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

[saltysam]

7 minutes ago, DragonClaws said:

 

Was this on one of the many MillCreek sets?

 

 

[saltysam]

Black Samurai

It's quite astonishing how, just 3 years after his breakout Enter role, a mere 2 years after starring in a Warner movie (BBJ) Jim Kelly ended up making this astonishingly bad, campy low rent movie. Based on a series of books, Kelly is Agent Robert Sand who goes on a mission to rescue his old flame from a devil worshipper who calls himself The Warlock, who feeds his enemies to snakes as you do. The acting is shockingly awful but if you want to see Jim fighting midgets, go all Muhammad Ali in one jaw dropping sequence then this is the movie for you. For all that, i liked it,so sue me 😃unfortunately the DVD is a full frame tv version, with nudity, violence and bad language crudely edited out. This needs an SE 2 disc release with surviving cast members telling wtf where they thinking! Oh and have i mentioned the Damon Wayans doppelganger who's one of the baddies in this. Check this movie out, it will leave you speechless.

The credits claim action done by the "JIM Kelly Stuntmen Association"...i didn't know he had his own stunt group, surely that's made up?

Edited February 7, 2019 by saltysam

[NoKUNGFUforYU]

6 hours ago, saltysam said:

Black Samurai

It's quite astonishing how, just 3 years after his breakout Enter role, a mere 2 years after starring in a Warner movie (BBJ) Jim Kelly ended up making this astonishingly bad, campy low rent movie. Based on a series of books, Kelly is Agent Robert Sand who goes on a mission to rescue his old flame from a devil worshipper who calls himself The Warlock, who feeds his enemies to snakes as you do. The acting is shockingly awful but if you want to see Jim fighting midgets, go all Muhammad Ali in one jaw dropping sequence then this is the movie for you. For all that, i liked it,so sue me 😃unfortunately the DVD is a full frame tv version, with nudity, violence and bad language crudely edited out. This needs an SE 2 disc release with surviving cast members telling wtf where they thinking! Oh and have i mentioned the Damon Wayans doppelganger who's one of the baddies in this. Check this movie out, it will leave you speechless.

The credits claim action done by the "JIM Kelly Stuntmen Association"...i didn't know he had his own stunt group, surely that's made up?

I could never bring my self to rent this. And I've watched a lot of crap. LOL!

[saltysam]

14 hours ago, NoKUNGFUforYU said:

I could never bring my self to rent this. And I've watched a lot of crap. LOL!

I'm a massive Jim Kelly fan. And you haven't lived until you see him face off with the baddies pet Vulture. Oh and did i mention in one sequence he also flies around with a jet pack?

Edited February 8, 2019 by saltysam

[NoKUNGFUforYU]

I think I watched him fight the midgets and turned it off. I have a huge collection of stuff I never have the chance to watch, so I don't get to do the "so bad it's good" anymore, sadly. My wife doesn't have the same sense of humor. Though she will watch bad horror movies, no problem. 

[saltysam]

Seven Steps Of Kung Fu

Routine story is lifted by some excellently choregraphed fights, including a climactic two-on-one with a white haired villain. And it's got Lung Fei in it,though more restrained than usual. Vengeance video is widescreen non -anamorphic and a little rough,but serviceable.

[Killer Meteor]

Devil Woman (1974)

Hong Kong/Fillipino co-production that sounds like it should be a awesome combination of horror and kung fu, but mostly feels like two seperate films stuck together. There's a girl with snakes for hair killing people off (that's meant to be a shocking twist, but since it's all over the posters and trailer, I don't think I'm blowing anything), whilst a visiting Chinese kung fu expert (Tung Li, dressed in white so that he resembles Bruce Lee) gets into fights and enjoys the scenery. Disapointingly low on exploitation thrills, and boring dubbing, but the Code Red BD at least lets you enjoy in OAR and HD.

4/10

 

Dragons Never Die (1974)

Sadly not another Bruceploitation flick, but instead a goofy and underwhelming buddy movie with Alex Lung and Hon Kwok Choi travelling the land seeking challenges. The action is decent but the story choppy and uninvolving, not helped by the awkward dubbing. It is, however, VERY interesting to see debutant director Chen Chi-Hwa trying out several gimmicks (a fights with eggs, a dream sequence where a comic bufoon imagines himself a kung fu master) he would re-use note-for-note 4 years later in the Jackie Chan veichle Half a Loaf of Kung Fu. So much for that being "the first kung fu comedy"...

The master on the Code Red BD is SD but looks OK and is OAR.

4/10

Check out this OTT trailer for them!

 

Edited February 10, 2019 by Killer Meteor

[DragonClaws]

12 hours ago, Killer Meteor said:

It is, however, VERY interesting to see debutant director Chen Chi-Hwa trying out several gimmicks (a fights with eggs, a dream sequence where a comic bufoon imagines himself a kung fu master) he would re-use note-for-note 4 years later in the Jackie Chan veichle Half a Loaf of Kung Fu. So much for that being "the first kung fu comedy"...

