The Victim (1980) - A Review

 

One of the best martial arts movies ever made.

The Victim (also known as Lightning Kung Fu) is a comedy/martial arts movie released in Hong Kong in 1980, starring Sammo Hung, Leung Kar-Yan, Fanny Wang, Chang Yi, Billy Chan Wui-Ngai, Peter Chan Lung, and Wilson Tong Wai-Shing. Sammo Hung was the director of The Victim, as well as the martial arts director, along with Yuen Biao, Lam Ching-Ying, and Billy Chan Wui-Ngai.

Sammo Hung (left) as Chan Wing and Leung Kar-Yan as Chung Yau.

In The Victim, Sammo Hung plays Chan Wing, a young man hoping to learn martial arts from a man who can beat him in a fight. Chan Wing finds the man who can beat him, Leung Chung Yau (played by Leung Kar-Yan), but Chung Yau refuses to teach him. Chan Wing follows Chung Yau wherever he goes, just trying to get accepted as his student, but Chung Yau refuses every time. Chan Wing even goes to Chung Yau's house, where he meets Yuet Yee (played by Fanny Wang), Chung Yau's wife. Yuet Yee is sympathetic to Chan Wing's plight, and it is through her that he finds out why Chung Yau is constantly on the run and avoiding any conflict.

It is a tragic story, but I will reveal that it is Chung Yau's stepbrother, Cho Wing (played by Chang Yi) who has them on the run. Will Chung Yau accept Chan Wing as his student? Will Chan Wing learn the Iron Cross Kung fu style? Will Chung Yau finally face his stepbrother and make him pay for what he's done?

A family in turmoil.

The Victim is one of those movies I always heard/read about, but was never able to find/watch back in the day. It is only within the last year that I've finally been able to watch it, and man it was worth the wait. This movie has some incredible fight scenes. It is a comedy, but it deals with some tragic circumstances. The story is actually very good. It has some nice plot twists (which I was careful to avoid, hence the vague plot summary) as well. Sammo plays the lovable underdog in this, and he plays it perfectly. You want him to be accepted as a student by Chung Yau, and you always root for him in his fights. Leung Kar-Yan as Chung Yau plays the frustrated hero perfectly. You wonder why he's on the run with his wife, why he always avoids fights and conflicts, and you wonder why he won't take Chan Wing as his student. All those questions are answered in the movie, and you see just why he is frustrated. When he finally lets those frustrations out, he becomes a destructive force! It's awesome! Chang Yi as the stepbrother Cho Wing is a complete bastard! I hate this guy! If there's anyone who ever deserved a butt-kicking, it's Cho Wing!

Profile in anger...

 The fight scenes in The Victim are incredible. Top-notch Sammo Hung choreography. These fight scenes are hard-hitting! All the fight scenes are good in this one. Of course, the final fight scene where Chung Yau really unleashes his fury and skill is probably the best fight in the movie. That fight is, as I previously stated, hard-hitting to the max! It's just amazing how the fight is choreographed and filmed. You'd never know Leung Kar-Yan is not a trained martial artist if you watched this fight, because he goes all out in this one. His precision and speed is so good. The final boss (you can guess who it is) is a great fighter as well, and he hits just as hard! It is just a great fight, worth the price of admission. The other fights in the movie are excellent as well. Sammo Hung takes his opponents down with some hard strikes and sweeps, and his awesome combos. Wilson Tong Wai-Shing comes in as one of the top students to take on Chung Yau, and his footwork is awesome in this fight. Chung Yau has to basically counter Wilson's footwork to defeat him. That fight rules! Sammo Hung, Yuen Biao, Lam Ching-Ying, and Billy Chan Wui-Ngai really outdid themselves with the fight choreography in this movie!

As you can imagine, I highly recommend The Victim! It has a good story, it has some good comedy, it has tragedy, and it has some awesome fight scenes. This movie has somehow become underrated, not only in Sammo Hung's filmography, but in the top martial arts filmography as well. Do not miss out on this one! Hoping against hope that this movie gets remastered some day, it really deserves to be seen in the best way possible. The Victim really is one of the best martial arts movies ever made!

Reviewed by David Williams