The Tattoo Connection [Edited For TV Version] (1978) - Movie Review

 

Jim Kelly struts his stuff in The Tattoo Connection.

The Tattoo Connection (also known as Black Belt Jones 2: Tattoo Connection and The Hong Kong Connection) is a martial arts crime movie released in Hong Kong in 1978 and stars Jim Kelly, Dorian "Flash Legs" Tan Tao-Liang, Chan Sing, Tony Leung Siu-Hung, Lee Hoi-Gei, Bolo Yeung Sze, Chiang Tao, Norman Wingrove, and Lee Hoi-Sang. The movie was directed by Lee Tso-Nam, with martial arts directed by Bruce Leung Siu-Lung.

Jim Kelly as Lucas. He is one cool dude in this. He even dubbed his own voice for this movie.

In The Tattoo Connection, Jim Kelly plays Lucas, an ex-CIA agent hired by an insurance company to retrieve a stolen diamond stolen by a tattooed gang in Hong Kong. Once the gang boss (played by Chan Sing) finds out Lucas is there to take back the diamond, he does everything he can to stop him, including killing people who have info, and putting a bounty on Lucas's head. Lucas plows ahead, destroying everybody that gets in his way. The gang is dangerous, but there is one member, Dong Ho (played by Dorian "Flash Legs" Tan Tao-Liang), who is a bit honorable. He wants to leave the gang with his girlfriend (played by Lee Hoi-Gei). Will Lucas get the diamond back, and will Dong Ho be able to leave the gang?

Dorian "Flash Legs" Tan Tao-Liang as Dong Ho. An underappreciated martial arts movie star nowadays. This guy could kick!

Like many people who are fans of him, I've liked Jim Kelly ever since I first saw him in Enter The Dragon (1973). I've never seen him in any other movies, though I knew he was in some blaxploitation films. So, I finally found one of Jim Kelly's movies (considered one of his best) on a free streaming site (Tubi). Unfortunately (or fortunately...) it was the edited for television version of the movie. When that showed up in the opening credits, I had to decide if I still wanted to watch it, or wait until I had access to the unedited version. I decided to watch it anyway, and here are my thoughts...

The Tattoo Connection is one weird movie! Though this is billed as a Jim Kelly movie, in reality, it is more of a Jim Kelly/Dorian "Flash Legs" Tan Tao-Liang movie. In fact, I would say Tan gets a bit more screen time in this one! Jim Kelly plays the cool, cocky, expert martial artist while Flash Legs Tan plays the honorable, yet conflicted gang member who can kick like no one else. Both are likeable in their roles, and of course, they both have excellent martial arts skills. It is mainly Jim Kelly who has the cool lines, but Tan has some zingers as well.

The plot is pretty basic, maybe a little too basic. As was the case back then, there is some weird pacing issues and let's say inappropriate humor. Unfortunately, there is a little bit of racism in this as well. From what I've read about this movie, there is apparently a lot of gratuitous nudity throughout The Tattoo Connection. You know it's too much unnecessary nudity when reviews from regular people (not critics) complain about it! The version I saw was edited, so there was absolutely no nudity shown. Of course, the scenes with nudity were edited in such a way that it made it even more weird and creepy! You have to see those edits to believe it! The music in The Tattoo Connection is also very funky, or dare I say, fonky (the pinnacle of funkiness). Really good music throughout.

The Tattoo Connection has some nice fight scenes. Considered to be Jim Kelly's best movie that showcases his martial arts skills.

While the plot of the movie is nothing special, the action is really good! Jim Kelly is one awesomely cool butt kicker in this! He is fast, precise, and hits hard in his fight scenes. Kelly even gets to finally have his one on one fight with Bolo Yeung in this movie (which he was supposed to have in Enter The Dragon). Flash Legs Tan starts off the movie with a fight scene, and there (and throughout) he gets to show off his awesome kicking skills. There are a lot of good fights in this movie, with the final fight being the best, in my opinion. This is classic 70s martial arts choreography, not as intricate as Lau Kar Leung, Sammo Hung, or Yuen Woo-ping's, but still entertaining.

