The Shaolin Drunken Monk (1981) - A Review

 

The Shaolin Drunken Monk (also known as Drunken Martial Arts, Drunk 8 Blows, Crazy 8 Blows, or The 36th Chamber:The Final Encounter) is a Hong Kong/South Korean martial arts movie released in 1981. It stars Gordon Liu, Eagle Han Ying, Chang Mi-hee, Kim Jae Woo, Hyun Kil Soo, and Chin Yuet-Sang . The Shaolin Drunken Monk was directed by  Ulysses Au-Yeung Jun, with fight choreography by Chin Yuet-Sang.

The man himself, Gordon Liu.

In The Shaolin Drunken Monk, Gordon Liu plays Lau Chung, a young man who has had a pretty tragic life (as we find out through flashbacks) who kidnaps Ying Ying (played by Chang Mi-hee), the daughter of martial arts master Wong Kin Chung (played by Eagle Han Ying). He does this to lure Wong Kin Chung out, in order to get revenge for the things Wong and his henchmen have done to his family. We see Lau Chung's training in kung fu by a drunken master (played by Hyun Kil Soo) and we see another, unique form of training he goes through. Lau Chung fights through Wong's men, dealing with a ninja-like assassin (played by Chin Yuet-Sang) and a one-handed fighter (played by Kim Jae Woo) whose side he isn't sure of, before finally getting to Wong Kin Chung. Can he succeed and get revenge?

The bad guys in this movie are bastards.

First of all, I love The Shaolin Drunken Monk. I first found out about this movie from the documentary film, Top Fighter. This movie had some of the best action scenes in the documentary, and my brother and I really wanted to watch it after that. I finally found it at a specialty video store, and thankfully, it lived up to our expectations. Unfortunately, the VHS and DVD available in America was not in the correct aspect ratio and is only dubbed in English. So, this might not be the best representation of the movie available. 

The plot of the movie is the basic 'hero seeks revenge against those who have wronged him/her'. This is okay because the fight scenes are so good in this. Gordon Liu plays the stoic, driven hero who wants revenge, but has a moral compass. Because of the dubbing, you would think Gordon Liu is the villain of the movie at the start. His voice softens as the movie goes on, though. There is a bit of romance in this film as well, but I feel it's a bit unrealistic due to the situation (though, according to social media, women are very into what Ying Ying goes through in this movie...) Anyways... Eagle Han Ying plays a great villain. He plays a cool, collected bad guy determined to find the two fighters killing his men. The dubbing fails his performance, though. There is also a bit of comedy in this movie. During the flashback scenes of Lau Chung training with his master, there is some silly comedy. It may feel out of place in such a serious movie, but I appreciated it.

Eagle Han Ying plays a great villain. He also looks like Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson when he smiles.

I will admit, the low budget of this movie is very apparent. Gordon Liu's hair length changes quite a bit throughout the movie. The cinematography is basic (which is not a bad thing). There's even a scene where the camera's film is running out (there are red flashes on the screen). Still, it doesn't detract from the experience of the movie...unless you're not into low budget movies. There is great music in The Shaolin Drunken Monk. There is a piece of music from Jackie Chan's Drunken Master used in this...during a flashback with the drunken master in this movie! I thought that was cool (it's also my favorite piece of music from the Drunken Master soundtrack). The final fight takes place in a cool, picturesque location as well.

The fight scenes are so good in this movie!

The fight scenes in The Shaolin Drunken Monk are so good. Gordon Liu's fist forms are excellent, and they are put to good use in this movie. His drunken style is also very cool; it's a bit more rigid and powerful (when compared to Jackie Chan's more fluid drunken style). Eagle Han Ying is pretty incredible in this! He has powerful strikes and awesome kicks. A worthy final villain for sure. Kim Jae Woo as the one-handed fighter is really good. He show you can still kick butt despite any handicaps. Chin Yuet-Sang was the fight choreographer for this movie, and he really outdid himself in this one! All of the fights are fast, intricate, and hard-hitting. He also plays the ninja assassin in this movie, and of course his fights with Gordon Liu rock. There is not one weak fight in this movie!

In conclusion, The Shaolin Drunk Monk is a decently good martial arts movie. It's not the best kung fu movie in the world, but it is thoroughly entertaining. The fight scenes are top notch, and are the main reason to watch this movie. I mean, it stars Shaw Brothers superstar Gordon Liu! He never lets us down in a movie! Watch it, and hope a remastered version of it comes out some day.

The cover of the DVD I watched for this review. I really need this movie remastered on Blu-ray! I think it would look amazing remastered (and in the correct aspect ratio). The bottom scene on the cover is not in the movie, by the way.

The back cover. This DVD has audio commentary by Ric Myers. It is...not good. He makes fun of the low budget and gives rather dubious information about the movie, the actors, and Hong Kong cinema in general...

