Member David Rees Posted November 23, 2009 Member Share Posted November 23, 2009 Just watched this unheard of (to me) Shaw flick and to my suprise its pretty good with crisp choreography similar to Five Superfighters in some respects but not as good. The Star Meng Yuan-wen is from Master Strikes and shows great skill....any other opinions of this or other films i may have missed in the same style? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member KyFi Posted November 24, 2009 Member Share Posted November 24, 2009 As I recall this one does not enjoy a very good reputation among a lot of fans, but I agree with you. I'm generally not that big a fan of kung-fu comedies, but I enjoyed the Fighting Fool quite a bit. As you said, the choreography is pretty decent, good production values, and I liked the star okay. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member tdb Posted November 24, 2009 Member Share Posted November 24, 2009 I watched it a year or so ago and I liked it. I think it's the humor that turns people off, since this is very much a buddy movie (not unlike Bob and Bing). If I remember correctly a lot of the humor leaned toward slapstick (or just was). Perhaps overly influenced by the wave of martial arts comedies that Drunken Master (1978) kicked off. Comparing it to other Shaw martial arts comedies of the same period, Shadowing Boxing (1979), Dirty Ho (1979) and My Young Auntie (1981) for instance, you see that there's much more emphasis on the comedy in the Fighting Fool (1980), Shaw was putting out a lot of martial arts comedies in that period. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member AbeRudder Posted November 25, 2009 Member Share Posted November 25, 2009 Its pretty similar to Monkey Kung Fu, though i wish they didn't have that fat bloke in so many fight scenes. Meng Yuen Man was in great form as usual though. I think these type of Shaw brothers drunken master style movies can be fun (monkey kung fu, five superfighters, the master) or really bad (Coward Bastard) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member shaolin drunkard Posted August 28, 2011 Member Share Posted August 28, 2011 It was OK with great beginning and ending, rest of movie not up to that standard but still worth checking out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member peringaten Posted August 28, 2011 Member Share Posted August 28, 2011 I love the Fighting Fool! I love all those late era Shaw comedies - I find them the most easily revisitable of all the Shaws. Yeah, the classics are great, but for replay, mindless fun & crisp kung fu gets my vote every time. All these oft-dismissed less mainstream Shaw comedies have so much fun & kung to offer - screw the dissenters!!! This, Coward Bastard, Tigress Of Shaolin, Fast Fingers, Crazy Shaolin Disciples, Wits Of The Brats, Boxer From The Temple... & my number one of all the oft-criticised Young Vagabond! Sooooo good; one of the best. Fun fun fun, great kung. Screw you haters! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member BaronK Posted August 28, 2011 Member Share Posted August 28, 2011 Oh man, I find this totally unbearable. Funny Per mentioned many of the Shaws that I don't ever want to see again except for action only. Terrible, unbearable movies(MOOnly). I like Boxer From The Temple, as I like all Lo Mar pictures but as movies they are not good. He was crazy that way. He made great kf movies(looked at as a whole). FF is as close to a dumb indie as Shaw ever got. Dragging, stupid, dumb, not ever funny or enjoyable. It lacks across the board and is frustrating in it's ball dropping use of MYW, Hsu Hsia as AD and Kuan Feng. I love those guys. Same is said of the waste that Coward Bastard was. So much talent in that and thats what they came up with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member peringaten Posted August 28, 2011 Member Share Posted August 28, 2011 Some might say the real funniest thing about Fighting Fool is that the same director helmed What Price Honesty. There's two heavily contrasting sides of the coin for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member TibetanWhiteCrane Posted August 29, 2011 Member Share Posted August 29, 2011 Couldn't stand stand Fighting Fool, Kid From Kwantung or worst of all, Coward Bastard! Some of the worst SB flicks I've seen... even with the competent action. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member shaolin drunkard Posted August 29, 2011 Member Share Posted August 29, 2011 Couldn't stand stand Fighting Fool, Kid From Kwantung or worst of all, Coward Bastard! Some of the worst SB flicks I've seen... even with the competent action. Coward Bastard I was not able to stand either, I eject disc after 20 mins.Tigress from shaolin was worse but I made it thru end because some friends around who liked it.Same quality was crazy shaolin disciples...hmm.I bought kid from kwantung few days ago I hope it turns out to be ok>_<..other titles mentioned in this topic, five super fighters is extremely cool,cheap wigs and sets comedy ok and fights over the top great. Young vagabond is one of my favs but I would not put that into this company, there is not that much comedy.In beginning yes, but when people start to kick bucket you would think this is CC movie:tongue:. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member TibetanWhiteCrane Posted August 30, 2011 Member Share Posted August 30, 2011 Five Superfighters is probably one of my fave kung fu comedies! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member David Rees Posted August 31, 2011 Author Member Share Posted August 31, 2011 Five Superfighters is probably one of my fave kung fu comedies! Totally agree, the choreography on 5 Superfighters is stunning, even if the story is weak. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member shaolin drunkard Posted August 31, 2011 Member Share Posted August 31, 2011 Totally agree, the choreography on 5 Superfighters is stunning, even if the story is weak. Everything in that movie is weak...except fighting, but that is 1st class.With maybe exception of shaolin temple, superfighters is movie I have watched most of shaws. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member peringaten Posted August 31, 2011 Member Share Posted August 31, 2011 The story is strong!! A nutjob who goes around correcting shit kung fu & people training kung fu to deal with this... What more could you possibly need? Beats any old overly pretentious woolly bs any day. The story is as badass as you can get. That's the problem with regular cinema it totally neglects people who wish to correct shit kung fu with their fists & the trials that go with this. Directors & screenwriters of the World, please take note. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member popsjnr Posted October 16, 2011 Member Share Posted October 16, 2011 Come on!!! I 1st saw Fighting Fool in the mid 90's on video in German-those were the days, pristine quality and perfectly in sync german dubwork-and thought it was a bit of a waste of Meng Yuan Wen's skills, unfunny tedious comedy but some good fight action...when I bought it on VCD (wasnt going to waste good money on a DVD of it) only confirmed its mediocrity!! As for Five Superfighters having a good story..I dont think I have ever heard of a guy going round correcting shit kung fu in real life?? Like to see one try to see how far he gets, with all the fake kung fu men about he'd be busy!!!......I remember doing a very short review of the old Warners video release in an issue of Eastern Heroes (was supposed to be for the 2nd edition of the Essential Guide to HK Movies which never came out) and found trying to synopsis the plot took two lines...its a classic piece of Lo Mar madness the choreography rocks and Kwan Feng is suitably nuts. Young Vagabond is a film I had on tape from Kings video in Taiwan and always thought it was clearly the death knell for Shaws...totally unfunny "comedy" (ha ha bloody ha) and fight choreography that lurched halfway thru from shoddy traditional work to dire pseudo modern day pub fighting. I never even bothered to pick up a DVD in H K last year, it was the easiest Shaws to find, coz its so shite!!! Coward Bastard is an oddity, in the Essential Guide to HK movies I remember Forum member Shapes using his amazing memory to write a review of the movie from when he saw it on late nite and he talked about the opera style action. Thats the only thing I found interesting about it, the action in uniquely stylised, with Yuen Wah actually upstaging Mung Yuen Wen. Ive only sat thru the movie once because it is so dry!! Kid From Kwangtung on the other hand is a bonafide classic-the genius use of split screen for the incredibly intricate monkey cum na sao work is worth the price in itself!!! And the scene where Silver Fox Wong Jan Lee DESTROYS some of shaws top stunt guys with his most devastating bootwork ever had me wear out my old Malaysian bootleg tape years before it ever came out on DVD. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member rdenn Posted October 17, 2011 Member Share Posted October 17, 2011 Kid From Kwangtung on the other hand is a bonafide classic DVD. if you can remember you fell through the shelf of vhs when we watched that in the first camden shop, remember . thats the pressure of a good kung fu movie. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member popsjnr Posted October 17, 2011 Member Share Posted October 17, 2011 Those were the days Chunky eh?? Yeah I stil remember my stancework was unsteady when I first caught sight of this, cant understand how some of the posters on this thread are saying that crappy Young Vagabond is a better movie??? Always loved Kwangtung and in crystal qual it blew my mind!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Chinatown Kid Posted October 22, 2011 Member Share Posted October 22, 2011 Kid From Kwangtung is one of my favorite HJL performances, his kicks look devastatingly powerful in this film and seems everyone he kicks spits blood giving an awesome sense of impact. Wong Yue who usually is not very impressive imo as a martial artist looked pretty good in this too, especially his Chin Na grabbing techniques. The quality Shaw production standards makes the film all the better which makes me overlook the corny comedy elements and the Lion Dance that takes up a little to much time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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