I am not sure if I can recommend The Tattoo Connection. It does have entertaining fight scenes and fonky music, but the plot is basic and there is rampant nudity (in the unedited version). I guess I will recommend the movie for its fight scenes only... and the fact that Jim Kelly is cooler than a cucumber in this. Where else can you find a movie where Bolo Yeung sings his heart out in mockery of his fellow gang member? It happens in this movie, and you will not be prepared.

Also, though my feelings are mixed on this movie, I would love if The Tattoo Connection got a remastered HD blu-ray release in the future. I think it would look pretty good in high definition.

The Tattoo Connection original trailer:

Reviewed by David Williams

Legend Of The Wolf (1997) - A Review

 

Legend Of The Wolf gives us a glimpse of Donnie Yen's brilliance before he became a megastar.

Legend Of The Wolf (also known as The New Big Boss and The Big New Boss) is a Hong Kong martial arts movie released in 1997 and stars Donnie Yen, Dayo Wong Chi-Wah, Carman Lee Yeuk-Tung, Edmond Leung Hon-Man, and Ben Lam Kwok-Bun. It was directed, produced, and co-written by Donnie Yen; with action choreographed by Donnie Yen, Tony Tam Chun-To, Mak Wai-Cheung, and Bill Lui Tak-Wai.

Wai (Dayo Wong, left) and Wolf/Fung Man Hin (Donnie Yen).

In Legend Of The Wolf, a young determined man, Ben (played by Edmond Leung Hon-Man) is looking for Wolf (played by Donnie Yen), a legendary assassin. He meets up with Wai (played by Dayo Wong Chi-Wah), who takes Ben to meet Wolf in his office. When Ben sees Wolf, who is old and sleeping at his desk, he is not very impressed. Wai (and eventually Wolf) then tells Ben about Wolf's life...

Through flashbacks, we find out that Wolf came to Wai's poor village in search of a temple. Wai volunteers to take him to the temple, and they become friends. Wolf has amnesia, and all he can remember was that he was a soldier and that he was supposed to meet someone at the temple. Throughout this time, bandits keep attacking Wai and Wolf, and we see that Wolf is an expert fighter. After getting injured in a fight, Wolf reunites with the person he was looking for, but his amnesia makes their reunion bittersweet. As you can imagine, people are looking for Wolf, and they find him in the village. Wolf has to fight these bandits to protect the people he loves...

Carman Lee (left) as Wai-Yee. She and Wolf have a past...

Legend Of The Wolf is the first full Donnie Yen movie I ever bought and watched back in the late 1990s. I bought the VHS tape (it was called The New Big Boss) and excitedly watched it. Not going to lie, I was disappointed. Back then, I was always looking for VHS movies in their correct aspect ratios (so on 4:3 TVs, they would have black bars on the top and bottom of the screen; despite those bars, the whole screen of the movie is shown this way). The New Big Boss was pan and scan, and the picture quality was only okay, not great. Now, why was this movie disappointing? Because of the full screen/pan and scan picture, a lot of the action was hard to see. All you would see was a lot of fists and weapons swinging up close, but you wouldn't see the effect of the moves (you couldn't see who was hitting who). The fight scenes were confusing and a let down. I recently found this movie on American streaming service Tubi, in its correct aspect ratio, so I decided to give it another shot. Does the movie hold up?

Legend Of The Wolf is way, way better than I remember it being! I was actually blown away by how good it was! The story is intriguing (there are a few twists in there), the main characters are interesting, and the action is really good. The movie is never boring and goes by pretty quickly. The actors play their parts well (Ben Lam as the final boss is instantly hateable as soon as he appears; it's amazing actually). This is a serious, dramatic movie for the most part, but there is a little bit of comedy (mainly provided by Dayo Wong Chi-Wah as Wai). The movie has a message, which I feel was conveyed well, but I will leave it up to you to make your own judgement on that.

Donnie Yen is unstoppable in this movie!

