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

[Morgoth Bauglir]

Lung Fei had a lot of cameos. Chang Yi was a bigger star and got the better roles. Both guys are awesome. I Like Lung Fei a teeny bit more.

Also you talk about the flying around in Rebel of Shaolin. I love the escape technique!

[DrNgor]

Tiger Tiger Tiger (1973) - This was action diretor Yen Yu-Lung's fifth and penultimate film, and the last movie he choreographed during the 1970s. He demonstrates here how much grew as a fight choreographer since 1971, as he gives us some of the best basher and booting action of an early 70s movie outside of a Bruce Leung film. The plot deals with a couple of martial artists (Si Wai and actress Gwok Siu-Chong) fighting a trio of jean-wearing kung fu bikers (including a young Blackie Ko) who are terrorizing the populace. Doris Lung shows up as the main villain's daughter, but she doesn't get to fight until the last five minutes or so. There is a lot of kicking on display here, which is quite good for the time period. The fights are long and brutal, with each character taking a licking that could kill a person three times over before dying. I thought it was cool that one of the bikers pulls out a chain whip at one point. Anyway, the action is extremely satisfying and I lamente that Yen Yu-Lung didn't go on to bigger, better things.

[Morgoth Bauglir]

I was wondering if you were going somewhere with this Yen Yu Lung guy. I'm glad to see that you did. I've never watched an action director's movies in the order they were made. Good idea. Tiger Tiger Tiger sounds great. I'll have to check it out. Also it sounds like this may be Blackie Ko's first movie where he's on a motorcycle?

[DrNgor]

I was wondering if you were going somewhere with this Yen Yu Lung guy. I'm glad to see that you did. I've never watched an action director's movies in the order they were made. Good idea. Tiger Tiger Tiger sounds great. I'll have to check it out. Also it sounds like this may be Blackie Ko's first movie where he's on a motorcycle?

Was that Blackie Ko as the biker in Wheels on Meals?

It wasn't my original intention when I picked out DUEL OF KARATE, of course. It turned out to be a pleasant little tangent in my movie watching schedule and a neat opportunity to see a guy grow in his trade.

[Secret Executioner]

Lung Fei had a lot of cameos. Chang Yi was a bigger star and got the better roles. Both guys are awesome. I Like Lung Fei a teeny bit more.

Also you talk about the flying around in Rebel of Shaolin. I love the escape technique!

I kind of like Lung Fei too. He's such a recurring bad guy that I'm used to seeing him in movies now - though it bugs me he seems to be in every Fu flick I watch.

Re the escape technique: Yeah, I love this too. I mean, why would you simply take a few steps back from your opponent when you can jump around and do a bunch of backflips ?

[Morgoth Bauglir]

Escape technique would be really dangerous to learn. I wonder how long it would take to master it. 20 years?

Lung Fei is definitely one of the greats. He does some of the most awesome and crazy kung fu styles. The sitting down technique in 60 Second Assassin, the one hand technique in Dynamite Trio, the most intense display of karate ever seen in One Armed Boxer, horse style in Horse Boxing Killer, bow and arrow style kung fu, gun style, chicken, crab, and many more like Dream Sword where he's the lead hero and wields an axe. He's the man!

Dr Ngor i'm pretty sure Blackie is the leader of a group of bikers in Wheels on Meals. I havent seen it in a decade or so.

[One Armed Boxer]

Was that Blackie Ko as the biker in Wheels on Meals?

It certainly was. By this point in his career Ko was the go to guy for vehicle stunts, much the same way Bruce Law is considered to be today.

[Secret Executioner]

Lung Fei is definitely one of the greats. He does some of the most awesome and crazy kung fu styles. The sitting down technique in 60 Second Assassin, the one hand technique in Dynamite Trio, the most intense display of karate ever seen in One Armed Boxer, horse style in Horse Boxing Killer, bow and arrow style kung fu, gun style, chicken, crab, and many more like Dream Sword where he's the lead hero and wields an axe. He's the man!