 

I think Lo Wei held back Half A Loaf of Kung Fu?, so I'm not sure when it was actually made?, compared to when it was finally release.

[saltysam]

Snake & Crane Arts Of Shaolin

Jackie Chan is a kung fu expert who claims to have the fabled snake & crane manual, various masters of kung fu schools want it and will try and get it by any means possible, including in the case of Nora Miao, her body 😲plenty of fighting and it ends up in an extended fight with king baddie Kam Kong. 88 films release is very good, a shame about the SDH sub goof.

 

Master With Cracked Fingers

Oddly time has been rather kind to this early Jackie cash-in, though it starts off boring ,once young Jackie makes his entrance the fighting is pretty much non stop- i fund it pretty entertaining. German blu ray looks nice though it's got DNR, mandarin with english subs. As a bonus, an SD copy of the US version, Snake Fist Fighter is on there.

[Killer Meteor]

23 hours ago, DragonClaws said:

 

I think Lo Wei held back Half A Loaf of Kung Fu?, so I'm not sure when it was actually made?, compared to when it was finally release.

It was released in Korea in 1978, didn't get a HK release until 1980

[saltysam]

8 Strikes Of The Wildcat

The rodent clan are looking for a treasure map and will kill anyone to get it. After killing her father and seemingly her,Dan Dan Chi is rescued from a river by an old fisherman and his young friend. Predictably the old fisherman turns out to be a kung fu master and trains Dan Dan Chi in wildcat kung futo try and get her revenge. Very predicatable, nothing special, some silly comedy but passable. The Vengeance video dvd is at least wide. Dan Dan Chi was pretty good in this,looking at IMDB she only made one other movie.

[Killer Meteor]

23 minutes ago, saltysam said:

8 Strikes Of The Wildcat

The rodent clan are looking for a treasure map and will kill anyone to get it. After killing her father and seemingly her,Dan Dan Chi is rescued from a river by an old fisherman and his young friend. Predictably the old fisherman turns out to be a kung fu master and trains Dan Dan Chi in wildcat kung futo try and get her revenge. Very predicatable, nothing special, some silly comedy but passable. The Vengeance video dvd is at least wide. Dan Dan Chi was pretty good in this,looking at IMDB she only made one other movie.

This is that rare kung fu comedy when the heroes are a lot less annoying then the villians.

[DrNgor]

Butcher Wing (1979) - Indy film from Hong Kong presumably made to cash in on the hype (or success) of The Magnificent Butcher, but far inferior of an effort. Lam Sai-Wing here is played by lesser-known Seven Fortune Ng Ming-Choi (best known as the short and stocky guard who gets his neck snapped by Bolo in Enter the Dragon) plays Wing as something of a buffoon and idiot, but with passable kung fu skills. After he and his friend (Hon Gwok-Choi) get beat up by Addy Sung (one of his better performances), they train under the tutelage of Wong Fei-Hung (Jason Pai Piao). They end up fighting against Addy's boss, an opium dealer played by Lee Hoi-San (who was also the villain in The Magnificent Butcher). There's too much komedy, not enough serious action, Tommy Lee's choreography doesn't really cut it here, the training is uninspired, and Ng Ming-Choi lacks Sammo's charisma and likability.

[saltysam]

Bloody Fists

When the opening sequence has the great Chen Sing, surrounded by armed cops whip out a comb and start combing his hair while music stolen Fist Of Fury plays on the soundtrack then you know you are in for a great basher. However be warned that after this opening sequence Chen doesn't leap back into action until the climax, spending his time on the peripheral of events. Standard plot, evil japanese invade small town wanting it's famed dragon herb. Chen Kuen Tai and the stock villains from Fists Of The Double K battle that films hero Henry Yu Yung. One of Crash Cinemas better releases, a nice widescreen print.

[DrNgor]

The Magnificent Kick (1980) - Made between The Magnificent Butcher and Dreadnaught, this was the second film that Kwan Tak-Hing agreed to reprise his role as Wong Fei-Hung after his retirement. The focus, however, is on his students Ghost Foot 7 (Jason Pai Piao) and Butcher Wing (Allan Chan, one of the film's choreographers). While in another town on business, the two get involved with the efforts of three Northern fighters (including Nick Cheung Lik and Cecilia Wong) to get revenge on the general (Han Ying-Chieh) who murdered their father years before. There's less comedy and more (and better) action here than in Butcher Wing. The titular technique is the infamous No-Shadow Kick, and here it's portrayed as a particularly powerful front kick, not unlike the one Steven Seagal claimed to have taught Anderson Silva. I do question the casting of Jason Pai Piao in this role, as there are other actors out there with better footwork, even among those schooled in more Southern-based styles. He executes the choreographers' (four of them: Wong Mei [Four Shaolin Challengers--which also featured Pai Piao as a student of Wong Fei Hung], Yuen Bo [Angel Terminators 2], Allan Chan [Red to Kill], and Lai Kim-Hung) steps well, but he doesn't quite convince as a master of Southern bootwork. 