The action in Legend Of The Wolf is fast, furious, and hard-hitting. This movie is pretty bloody and violent as well. Seeing as this was a Donnie Yen movie in the 90s, you can expect that the fight scenes are sped up big time. At least in this movie, only certain parts of the fight scenes are sped up. All of the weapons choreography and the rapid-fire punches are sped up to the max, while more of Donnie Yen's varied offense goes at a more normal speed (he's still swift, though). There are also a lot of quick cuts, which may cause you to lose track of where the characters are in relation to each other, and confusion over what's actually happening in the fight. The fights are shot and edited very similar to The Blade (1995) or Ashes Of Time (1994), but I think the fights in Legend Of The Wolf are more coherent than in those movies. The choreography in this movie is not at the level of a Yuen Woo-ping or Sammo Hung, but it is still exciting. Donnie shows off all his awesome kicks in this, and man does he know how to make them look awesome on film. All of the fights in this movie are good...except for maybe the first one (it's a weapons fight), and they are all different from each other. Donnie's fight against the monkey style kung fu fighter is probably the best in this movie, while the final fight is the most emotional (for obvious reasons). Depending on your fight scene preferences, you may enjoy the fight scenes in this movie or you will absolutely despise them.

I recommend watching Legend Of The Wolf. It's got an interesting story, likeable protagonists, and lots of violent and bloody action. A lot of the reviews I read said this movie offers nothing new; it's full of cliches and terrible fight scenes. I don't know, the movie was deep enough for me, and the action was pretty awesome (though I admit to not liking the fight scenes when I first watched it decades ago). I think Donnie Yen did a pretty good job in his movie directorial debut. Directing this movie was the first step in him becoming the martial arts movie megastar he was always meant to be. Check it out, you may like it!

Reviewed by David Williams

Wing Chun (1994) - A Review

 

Another classic Michelle Yeoh movie.

Wing Chun (also known as The Beautiful Secret Agent and Bandit Queen) is a martial arts comedy movie released in Hong Kong in 1994 and stars Michelle Yeoh, Donnie Yen, Kingdom Yuen King-Tan, Waise Lee Chi-Hung, Catherine Hung Yan, Norman Tsui Siu-Keung, Chui A-Fai, and Cheng Pei-Pei. Wing Chun was directed by Yuen Woo-Ping, with action choreographed by Yuen Woo-Ping, Donnie Yen, and Yuen Shun-Yi.

Michelle Yeoh as Yim Wing Chun. Do not mess with her!

In Wing Chun, Michelle Yeoh plays Yim Wing Chun, a master martial artist and owner of a tofu shop in a mountain village. Since Yim is a woman martial artist, she has given up hope of meeting a man and getting married. She even dresses like a man, with many people mistaking her for a man. One day a beautiful young woman, Charmy (played by Catherine Hung Yan) comes to town with her sick and dying husband, looking for a way to help him. After he dies, Charmy needs money for the funeral. Her only option is to sell herself to the highest bidder in town. Yim "buys" her, and hires her to work at the tofu shop.

A group of bandits want Charmy (and revenge on Yim Wing Chun for stopping them) for their own "personal pleasure". After Wing Chun defeats the brother (played by Chui A-Fai) of the leader, Flying Chimpanzee (played by Norman Tsui Siu-Keung), challenges her to a duel; if Wing Chun loses, she must become Flying Chimpanzee's woman.

During all this, Wing Chun's childhood friend, Leung Pok To (played by Donnie Yen), comes into town looking for her. He wants to marry her, but he mistakes Charmy for Wing Chun, and Wing Chun for a man! As you can imagine, a lot of mistaken identity shenanigans ensue. Can Yim Wing Chun defeat Flying Chimpanzee and avoid forcibly becoming his wife, and will she ever find love (particularly with  Leung Pok To)?

Donnie Yen is looking for the love of his life... and kicking butt.