Nice breakdown. Off those mentionned, I've only seen OAB, but the others sound interesting - especially Dream Sword, didn't expect him to turn up as the portagonist in a movie. I seem to remember him as a big baddie who rather sticks in his palace and only shows up for the end fight.

[Morgoth Bauglir]

Dream Sword is a really cool wuxia. I think you've seen Lung Fei doing chicken style, or maybe it was rooster. In Marvelous Stunts of Kung Fu..

[Secret Executioner]

Dream Sword is a really cool wuxia. I think you've seen Lung Fei doing chicken style, or maybe it was rooster. In Marvelous Stunts of Kung Fu..

Wait... He was one of the two killers ?! No way, here's a good reason to revisit this whacky little film.

[DragonClaws]

Honestly, it's a very average film indeed. Kung Fu Arts however is something I'd love to see. The idea of the princess (not any woman, a f**kin' PRINCESS) marrying an ape puts it in the "so bad it's great" category.

The monkey was the real star of the film GHW. Carter Wong just spends most of the time looking angry with little to do. Maybe he was unhappy that the ape had more screen time than he did?.

Dream Sword is a really cool wuxia. I think you've seen Lung Fei doing chicken style, or maybe it was rooster. In Marvelous Stunts of Kung Fu..

Always nice to see some Lung Fei appreciation.

[paimeifist]

To Kill with Intrigue

Here I go diving into what seems to be regarded as the bottom of the barrel when it comes to Jackies classic era films..

The dark wuxia/clan fued story was very solid, and I found myself pretty engaged in it, and genuinely interested/caring about what happens to the characters. It was scripted by Ku Long, so that gives you a good idea of what to expect. The acting was good for the most part, particularly Jackie.. Seeing Jackie all "wuxia'd" up was cool, and he handled the serious/dark role very well.. Good axting from him, and he didn't overact. Yu Ling-Lung was a bit annoying as the confused girlfriend, she sulked a little too much - but it was understandable given the situation of the film, so I give it a pass. The atmosphere of the movie was very dark to match the story, with some beautiful yet dark locations.

I found the action of the film to be solid overall, if nothing great, and a bit repetitive/silly on a few occasions. When the action was kept on the ground, it was good though, with a mix of hand to hand and weapons work. It was a little slow, but you could still see glimpses of Jackies talent, and you can add Sin Il-Ryong to the list of fantastic Korean kickers who weren't in enough movies.. HKMDB has this guy listed for 3 films, and I feel like its worth seeing everyone just for him! He was also a decent actor, but his kicks were on point. Some scenes (particularly the end) had too much unnecessary leaping/wirework, but I'd say there was more grounded fighting than that.. there were also some cheesy moments that I enjoyed, IE. Jackie throwing a sword at a guy, knocking him out of a window, pushing him back 20 feet or so in mid-air, and pinning him to a tree! Yeah!

The costumes overall were decent and your typical wuxia regalia.. Yeah they may not have been as nice as what Chor Yuen was working with but they were decent for the most part.. With that said, there were some that were utterly ridiculous, such as the flower-head-masks the evil "Killer Bee clan" dawned! Even those, I enjoyed them, even if only for camp value, lol. The dub ranged from pretty good/serious, to very poor. I didn't hear any unintentionally funny stuff I can think of, when it was bad it was just bad... But I found it to be more good than bad.

I can see how some may be put off by the overly dark, melodramatic story, inconsistent choreography, and some silly costume/prop choices and effects.. Even with those flaws though, I can't see how this movie is deserving of scores like "2/10".. Really, I just can't see how this flick is considered so bad.. It has a better, easier to follow story than many similar flicks, and a good/different performance from Jackie. I would venture to say I like it more than SOME Chor Yuen movie's I have seen, although it is no where near my favorite Chor Yuen flicks. I without a doubt enjoyed it much more than Shaolin Wooden Men, which seems to be pretty well received. It's no Young Master or SITES, but it is a damn enjoyable movie to me, and I wouldn't recommend any fan miss the chance to see Jackie Chan in a pure wuxia flick..

(I use Chor Yuen as a comparison due to a very similar overall tone and feel.)

[DragonClaws]

To Kill with Intrigue

Here I go diving into what seems to be regarded as the bottom of the barrel when it comes to Jackies classic era films..

