Member paimeifist Posted January 19, 2014 Member Share Posted January 19, 2014 I just saw The Prodigal Son for the first time, and while I think it was awesome, I enjoyed Knockabout more. Is this an unusual opinion? Being on this forum for a few years on and off, it seems that Prodigal Son at least gets more attention than Knockabout. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Drunken Monk Posted January 19, 2014 Member Share Posted January 19, 2014 I'd say most people prefer "The Prodigal Son" but "Knockabout" is definitely recognized as being a classic. I love both films but, for me, "The Prodigal Son" has some of the greatest choreography to ever see the light of day and the Frankie Chan versus Lam Ching Ying fight is probably my second favourite fight scene of all time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member TheKungFuRobber Posted January 19, 2014 Member Share Posted January 19, 2014 For me it's Knockabout all the way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member massa_yoda Posted January 19, 2014 Member Share Posted January 19, 2014 I prefer Knockabout too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member OpiumKungFuCracker Posted January 19, 2014 Member Share Posted January 19, 2014 I'm ashamed to say I've not seen Knockabout yet, FUCK!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member paimeifist Posted January 19, 2014 Author Member Share Posted January 19, 2014 I was ashamed to say I hadn't seen Prodigal Son til yesterday, haha! BUT, you need to see Knockabout....and the US Fox release is so well done. I liked the comedy in Knockabout more, and that Sammo was more involved. Also, Silver Fox was much more villainous. Oh, and BEARDY! With that said, Prodigal Son was still great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member sdog2006 Posted January 19, 2014 Member Share Posted January 19, 2014 I'm ashamed to say I've not seen Knockabout yet, FUCK!!! Fix that ASAP PS Prodigal Son is a better "movie", whilst Knockabout has the flashier fight scenes. Yuen Biao's kicking is sensational and his acrobatics are astonishing, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Chinatown Kid Posted January 19, 2014 Member Share Posted January 19, 2014 I like Knockabout more because of the flashier style of action but love both. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Drunken Monk Posted January 19, 2014 Member Share Posted January 19, 2014 I'd say most people prefer "The Prodigal Son" but "Knockabout" is definitely recognized as being a classic. Well, I'm eating my words. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator One Armed Boxer Posted January 19, 2014 Moderator Share Posted January 19, 2014 I love both films but, for me, "The Prodigal Son" has some of the greatest choreography to ever see the light of day and the Frankie Chan versus Lam Ching Ying fight is probably my second favourite fight scene of all time. What's your first? I have to go with 'Prodigal Son'....love the training sequences with Lam Ching Ying & Sammo, and Biao makes a convincing transition from pretender to practitioner. 'Prodigal Son' was one of the first kung-fu movies I saw to really make my jaw drop, so it has sentimental value for me. I watched 'Knockabout' several years later, but it's a movie I definitely need to revisit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member TheGrimReaper Posted January 20, 2014 Member Share Posted January 20, 2014 I love both of them in a different way - Prodigal son is more accomplished in style, in character development, in portraying the way to become a master. Knockabout is in the veins of classic old school magic where the vengeance theme is more strong, and we have a nice comedy elements thrown in there for a more lighter tone. Both movies are standing in my heart for different reasons, and both of them are holding all the elements which i find fascinating about martial arts genre Greetings Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Drunken Monk Posted January 20, 2014 Member Share Posted January 20, 2014 What's your first? Lam Ching Ying versus Yuen Biao in "The Magnificent Butcher." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member FrankBolte Posted January 20, 2014 Member Share Posted January 20, 2014 Prodigal son , knockabout , magnificent butcher... those are like the 3 best shapes ever... I wouldnt like to think about which I like best... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member smilebomb Posted January 20, 2014 Member Share Posted January 20, 2014 I pretty much agree, though both films have their individual strengths that the other can't match. For all its peaks of extreme genius, The Prodigal Son has weird pacing issues, and the humor's totally inappropriate. Knockabout's intentions are much more humble, so there was a lot less to potentially screw up. I'd probably rank The Magnificent Butcher over both Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member sdog2006 Posted January 20, 2014 Member Share Posted January 20, 2014 Am I on my own in preferring Warriors Two to all of them? lol Wing Chun perfection with a super kicker. Can't beat it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member DrNgor Posted January 20, 2014 Member Share Posted January 20, 2014 PS Prodigal Son is a better "movie", whilst Knockabout has the flashier fight scenes. Yuen Biao's kicking is sensational and his acrobatics are astonishing, This. I love Yuen's kicking and the monkey fist demonstration at the end is hilariously awesome. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member smilebomb Posted January 20, 2014 Member Share Posted January 20, 2014 Am I on my own in preferring Warriors Two to all of them? lol Wing Chun perfection with a super kicker. Can't beat it! I wish I liked this more. I mean the action's great. Some parts just seem so bizarrely heartless, like when that girl gets killed and Sammo says something along the lines of "hey! you're already dead? :tongue:" It's funny in how bizarre it is, I guess, but the whole movie seems a little "not there" story-wise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member sdog2006 Posted January 20, 2014 Member Share Posted January 20, 2014 I wish I liked this more. I mean the action's great. Some parts just seem so bizarrely heartless, like when that girl gets killed and Sammo says something along the lines of "hey! you're already dead? :tongue:" It's funny in how bizarre it is, I guess, but the whole movie seems a little "not there" story-wise. Always been my favourite. It's basically a revenge story/ Wing Chun tutorial and I love the atmosphere in the movie. Give it a slight edge over Prodigal Son and Knockabout, but I love all of them. You do need to ignore some of the sillier script issues in Warriors Two, but there's enough quality to make it a subliminal classic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Drunken Monk Posted January 20, 2014 Member Share Posted January 20, 2014 My one problem with "Knockabout" is at the very end, where the film just disintegrates into an acrobatics-fest. Don't get me wrong, I love Yuen Biao's skills but it just feels like a letdown compared to some of the fantastic fights scattered throughout the film. "The Prodigal Son" just feels more..."complete" to me; more well rounded. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member massa_yoda Posted January 20, 2014 Member Share Posted January 20, 2014 My one problem with "Knockabout" is at the very end, where the film just disintegrates into an acrobatics-fest. Don't get me wrong, I love Yuen Biao's skills but it just feels like a letdown compared to some of the fantastic fights scattered throughout the film. "The Prodigal Son" just feels more..."complete" to me; more well rounded. I don't see the end as a disappointment. It's funny and jaw-dropping. I mean...fighting WHILE jumping rope! Imagine how hard that must have been to choreograph and film! Granted that part was short, but it was so amazing. Prodigal Son probably is a more complete movie, but, like what you said about Knockabout, I was a little let down by the ending. The final fight has a lot of slo-mo and it isn't a classic old-school style end fight. It's been a few years, so maybe I'm remembering it wrong, but the fight in the middle (with Frankie Chan) was SO good, I was expecting something more in the finale. Knockabout by comparison has consistently entertaining fighting and comedy throughout, IMHO. Magnificent Butcher and Warriors Two are also classics. I'd rate MB just behind Knockabout. Geez, I need to re-watch all of these now that I think about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member paimeifist Posted January 20, 2014 Author Member Share Posted January 20, 2014 Haven't seen MB.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member masterofoneinchpunch Posted January 20, 2014 Member Share Posted January 20, 2014 I love Prodigal Son, but Knockabout is also quite a fun film. Warriors Two is underrated, but I think Prodigal Son is the more complete film (both great Wing Chun films). All three of them I have seen several times and can see again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Phoenix Posted January 22, 2014 Member Share Posted January 22, 2014 Knockabout has the stunning training sequence although I agree the end fight is too acrobatic, similar to Crippled Avengers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member northern b Posted January 23, 2014 Member Share Posted January 23, 2014 Didn't think much of knockabout tbh Maybe I'll watch it again... Prodigal son and warriors 2 are good but waaaay over hyped - so I was a little underwhelmed when I did see them (years back) I enjoyed Magnificent Butcher some extreme level Choreography in that one but I'd still choose the Victim above all of them! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member smilebomb Posted January 24, 2014 Member Share Posted January 24, 2014 I think more vs. polls between similar movies would be a decent idea. But some people tend to hate those, so I'll just muse about it in this thread rather than making any myself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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