The Crippled Masters (1980)

[Drunken Monk]

These days, if a film were to heavily feature, say, someone in a wheelchair (besides, perhaps, Charles Xavier), it wouldn’t be long before it was bombarded with cries of “woke!” or “leftism gone mad!”. Back in 1980, this wasn’t the case. In fact, in 1980, exploitation cinema was still thriving. These films often toed the line, highlighting more taboo subjects, such as sex crimes, racism, homosexuality and, of course, extreme violence, as well as many more.

Exploitation became its own genre, despite being comprised of several other genres. There’s action exploitation, horror exploitation, Blaxploitation, exploitation porn (which seems redundant, I suppose)… The list goes on. Kung fu cinema has always been mildly exploitational. Or at least it’s gently held hands with exploitation throughout its existence. Sammo Hung often liked to make his films gritty with the inclusion of a rape scene or two, many martial arts films feature animal cruelty, and then there’s the constant exploitation of people with deformities and disabilities…

And here we get to 1980’s The Crippled Masters. It is an exploitation film by nature. Its two leads – Jackie Conn and Frankie Shumm – are disabled. Shumm is missing one arm, and his other is a smaller, deformed limb. Conn is without the use of his legs. But shockingly, that’s where the exploitation ends. I walked into The Crippled Masters (recently release on Blu-ray by Film Masters) expecting it to try to offend me. I expected cruel jibes and the harsh treatment of its two leads. But that’s not the case at all.

The film is quick to get to its premise. Our two lead characters start off able-bodied until they are brutalized by the typically villainous Li Chung-Chien (The Invincible Kung Fu Trio). One has his arms chopped off (his smaller limb is never explained) and the other has acid poured on his legs. Brutal? Sure. But no more brutal than the crippling the Venom Mob faces in the similarly titled Crippled Avengers. They then meet up, learn kung fu from an old master and seek revenge. Simple as pie.

That is to say, The Crippled Mastersis a fantastic kung fu film. Not kung fu exploitation. KUNG FU FILM. If anything, it’s a wonderful celebration of just what its lead actors can do. They can move, block, punch, and kick with the best of them. They have their limits, but their limits are never mocked. Never mentioned even. They’re just two guys beating the shit out of the baddies. A winning formula if ever there was one. There are training scenes, mid-film fights and, of course, the “special technique” they use to best the film’s villain. No prizes for guessing what the technique is. It’s rather traditional.

Fight choreographer, Chen Mu-Chuan, who also stars in the film, provides the shapes…and shapes they are. This is good old fashioned martial arts action. The kind your mum used to make. Rapid, crisp exchanges, animal styles (mantis fist features), it’s all here. In fact, the only thing that isn’t here is the often maligned “kung fu comedy” typically found in old school kung fu flicks. The Crippled Masters isn’t here to make you laugh. It’s here to have you pump your fist as a man with one, small arm does things with a staff able-bodied people can only dream of doing. It’s BAD ASS. The lack of comedy only thrusts this film to the dizzying heights of certified kung fu classics.

Long story short, this one is top tier and an absolute joy to watch. It never feels awkward. It never feels like you shouldn’t be watching. It feels like watching a Jackie Chan or Yuen Biao film. The Crippled Masters is a unfuckwithable “chop socky” classic that deserves a place on every kung fu cinema fan’s shelf. Forget the exploitational angle; enjoy it for what it is – a bloody good film and, if anything, a celebration.

Edited July 19 by Drunken Monk