The dark wuxia/clan fued story was very solid, and I found myself pretty engaged in it, and genuinely interested/caring about what happens to the characters. It was scripted by Ku Long, so that gives you a good idea of what to expect. The acting was good for the most part, particularly Jackie.. Seeing Jackie all "wuxia'd" up was cool, and he handled the serious/dark role very well.. Good axting from him, and he didn't overact. Yu Ling-Lung was a bit annoying as the confused girlfriend, she sulked a little too much - but it was understandable given the situation of the film, so I give it a pass. The atmosphere of the movie was very dark to match the story, with some beautiful yet dark locations.

I found the action of the film to be solid overall, if nothing great, and a bit repetitive/silly on a few occasions. When the action was kept on the ground, it was good though, with a mix of hand to hand and weapons work. It was a little slow, but you could still see glimpses of Jackies talent, and you can add Sin Il-Ryong to the list of fantastic Korean kickers who weren't in enough movies.. HKMDB has this guy listed for 3 films, and I feel like its worth seeing everyone just for him! He was also a decent actor, but his kicks were on point. Some scenes (particularly the end) had too much unnecessary leaping/wirework, but I'd say there was more grounded fighting than that.. there were also some cheesy moments that I enjoyed, IE. Jackie throwing a sword at a guy, knocking him out of a window, pushing him back 20 feet or so in mid-air, and pinning him to a tree! Yeah!

The costumes overall were decent and your typical wuxia regalia.. Yeah they may not have been as nice as what Chor Yuen was working with but they were decent for the most part.. With that said, there were some that were utterly ridiculous, such as the flower-head-masks the evil "Killer Bee clan" dawned! Even those, I enjoyed them, even if only for camp value, lol. The dub ranged from pretty good/serious, to very poor. I didn't hear any unintentionally funny stuff I can think of, when it was bad it was just bad... But I found it to be more good than bad.

I can see how some may be put off by the overly dark, melodramatic story, inconsistent choreography, and some silly costume/prop choices and effects.. Even with those flaws though, I can't see how this movie is deserving of scores like "2/10".. Really, I just can't see how this flick is considered so bad.. It has a better, easier to follow story than many similar flicks, and a good/different performance from Jackie. I would venture to say I like it more than SOME Chor Yuen movie's I have seen, although it is no where near my favorite Chor Yuen flicks. I without a doubt enjoyed it much more than Shaolin Wooden Men, which seems to be pretty well received. It's no Young Master or SITES, but it is a damn enjoyable movie to me, and I wouldn't recommend any fan miss the chance to see Jackie Chan in a pure wuxia flick..

(I use Chor Yuen as a comparison due to a very similar overall tone and feel.)

Good review paimiefist.

I wasn't a big fan of this one but its not the worst HK production Ive watched. It's one of my least favorite of Chan films for Lo Wei. Would love to have seen this film made at Shaw Brothers with a bigger budget.

[Morgoth Bauglir]

Always good to read a review of someone who thoroughly enjoyed To Kill With Intrigue. I can see why people don't like it. It has a much different feel than Jackie's other movies. For me the real star of the movie is Hsu Feng. Jackie is good, he plays the role he's given very well. George Wang is always great. And the guy Jackie fights at the end, I always thought he looked like he'd fit right in with the Venoms. It sucks when you go to look up an actor because he was so impressive and you find out he was only in a few movies.

[Secret Executioner]

This is one film I've had around for some time. I hesitated buying it at first and the bad reviews I read didn't help, but I still kept it (probably cause it's a Wuxia or cause it's an old Jackie film and I tend to enjoy these).

Anyway, I guess I'll give it a try some time.

[paimeifist]

DC, it sounds like you have a higher opinion of Jackies Lo Wei flicks than most. Which is your favorite?

Morgoth, I had a similar thought while watching the finale! I thought that the guy resembled Lo Meng. Not sure why, probably the square head and the fact that he was pretty diesel. I could see him having a kickfest with Sun Chien for sure! I'd like to watch the movie "Double Crossers" that he was in, it has a great cast and is directed by Chang Chang-ho. Hsu Feng was definitely a bad chick in this.