I first watched Wing Chun in the late 90s on cable TV channel TNT late at night. I loved it back then, as it was the first time I watched a Michelle Yeoh movie where she was the top star, and it was the first movie I ever saw Donnie Yen in (I had heard of him before that, though). I recorded it on VHS off the TV so I could watch it whenever I wanted, but as you can imagine, when DVDs became the popular format, I wanted to buy the DVD version. Of course, I could never find it on sale anywhere (in-store or online) for years. The last time I watched Wing Chun was probably in the early 2000s. (There is a rumor that Miramax bought the rights for Wing Chun, just so nobody else could release it in America. Not sure how true that is, but it seems to be true in my experience.)

So how does Wing Chun hold up? I think it holds up great! Reading other reviews of this movie, it seems like everybody gives it negative points for not being about the creation of the Wing Chun style, or about the creator of the style, Ng Mui (who does appear in this movie, played by Cheng Pei-Pei), or a more truthful profile of Yim Wing Chun, who was Ng Mui's first student and who the style is named after. This movie is a silly comedy, basically. I hate to call it a romantic comedy, but there is a lot of comedy based on romantic situations. I actually enjoyed the comedy, for the most part (unlike a majority of the reviews I read), but as I always say: comedy is subjective. You may not find the movie funny, but maybe you will.

Michelle Yeoh plays Yim Wing Chun as a stoic, martial arts master who kind of regrets not finding love, but does not regret becoming a martial artist. She has great chemistry with Kingdom Yuen King-Tan, who plays her aunt Abascus Fong, a very smelly and desperately amorous woman. Donnie Yen plays Leung Pok To as a heroic young man with honorable intentions. He is also kind of a goof in this movie (which impacted how I though of him as an actor for a little while... until I saw Legend Of The Wolf, 1997. I gained a whole new appreciation for him after that movie!) It was great to see Norman Tsui Siu-Keung as the main villain, Flying Chimpanzee. I can't believe I didn't recognize it was him until now. He plays Flying Chimpanzee as a cocky, chauvinist jerk. All the performances in this movie are great, as are the characters.

A lot of creative fights in Wing Chun, as expected in a Yuen Woo-Ping movie!

 The fight scenes in Wing Chun are really, really good. I will say, though Yim Wing Chun is a Wing Chun master, the way she fights in this movie is not totally Wing Chun-based. Still, there are some Wing Chun strikes in there, and the fights are entertaining. Donnie Yen gets in on the action, and he does some of his great kicks in this. Norman Tsui Siu-Keung is a formidable final boss, who is an expert with a spear and a master of the cotton belly. The most famous fight in this movie is when Yim Wing Chun challenges a bandit to hit a tray of tofu. Wing Chun blocks all of his strikes, uses the tofu as a weapon, and even does some fancy tofu dodging as well. Probably the most creative fight in the movie. Since this movie was made in the 90s, the fights have that really sped up look to it. Not as bad as other movies during that time period, but it's still noticeable. I don't like fight scenes that are sped up like that, but in Wing Chun it's tolerable.

So, should you watch Wing Chun? I say yes! It's a fun, funny, action-packed movie. Michelle Yeoh is great in this, playing the unselfish hero to perfection, and Donnie Yen is a goofy butt kicker. Though this movie may not be historically accurate, it's a fun way to find out about the originators of the Wing Chun kung fu style. Michelle Yeoh is just the best!

Reviewed by David Williams

The Black Dragon's Revenge (1975) - A Review

Classic 70s cinema.

The Black Dragon's Revenge (also known as The Death Of Bruce Lee) is a martial arts/blaxploitation/Bruceploitation movie released in 1975 and stars Ron van Clief, Charles Bonet, Jason Pai Piao, Yuen Qiu, Lau Hok-Nin, and Thompson Kao Kang. It was directed by Tony Lou Chun-Ku, with martial arts directed by Chan Lau, Ron van Clief, Jason Pai Piao, and Leung Pasan.

Ron van Clief is the man in this movie.