[saltysam]

Beach Of The War Gods

One of Jimmy Wang Yu's best, an epic tale of Jimmy rounding up a village and some skilled fighters to battle the invading Japanese who will arrive via the aforementioned beach. Lung Fei has rarely been more threatening than in this one, he seems unbeatable. Film is notable for it's over 40 minute battle which is exhausting just to watch. The Shout! DVD looks very good.

A Man Called Tiger

Even at 76 minutes this Wang Yu effort is pretty boring, i can only imagine how the 100 minute version apparently available on VCD plays out. Jimmy infiltrates a syndicate who he believes were responsible for his fathers death and becomes an enforcer for them. There's a very good fight sequence mid way through where Han Ying Chieh lures Jimmy to an ambush that ends up in a cable car but then nothing of note until the climax,which we reach via an overlong gambling sequence. Pity because there's some solid GH stalwarts here, Lee Quin, James Tien,Han Ying Chieh, Lam Ching Ying, Maria Yi, Lo Wei, Paul Feng. This was meant to be a vehicle for Bruce Lee who swerved it and made WAY instead. As Tanya would say, "wise decision".

Take A Hard Ride

Ok i'm cheating, this is a western but it features Jim Kelly doing martial arts so it's here 😀 Solid westen stars Jim Brown who teams up with Fred Williamson to try and get a stash of cash back to Brown's widow, pursued by bounty hunter Lee Van Cleef. Kelly joins them, playing a mute ! part indian with kung fu skills. Unusual they would make a guy with the charisma Kelly had mute, but hey ho, it's worth watching for seeing him in a different type of role.

[ShaOW!linDude]

On 2/9/2019 at 6:36 PM, Killer Meteor said:

Dragons Never Die (1974)

The tag line in the trailer, "Take your momma to see it before somebody else does."; that owned me.

19 hours ago, DrNgor said:

The Magnificent Kick (1980)

Cecilia Wong you say? She get to do any action?

[DrNgor]

1 hour ago, ShaOW!linDude said:

Cecilia Wong you say? She get to do any action?

Briefly in the first act, and then she trains a little bit in the third act and participates in the final fight against Han Ying-Chieh.

[DrNgor]

Return of the Deadly Blade (1981)

 

 

Edited February 3, 2022 by DrNgor

[Tex Killer]

14 minutes ago, DrNgor said:

Return of the Deadly Blade (1981) - 

Have seen this once only but what recall best action happened during opening credits and not much to praise after that...

There was talk greenfan dvd coming but I guess it never happened?widescreen in original language with subs could have been bit better experience but would not still lifted it to good level...

 

 

Edited February 22, 2019 by Tex Killer

[saltysam]

awful, that's what i meant when i said "tragic Anne Winton" in my review. Very,very sad.

[sym8]

Just watched Jackie chans Dragon fist on Blu-ray,great quality and my favourite of the Lo Wei films but no matter how many times and how many different films I have seen him in I think as an on screen fighter James Tien is awful.Anybody else feel the same?

[Tex Killer]

22 hours ago, saltysam said:

Broken Oath

Angela Mao stars in this take on Lady Snowblood and boy is she a badass here, going for revenge on her father's killers. Solid action, good cast, good story, excellent print on the Shout! DVD. Recommended.

I like this too...bit slow burner for a long time but very action packed final discussion about opinions...recommended indeed and shout dvd is nice transfer.

 

Edit:just checked I actually have fortune star dvd of this, was surely thinking cheng pei pei boxset when it comes to releases.

 

Edited February 24, 2019 by Tex Killer

[DragonClaws]

55 minutes ago, sym8 said:

I have seen him in I think as an on screen fighter James Tien is awful.Anybody else feel the same?

 

I think he's pretty underatted, in terms of his shapes work, like in Hand of Death, and Spiritual Kung Fu, he wasnt a fully trained Martial Artist. Consider this, and he did a very solid job, of convincing me he was. Sure, hes know Leaung Kar Yan, but he couldkeep up with Chan in the finale of Dragon Fist. Remember, he wasnt there to outshine Chan, but make him look better.

[Tex Killer]

1 hour ago, sym8 said:

Just watched Jackie chans Dragon fist on Blu-ray,great quality and my favourite of the Lo Wei films but no matter how many times and how many different films I have seen him in I think as an on screen fighter James Tien is awful.Anybody else feel the same?

He is average. Certainly not among best but far from worst...But I like his acting skills he is never dire so that makes up a lot for some maybe slow action scenes..

Take a look at lee yi min..he is superb in weapons, acrobats and unarmed but almost always in talk role he is bit pain to watch...James handles dialogue scenes lot better and that counts also.

Edited February 24, 2019 by Tex Killer