GHW, it's worth a watch at least, especially being that you own it! Id like to see what you have to say about it. As I said, I can see why some may dislike it, but I don't understand the reviews saying basically everything about it is bad. People speak of this the way I do about 18 Swirling Riders! Now that's just unfair!

[DragonClaws]

DC, it sounds like you have a higher opinion of Jackies Lo Wei flicks than most. Which is your favorite?

Morgoth, I had a similar thought while watching the finale! I thought that the guy resembled Lo Meng. Not sure why, probably the square head and the fact that he was pretty diesel. I could see him having a kickfest with Sun Chien for sure! I'd like to watch the movie "Double Crossers" that he was in, it has a great cast and is directed by Chang Chang-ho. Hsu Feng was definitely a bad chick in this.

GHW, it's worth a watch at least, especially being that you own it! Id like to see what you have to say about it. As I said, I can see why some may dislike it, but I don't understand the reviews saying basically everything about it is bad. People speak of this the way I do about 18 Swirling Riders! Now that's just unfair!

I watched those films a lot in my teens and they were some of the first Kung Fu films I ever bought. Dragon Fist, Snake & Crane Arts Of Shaolin, and Fearless Hyen are my favorites. Magnificent Bodyguards I have a soft spot for mainly due to James Tien character and Bruce Leung's presence. The rest I don't hate I'm just not as keen on them.

[Secret Executioner]

Morgoth, I had a similar thought while watching the finale! I thought that the guy resembled Lo Meng. Not sure why, probably the square head and the fact that he was pretty diesel. I could see him having a kickfest with Sun Chien for sure! I'd like to watch the movie "Double Crossers" that he was in, it has a great cast and is directed by Chang Chang-ho. Hsu Feng was definitely a bad chick in this.

GHW, it's worth a watch at least, especially being that you own it! Id like to see what you have to say about it. As I said, I can see why some may dislike it, but I don't understand the reviews saying basically everything about it is bad. People speak of this the way I do about 18 Swirling Riders! Now that's just unfair!

I guess I'll check it out someday. Can't be as bad as something like 18 Swirling Riders (that one's horrible indeed), especially if it has a performer people put on par with the Venoms (Lo Meng's physique and Sun Chien's kicking abilities... Gotta be something to behold).

On a sidenote, rewatched Marvelous Stunts Of Kung Fu following the talk about Lung Fei (thank you Morgoth Bauglir). Can't believe I missed him as one of the killers (especially when he's the fourth actor mentionned in the opening credits and his face is actually very recognizable here). These two guys are awesome, and Lung Fei is very impressive to watch here, but I must say the Fu is overall really good in this movie.

I think I'm gonna write a little review of this one, probably as one of my own (unless we get a "Lung Fei month" with the mutual reviews stuff ? Would definitely be worth having, the dude's been in so many movies there's clearly a lot to explore).

[DrNgor]

I watched To Kill With Intrigue relatively recently (i.e. a few years back) in terms of my Jackie watching. I too didn't find myself disliking it as much as others do. I thought the best action moments were Jackie's exchanges with Hsu Feng. The final baddie was a good kicker, but I thought the actual choreography was a bit sloppy compared to the crisp flurries of handwork between JC and HF.

[paimeifist]

I watched To Kill With Intrigue relatively recently (i.e. a few years back) in terms of my Jackie watching. I too didn't find myself disliking it as much as others do. I thought the best action moments were Jackie's exchanges with Hsu Feng. The final baddie was a good kicker, but I thought the actual choreography was a bit sloppy compared to the crisp flurries of handwork between JC and HF.

I agree about the fights. The finale had some nice boot work from the villain, but Jackie was basically just doing his wild man thing, the choreo was sharper in his exchanges with Hsu Feng for sure.

GHW, I wouldn't say he is on either of their level at all, lol. He just "looks" like he could have been part of the crew more than anything, haha.