In The Black Dragon's Revenge, Ron van Clief plays...himself. He gets hired by a mysterious wealthy man (played by Thompson Kao Kang) to find out why and how Bruce Lee died. Ron, being a close personal friend of Bruce, accepts the assignment. So he goes to Hong Kong in search of answers. Ron meets up with his friend Charlie Woodcock (played by Charles Bonet), an antique dealer and martial artist, and they travel throughout Hong Kong interrogating people. They face off against thugs who seem to want to stop them from finding out the truth. Little do our heroes know, there are students from a kung fu school who are also looking for answers about Bruce Lee's death. Perhaps if they worked together, they could find out what really happened to Bruce Lee.

Yuen Qui (left) and Jason Pai Piao more than hold their own in this movie.

I first learned of Ron van Clief from the Top Fighter documentary, and have always kept him in mind when looking for martial arts movies to watch. I watched that documentary in the 1990s, and in 2023 I finally watched a Ron van Clief movie! I knew (from the documentary) that he is a legit martial artist, and I watched his UFC fight back in the day, so I had high expectations for his action scenes. Ron van Clief does not disappoint in The Black Dragon's Revenge...unfortunately, everything else does.

This movie is straight up weird. Ron and Charlie go around asking people about Bruce Lee and about the way he died (even asking a Betty Ting Pei analogue questions at her apartment). Basically, the movie talks about all the different theories on how Bruce Lee died. This did not feel right to me. It felt...exploitive. I guess this shouldn't be a surprise, considering this is a blaxploitation and a Bruceploitation movie. The acting is stiff and awkward; there are many scenes of characters just walking to their destination, no dialogue or anything to keep it interesting; and the plot seems a bit convoluted, until the end when everything comes together.

Despite all that, Ron van Clief is very cool in this. He has an awesome look (the afro and mutton chop sideburns), and he has this swagger about him throughout. Also cool to see Yuen Qui in an early role (she played the Landlady in Kung Fu Hustle, 2004). She's really good in this! Jason Pai Piao is also cool in this movie. Charles Bonet, as Ron's friend Charlie, is interesting in this. Their friendship seemed genuine. Also, this has some cool music; though I must say it seemed a bit too upbeat in some scenes.

Ron van Clief kicks major butt in this movie!

The main reason to watch The Black Dragon's Revenge is the action. The fight scenes are the best part of this movie. Ron van Clief is the real deal as a martial artist, and he kicks butt in this. Ron's style is powerful and straightforward. Charles Bonet, as Charlie Woodcock, is a kung fu fighter, so his style is more fluid. Yuen Qui is also an awesome fighter in this, and she gets to show off her skill pretty well here. The fight scenes are rough and rugged, but very entertaining. They may not compare to the fight scenes that would happen about three years later in Hong Kong, but they are still very good. I also liked how the Hong Kong martial arts students in the movie were respectful of Ron van Clief's karate-based style. Very cool.

So, should you watch The Black Dragon's Revenge? I would say yes, just so you can see Ron van Clief in his prime kicking butt. The movie itself is very weird and awkward, with some weird comedic scenes as well. The music is good, Ron van Clief and his allies are good, and the fight scenes are good. Ron van Clief doesn't get talked about enough when it comes to great martial arts movie stars, so I thought I'd shine a light on him. Ron van Clief is the real deal!

Reviewed by David Williams

Raging Fire (2021) - A Review

Raging Fire was director Benny Chan's final film. He left us a good one!

Raging Fire is a martial arts/action movie released in China and Hong Kong in 2021, starring Donnie Yen, Nicholas Tse, Ray Lui Leung-Wai, Ben Lam Kwok-Bun, Ken Lo Wai-Kwong, and Yu Kang. It was directed by Benny Chan (in his final film), with action directed by Donnie Yen.

Donnie Yen as Bong Cheung. He always does the right thing.

In Raging Fire, Donnie Yen plays Bong Cheung, an unwavering righteous cop who refuses to deal with the shady parts of being in the Hong Kong police force. After refusing to work with some powerful (and shady) businessmen, Bong and his team are left out of a drug bust, where all of the police officers involved get killed by a crew of masked men. The men who killed these police officers are experts in their field of robbery and assassination. These masked men have a past with Bong Cheung.

