The action is frequent and while it won't blow your hair back, it definitely kept me pretty entertained.

Side note: There is a HILARIOUS moment in this film where a character shouts into a cave multiple times. Each time he does, for some bizarre reason, we hear his echo before his actual shout.

Oh and this was a beautiful print (on Amazon Prime Video).

[DragonClaws]

7 hours ago, One Armed Boxer said:

Cheers DragonClaws, and thanks for that catch! For some reason when I think of Sammo my mind always discounts the choreography he did before 1977 (when he made his directorial debut with 'Iron Fisted Monk').  I think when he sat in the directors chair his choreography really came into his own, not only with the moves but also with the camera work, impacts, and alike.  Not to write off his choreography before then, but when I think of Sammo's best choreographed fights, Tan Tao Liang's work in 'Hand of Death' and 'The Himalayan' definitely aren't front of mind!

 

Agree with your thoughts on Sammo's fight choreography pre-77.  The opening of Hand of Death is probably one of the best showcases for Tan Tao Liang's screen fighting skill's.

[thekfc]

On 8/4/2020 at 5:40 PM, Duel to the Death said:

You must be talking about this

 

Negative.

The scene I am referring to is in the same clip you posted earlier, it came right after Lau Kar-Wing caught the spear with his foot and kicking it back up. 

It was like they were "showing off" on each other - you did this then I up you one.  

On 8/2/2020 at 11:27 AM, Duel to the Death said:

 

I like this move Lau Kar-Wing did catching the spear with his foot and kicking it back up. 

 

[DrNgor]

22 hours ago, One Armed Boxer said:

but when I think of Sammo's best choreographed fights, Tan Tao Liang's work in 'Hand of Death' and 'The Himalayan' definitely aren't front of mind!

You'll forgive me if I sound like a jerk, but I'm a huge fan of the final fight in The Himalayan and do think it's Sammo's best work as choreographer prior to his becoming a director, and Tan Tao-Liang's finest moment.

[massa_yoda]

Mad, Mad, Mad Swords (1969)

Thanks to the generous giveaway on this forum, I was able to check out this martial arts comedy from Cathay, a studio that I haven't delved deeply into yet.  Lots of tropes get lampooned here, as our trickster hero Chen Ziyuan, played by Tin Ching, takes on blind and one-armed swordsmen as well as a "virgin" kung fu practitioner.  I thought it was very enjoyable.  Several things toward the end confused me though.  I'm still not sure what inspired the final sword fight at the beach.  Something about returning betrothal gifts which suddenly made Chen angry.  I think I missed the joke there.  Also, it ended a lot more somber than I was expecting, with some questions about Chen Ziyuan's immediate path unanswered.  Side note: this film was my introduction to Mang Lee and she is absolutely stunning!

Excellent Blu with very good subtitles.  It offers "Cathay scope" and open matte presentation.  I watched both.  The open matte looks better for some of the tighter shots, where I felt the scope cut off the top/bottom of people's heads.  Though there were moments in the matte version where the people talking are completely out of frame, so there's pluses and minuses.  I don't know what the preferred format is. 

[Chu Liu Hsiang]

To contrast with rewatching 60s Shaw movies, I wanted something completely different, and thus watched NINJA IN THE DRAGON'S DEN for the first time. Great entertainment, too much repetitive comedy but oh well. Loved especially the funfair scenes (stilt fight!), the "house of traps", and the performance of Hiroyuki Sanada. I think I need to see some more Ninja movies at some point as this was my first venture into this field (apart from FEN). 

 

[ShawAngela]

I rewatched Rage of the master today and I wonder if it has been cut, because I noticed some strange things : first, Kang Kai doesn't have any chance to show his fighting skills except by throwing a harpon to Sit Hon's feet and later, he is slapped by this latter when he reveals that he isn't Chiao Chiao's brother and he dies just because of the slaps ??!! And later, when and how did Sit Hon's men discover that Chiao Chiao and her brother and servant were hiding at Wang Yu's place ? And how come that when this latter comes to the casino to get revenge, Sit Hon calls him by his name when they never met before during the movie ? Unless it's the English dubbing that creates some fake dialogues in comparison to the Chinese language, these are mysteries for me, and unfortunately, I don't remember what was said in the French dialogues when I saw this movie in the big screen in my teens...I would love to find a Mandarin version just to see if there are some additional scenes or different explanations...

I also watched Moonlight sword and jade lion for the first time and once again, there were some strange things, mainly regarding the dialogues : for instance, when Marlon Man (sorry, I never remember his Chinese name and I don't have time to check it) first meet Angela Mao he tells her that he wants her to follow him to some place and the next image shows Angela alone in a place, remembering something he told her about a man. Also, when the villain playing a good guy "saves" her , he tells her that he avenged her parents' death, but they never met before and there was no mention of her wanting to avenge her parents' death until this scene...And the most UNBELIEVABLE : apparently, Doris Lung trained some women fighters, but it's obvious that most of the persons who fight with Angela in the forest in the 36th chamber look alike hall are men, but when they fight and die, they scream with women's voices !!! Once again, I would love to see a Mandarin language version of this movie too...