[bearpower]

Dragon Fight ,Da Mystery of Chess Boxing ,Fist of Shaolin, Killer Clan , Come Drink With Me and Shaolin Iron Fingers

[Killer Meteor]

To Kill with Intrigue

Here I go diving into what seems to be regarded as the bottom of the barrel when it comes to Jackies classic era films..

The dark wuxia/clan fued story was very solid, and I found myself pretty engaged in it, and genuinely interested/caring about what happens to the characters. It was scripted by Ku Long, so that gives you a good idea of what to expect. The acting was good for the most part, particularly Jackie.. Seeing Jackie all "wuxia'd" up was cool, and he handled the serious/dark role very well.. Good axting from him, and he didn't overact. Yu Ling-Lung was a bit annoying as the confused girlfriend, she sulked a little too much - but it was understandable given the situation of the film, so I give it a pass. The atmosphere of the movie was very dark to match the story, with some beautiful yet dark locations.

I found the action of the film to be solid overall, if nothing great, and a bit repetitive/silly on a few occasions. When the action was kept on the ground, it was good though, with a mix of hand to hand and weapons work. It was a little slow, but you could still see glimpses of Jackies talent, and you can add Sin Il-Ryong to the list of fantastic Korean kickers who weren't in enough movies.. HKMDB has this guy listed for 3 films, and I feel like its worth seeing everyone just for him! He was also a decent actor, but his kicks were on point. Some scenes (particularly the end) had too much unnecessary leaping/wirework, but I'd say there was more grounded fighting than that.. there were also some cheesy moments that I enjoyed, IE. Jackie throwing a sword at a guy, knocking him out of a window, pushing him back 20 feet or so in mid-air, and pinning him to a tree! Yeah!

The costumes overall were decent and your typical wuxia regalia.. Yeah they may not have been as nice as what Chor Yuen was working with but they were decent for the most part.. With that said, there were some that were utterly ridiculous, such as the flower-head-masks the evil "Killer Bee clan" dawned! Even those, I enjoyed them, even if only for camp value, lol. The dub ranged from pretty good/serious, to very poor. I didn't hear any unintentionally funny stuff I can think of, when it was bad it was just bad... But I found it to be more good than bad.

I can see how some may be put off by the overly dark, melodramatic story, inconsistent choreography, and some silly costume/prop choices and effects.. Even with those flaws though, I can't see how this movie is deserving of scores like "2/10".. Really, I just can't see how this flick is considered so bad.. It has a better, easier to follow story than many similar flicks, and a good/different performance from Jackie. I would venture to say I like it more than SOME Chor Yuen movie's I have seen, although it is no where near my favorite Chor Yuen flicks. I without a doubt enjoyed it much more than Shaolin Wooden Men, which seems to be pretty well received. It's no Young Master or SITES, but it is a damn enjoyable movie to me, and I wouldn't recommend any fan miss the chance to see Jackie Chan in a pure wuxia flick..

(I use Chor Yuen as a comparison due to a very similar overall tone and feel.)

I think this is a decent film unfairly reviewed over the years because it's not a typical Jackie movie. However, like New Fist of Fury, I do wonder where Lo Wei was going with having his "new Bruce Lee" being a loser for 90% of the film, constantly getting injured and bed-ridden. Jackie, like Jimmy Wang Yu, eventually turned this into a form of masachism, but here his character is a wet blanket. That's not a problem for the film, but it doesn't seem an effective way to create a new star.

[paimeifist]

I agree with you on the general consensus of the film, as you can tell by my review. You bring up a good point on Lo Wei trying to make him the next super-star though...basically, he had more talent than he needed, but he didn't know what to do with it!

[Morgoth Bauglir]

You make a really good point Killer Meteor.

I never really thought about it before now but Jackie had some of his most interesting roles under Lo Wei. Very challenging roles. I guess Lo Wei just had a lot of confidence in Jackie.

Lady Bufa you didn't like Holy Flame?! it's no Shanghai 13 but it's still a good fun over the top production. It has a good English dub so if you watch it again some day you may want to give it a listen.

[Secret Executioner]

Mafia vs. Ninja (Taiwan, 1984)

Review right here: http://www.kungfucinema.com/forums/showthread.php?p=259094#post259094