Yau Kong-ngo (played by Nicholas Tse) is the leader of these masked thieves, and he has little patience for mistakes. We find out through flashbacks how Yau and Bong know each other, and why Yau and his crew are killing certain people in brutal fashion. Bong and his team have to find out who is killing these people, and stop them before they kill their next victim. As you can imagine, the conflict becomes personal between Bong Cheung and Yau Kong-ngo, and it becomes inevitable that they will have to face each other one last time...

Nicholas Tse as Ngo. He is one cool, calculated, and vicious villain.

Raging Fire is really good! It has great action, complex characters, and an interesting (if a bit basic) story. Donnie Yen plays the stoic, righteous cop who loves his wife. His character is put in tough situations, morally and physically. You really root for his character to overcome the odds that are stacked against him. Nicholas  Tse plays the morally corrupt villain who will do anything to get what he wants. He is cool, calm (for the most part), collected... and also vicious. Through flashbacks we find out how he became this way, which is pretty tragic. He is a ruthless criminal, though, so my empathy for him was limited. You can tell Bong and Yau respect each other, but their difference in morality will keep them at odds. Great performances from Donnie and Nicholas.

One thing I really liked about this movie was the scene where it shows Bong's battered and bruised body after a fight, and his wife's reaction to it, and his response to her reaction. It's something that's not regularly shown in action movies, and it really brings home the consequences of being in a fight. I also liked the flashbacks; they give the backstory of all the characters, and where their motivations come from. I can't believe some reviews complaining about the amount of flashbacks. I had no problem with them (everyone is different, though). Also, there are some parts of this movie that remind me of Jackie Chan's New Police Story (2004), which was also directed by Benny Chan.

The action in Raging Fire is top notch!

Plain and simple: The action in Raging Fire rocks! There are two main fight scenes and one shoot out, and as you can imagine, they are hard-hitting and intense. The first fight scene involves Bong being surrounded and majorly outnumbered! Bong has to fight his way out to safety, and he does not hold back against his numerous opponents. In the shoot out, it's Bong's squad against Yau's crew, and there's bullets and explosions galore. The shoot out is intense, and there aren't many that are left unscathed. The final fight between Bong and Yau is awesome. There are hard-hitting strikes, grappling, and weapons involved. There is even a little callback to SPL (2005) when Bong reveals his weapon of choice. This fight is brutal, actually and worth the price of admission. Really great stuff in this fight. There is more action in Raging Fire, I just highlighted the major scenes.

As you can guess, I highly recommend Raging Fire! It is the epitome of modern Hong Kong action. Interesting plot, complex characters, and incredible action. What more could you want? Benny Chan's last movie is one he can be proud of. Raging Fire also shows how always doing the right thing is actually very difficult. You have to deal with the consequences, and deal with those who prefer to take the easy way out. Nonetheless, Raging Fire is just great entertainment!

Reviewed by David Williams

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

Encounter Of The Spooky Kind (1980) - A Review

 

Classic and influential Hong Kong horror comedy movie.

Encounter of The Spooky Kind (also known as Encounters Of The Spooky Kind, Close Encounter Of The Spooky Kind, and Spooky Encounters) is a horror/comedy/martial arts movie starring Sammo Hung, Chung Fat, Huang Ha, Tai Bo, Peter Chan Lung, Leung Suet-mei, and Lam Ching-Ying. Encounter Of The Spooky Kind was directed by Sammo Hung, with martial arts also directed by Sammo along with Yuen Biao, Lam Ching-Ying, and Billy Chan Wui-Ngai.

Bold Cheung played by Sammo Hung. Cheung goes through some stuff in this movie!