[Liersi]

9 hours ago, ShawAngela said:

I rewatched Rage of the master today and I wonder if it has been cut, because I noticed some strange things : first, Kang Kai doesn't have any chance to show his fighting skills except by throwing a harpon to Sit Hon's feet and later, he is slapped by this latter when he reveals that he isn't Chiao Chiao's brother and he dies just because of the slaps ??!! And later, when and how did Sit Hon's men discover that Chiao Chiao and her brother and servant were hiding at Wang Yu's place ? And how come that when this latter comes to the casino to get revenge, Sit Hon calls him by his name when they never met before during the movie ? Unless it's the English dubbing that creates some fake dialogues in comparison to the Chinese language, these are mysteries for me, and unfortunately, I don't remember what was said in the French dialogues when I saw this movie in the big screen in my teens...I would love to find a Mandarin version just to see if there are some additional scenes or different explanations...

I also watched Moonlight sword and jade lion for the first time and once again, there were some strange things, mainly regarding the dialogues : for instance, when Marlon Man (sorry, I never remember his Chinese name and I don't have time to check it) first meet Angela Mao he tells her that he wants her to follow him to some place and the next image shows Angela alone in a place, remembering something he told her about a man. Also, when the villain playing a good guy "saves" her , he tells her that he avenged her parents' death, but they never met before and there was no mention of her wanting to avenge her parents' death until this scene...And the most UNBELIEVABLE : apparently, Doris Lung trained some women fighters, but it's obvious that most of the persons who fight with Angela in the forest in the 36th chamber look alike hall are men, but when they fight and die, they scream with women's voices !!! Once again, I would love to see a Mandarin language version of this movie too...

I haven't seen either of these, but your descriptions make them sound hilarious! For some reason, the bit where you describe the men shouting like women gave me an instant flashback to Life of Brian

Here are the three I watched over the last few days: Sun Dragon (1979) has no right to be as entertaining as it is. The plot is a preposterous mess about a random Chinese man (Billy Chong) who walks into a random Western town (actually there's no town, it's just the saloon) because he was looking for someone. But they moved away, so now he's here. And guess what, his best buddy from China (Monkey Kung Fu's Hou Chaosheng) is also here! And some random young black dude (Carl Scott) who's had his family murdered by random outlaws (Louis Neglia, Ma Zongde et al) also shows up! It's ridiculous, but it has a certain charm. Billy Chong is great. This is '79 so we're all comedy and putting on our best Jackie show, but Billy actually has what it takes. He's fast, snappy and always powerful. There's an intensity and purpose to his moves that many of the opera people are lacking. Carl Scott is a good pairing for him, as he is a different body type, but just as ferocious. For me, a very welcome departure from watching performers who don't move like they have fighting in their hearts. Louis Neglia doesn't get to do much until the end, and then it's just okay. This is the Billy and Carl show. Hou Chaosheng doesn't fight (pity), but we get a special treat: choreographer Liang Shaosung (Leung Siu-chung) plays one of his few onscreen parts here as the town doctor and secret old master who teaches...no, not Billy, he teaches Carl Scott the way of fists and feet. Sorry, but this is just awesome. Liang is a pleasure to watch. He has the choreographer's touch, a mind for timing and crisp movement. Too bad we don't see more from him, but of course we see his touch in the choreography. Really, the film is nonsense, and the plot has zero momentum. If Billy, Carl and Liang Shaosung weren't such a good combination the film would be wretched. The choreo isn't terribly intricate, but that's because you don't have specialist against specialist where technique goes up against technique. It's more like kung fu duels instead of gun duels, about speed, power and kiling the other guy. These aren't elaborate dances. Even Carl Scott vs Ma Zongde (kung fu vs kung fu) feels like a brawl. I liked it a lot.

Snake in the Eagle's Shadow 2 (or Snaky Knight Fight Against Mantis) (1978). That new german BD of course. Never seen it before, and like someone mentioned here recently, it's an awkward affair. Full-on comedy fu despite Chen Xing and Carter Wong being in the cast. Instead Carter and Wand Dao (the snaky knight) part ways like the scene where they kill Alan Chui (the moves, the timing) was from another movie! In comes comic relief funny "master" Li Kun, a chubby older thief with a glorious mustache, who can't fight unless you pull his beard. Ok, that is actually funnny. Wang Dao turns from the serious fighter in the opening sequence into his hammy partner in crime. Shenanigans ensue. Lots of fighting for comedic effect, litte complexity, little snap, little timing. Comedy fu isn't Wang Dao's strong suit. He does well with serious fu, especially his hand work. But here he's held back, and choreographer Blackie Ko has too much of a mind to push the gags. The serious fighters like Chen Xing are no match for Wang Dao, so the choreography doesn't serious until the final stretch where Alan Chui's brother, Long Fei, comes to clean house. Long Fei is a competent screen fighter. He acts the part, moves well and his timing is decent. He's just missing some snap, just like Wang Dao. Both of them can be better when they're partnered with people who have better timing and speed. Unfortunately, the choreographer here isn't pushing for timing, speed or power. The serious fu is decent, but never top tier.