The DVD disc. Nice, simple design by Tai Seng.

Reviewed by David Williams

Killer Angels (1989) - A Review

 

Killer Angels is a really good 'Girls With Guns' movie!

Killer Angels (also known as Ultra Force) is a Hong Kong martial arts/action movie released in 1989. Killer Angels is usually categorized as a 'Girls With Guns' or 'Bullet Ballet' movie that became popular in Hong Kong in the mid 80s to the mid 90s. It stars Moon Lee, Kingdom Yuen King-Tan, Yuen Hung, Takajo Fujimi, Lau Siu-Kwan, Gordon Liu, Leung Kar-yan, and Mark Houghton. The movie was directed by Tony Lou Chun-Ku, with action directed by Chui Fat.

Bow down to Moon Lee, an incredible action star.

In Killer Angels, Moon Lee plays Yau Li, a member of the Blue Angels (an elite group hired by the police for special cases). She and her partner, Rose (played by Kingdom Yuen King-Tan) are hired to protect a former Triad member Jacky Chan (played by Lau Siu-Kwan), who claims to have a list of names of members of the Shadow Gangsters Triad he just left. Yau Li also goes undercover at a nightclub to find evidence that the boss of the nightclub (played by Leung Kar-yan) is actually the boss of the Shadow Gangsters. While working there, the boss's enforcer Michael (played by Gordon Liu) seems to have feelings for Yau Li. The boss's daughter (played by Takajo Fujimi) is incredibly interested in Michael, so she naturally hates Yau Li's guts!

While undercover Yau Li finds out that the female workers at the nightclub are being sent overseas for prostitution. A new member of the Blue Angels joins them in the safehouse later on. Amy (played by Yuen Hung) has a tragic past, and she wants to kill Jacky Chan! Eventually, secrets on both sides come out, people die for them, and Yau Li is determined to bring in the Shadow Gangsters' boss!

Takajo Fujimi is fierce in her role as the boss's daughter!

Killer Angels is a cult classic 'Girls with Guns' movie. This one may not be as well known and regarded as Yes, Madam! or Iron Angels, but it's still really good! I watched the English dub of this, so what I wrote in the plot summary may not be totally accurate to the original Cantonese version, but it is an interesting movie that is never boring. Moon Lee is the unflappable heroine, doing what must be done to stop the criminals. She is awesome in this. Not only does she get to show off her fighting skills, but also her singing and dancing skills as well. A lot of people like this aspect of the movie! Gordon Liu plays a villain in this, but he's a villain with a heart. It is a bit unclear whether he is in love with Moon Lee's character, or if he's just protective of her. Gordon Liu doesn't fight at all in this, but he uses his huge gun a lot! Yuen Hung is amazing in this as well. Her backstory is tragic, and her rage is understandable. She is a top-notch fighter! Takajo Fujimi as the boss's daughter is ferocious! She absolutely hates Moon Lee's character! She shows no mercy to anyone! She's awesome. Finally, Leung Kar-yan as the nightclub boss/suspected Shadow Gangsters boss, is actually pretty similar to the final boss Yuen Wah plays in Dragons Forever. Same huge glasses, business suit, and cigar. He's great in this movie. He is not obviously evil...until he is.

And yes, it is weird that the guy the Blue Angels are protecting is named Jacky Chan. This guy is constantly trying to get with the females in the safehouse, and in one instance Rose has to kick his butt to get him to stop! I do wonder if naming him Jacky was some kind of inside joke that we aren't aware of....

A nice little reminder among all the death and chaos going on in this scene!

The action in Killer Angels is really good! I will say, the fight scenes are actually pretty short, but they have great choreography. Moon Lee's fight against some henchmen in a shipping port is really good. She does some graceful, yet powerful moves in that one. Moon Lee vs. Yuen Hung is great as well. They fight all over the safehouse, with Moon Lee just trying to stop Hung from killing Jacky. Yuen Hung does some awesome kicks and acrobatics, and one awesome move is a jumping double side kick that Moon Lee blocks perfectly. Moon Lee fights Mark Houghton in a good one as well. Mark Houghton shows of his skills well! The final fight is between Moon Lee and Yuen Kar-yan, and it is acrobatic and hard-hitting. They are going all over the place in that fight! Really good fight, but ends faster than you'd like.

Killer Angels is a good movie! Or at least, it's a good movie if you love action, gunplay, martial arts, explosions, and women who kick butt. I highly recommend it if you're into those things. There are a lot of gun fights, martial arts fights, explosions, car chases, and betrayals to last you a good long while. If you couldn't tell, I really like this movie. Check it out! Moon Lee is incredible, and more people need to see her in action.

Reviewed by David Williams