The Dragon and the Tiger Kids (a/k/a Hell's Wind Staff) (1979). Rewatch. Good comparison to SITES 2 above. Another post-DM comedy fu entry full of non-serious fights. Only this one doesn't have a comic relief, everyone and their dog is an opera performer and the choreography is by a team who are big on timing, speed and power. I don't like the comedy fu anymore than in SITES 2, but it's just so much crisper. It's all in with the opera gymnastics for the main duo (Meng Yuanman and Meng Hai), who do their best to act like Jackie and Biao, as DttD said. The charisma isn't there, but the moves are. Both are on the level here, and the fights with Huang Zhengli show it. Still a bit too much literal opera for me, but good timing and superb movement all around. There's always that snap to it where you can feel the air moving as people punch and kick. Meng Yuanman shows some crazy training sequences where he combines extreme power and flexibility. An all around great physical showcase, with good choreography that's held back a bit by playing for opera and fun instead of intricacy and hard technique. The end of the last fight had me rolling on the floor laughing, gasping for air and rewinding.

[ShawAngela]

1 hour ago, Liersi said:

I haven't seen either of these, but your descriptions make them sound hilarious! For some reason, the bit where you describe the men shouting like women gave me an instant flashback to Life of Brian

Rage of the master is a very serious movie, though, with a raging Wang Yu who destroys everyone after something bad happened in his life...

Moonlight sword and jade lion is a wuxia, no comedy.

That's why I say that it must be the English dubbing that makes some moments so hilarious and that I'd like to see the original language versions...

You should check Rage of the master, it's worth watching in my opinion, and Chiao Chiao and Li Yi Min star in it too.

Edited August 8, 2020 by ShawAngela

[YnEoS]

A little late checking this thread, but a few opinions here really surprise me.

People not liking the final fight in Young Master?  I think this is one of my all time favorites, because even knowing how its going to end, it actually takes the time to make the fight feel unwinnable.  Jackie gets a beating for so long, and he works so hard to finally get his first hit in, when he finally becomes numb to all pain and just goes in for the win its so satisfying.  To me its a textbook example of how to perfectly do a big finale broken up into several dramatic stages.

Also people saying Sammo Hung's choreography was worse before 1977, can they name any pre-77 choreography that is better than him at the time? I remember when I first saw Hapkido it was such a revelation I felt like there was nothing else like it in 1972, and not just the choreography itself but how everything is framed and edited in those early Sammo Hung choreographed films felt like a whole new level.  I do agree there's a big shift in the late 70s, but to me that applies to everyone, Lau Kar Leung's early choreography isn't as elaborate either.  Sammo Hung's early work really stands out to me setting up how to make the action really work with the camera.

[saltysam]

Gold Snatchers

Non-stop Chen Sing basher (75 minutes long) he gets out of jail and goes up against evil brother Lung Fei who wants the Gold. Throw in Kurata for a late in the movie cameo and you've got a cracker basher. German DVD is an excellent print, english dubbed.

[paimeifist]

On 8/7/2020 at 1:46 PM, Chu Liu Hsiang said:

To contrast with rewatching 60s Shaw movies, I wanted something completely different, and thus watched NINJA IN THE DRAGON'S DEN for the first time. Great entertainment, too much repetitive comedy but oh well. Loved especially the funfair scenes (stilt fight!), the "house of traps", and the performance of Hiroyuki Sanada. I think I need to see some more Ninja movies at some point as this was my first venture into this field (apart from FEN). 

 

I’m afraid it’s really only downhill from Ninja in the Dragons Den. To be fair, that is a fantastic martial arts film.

[Liersi]

8 hours ago, paimeifist said:

I’m afraid it’s really only downhill from Ninja in the Dragons Den. To be fair, that is a fantastic martial arts film.

I remember catching it on Austrian TV in the second half of the 80s, and it spoiled me. That song. Hiroyuki Sanada as this super cool Ninja. Back then I hadn't seen much and had no idea it wouldn't get much better than this.

[Duel to the Death]

On 8/7/2020 at 1:46 PM, Chu Liu Hsiang said:

To contrast with rewatching 60s Shaw movies, I wanted something completely different, and thus watched NINJA IN THE DRAGON'S DEN for the first time. Great entertainment, too much repetitive comedy but oh well. Loved especially the funfair scenes (stilt fight!), the "house of traps", and the performance of Hiroyuki Sanada. I think I need to see some more Ninja movies at some point as this was my first venture into this field (apart from FEN). 

 

My favorite is Duel to the Death. The Ninja stuff is real crazy and over the top. But it only makes up for a portion of the movie. I don't know where it ranks on the list of ninja movies but it's in my top 3 favorite movies.