In Encounter Of The Spooky Kind, Sammo Hung plays Bold Cheung, a very proud coachman married to a seemingly unhappy wife (played by Leung Suet-mei). Cheung drives Master Tam (played by Huang Ha), a very important person, to his "appointments". Trust me, these appointments aren't medical. One day, Cheung walks in on his wife cheating on him... but the man is able to escape before Cheung can fully see him. All that is left behind is the man's shoe. Of course, it is Master Tam that was with Cheung's wife. Master Tam doesn't want Bold Cheung (or the town) to find out what he's doing, so he decides Cheung needs to die. Tam's assistant (played by Tai Bo) has just the plan to get rid of Cheung.

Bold Cheung is dared to spend the night in a temple; if he can make it, he will be paid a lot of money. Unbeknownst to him, Tam's assistant hired the corrupt priest Chin Hoi (played by Peter Chan Lung) to raise a corpse in the temple from the dead and make it kill Cheung! Luckily, the priest's colleague Tsui (played by Chung Fat) overhears this plan and warns Cheung about it; he even gives him ways to fight off the jiangshi (the reanimated vampire corpse). 

Bold Cheung having an encounter of the spooky kind...

After Bold Cheung survives the temple twice, he comes home to find out he's been framed for murder! He gets arrested, escapes, but now the authorities (led by Lam Ching-Ying) are after him. Priest Tsui decides to take Bold Cheung as his apprentice, as Priest Chin Hoi has one last evil plan to kill him. Can Bold Cheung survive this last onslaught?

Encounter Of The Spooky Kind is a classic Hong Kong movie, and its success at the time started the trend of martial arts comedy horror films there. It was the first movie to showcase the jiangshi (hopping vampire). This movie was very influential (as was a lot of Sammo Hung's work), and it lead to other movies like Mr. Vampire, Vampire vs. Vampire and... Encounter Of The Spooky Kind II.

This movie is great! It's funny (though, humor is subjective), it's creepy, and it has great fight scenes. What more could you want? The movie is not gory (though there is a scene where Bold Cheung gets a chunk bitten out of his leg; it's bloody but not excessively so), and the scares are mild (though a young child might find it scary). The special effects are a mixed bag; some are good (like the leg bite), but some are more...low quality. I don't mind the special effects; they add to the charm of the film.

As for the story, it's pretty good. Everything makes sense. It has the kind of plot where one thing leads to another, which leads to another, and so on (which is why I had to abruptly end the plot summary, otherwise I would just describe the whole movie). Sammo Hung as Bold Cheung is a very likeable protagonist. He is not a bad guy, but his bravery gets him into trouble. Chung Fat as Priest Tsui is great as well. He is an honest priest trying to use magic for good, not for evil. Lam Ching-Ying as the Inspector trying to arrest Bold Cheung is also awesome. He brings humor along with the seriousness of law enforcement. The other actors do their parts well, but Sammo and Chung Fat are the best in this movie.

The fighting is fast, furious, hard-hitting, and spooky!

This being a Sammo Hung movie from the 1980s, you can bet that the action is great in Encounter Of The Spooky Kind! The fights are fast, hard-hitting, and executed to perfection. In Sammo's first fight against the jiangshi, we see him throw some hard strikes that connect for real against the vampire (including a brutal punch to its face). Another great scene is when the evil priest takes control of Bold Cheung's arm, causing a brawl in an outdoor restaurant. Sammo takes a brutal fall when trying to control his arm. From there we get some awesome fighting against a crew of police officers. In the final fight scene, Bold Cheung and his opponents get possessed by spirits who have very distinct fighting styles. The fighting is hardcore here, and is a real treat to watch. Also, watch for the almost botched stunt at the end where a flaming structure falls down and almost lands on Sammo, who moves away just in time. Crazy stuff!

As you can imagine, I highly recommend Encounter Of The Spooky Kind. It's a classic Hong Kong movie, a must watch if you are an Asian cinema fan. It's a fun, spooky, funny, action-packed movie. I will say, there are two scenes which may disturb viewers: a real chicken is decapitated in a ritual the evil priest performs, and the very end scene is very shocking. It's a spoiler, but man, it's pretty messed up. Despite those scenes, this movie is so good! Watch it!

The cover for the DVD I watched for this review.

Back cover for the DVD.

The DVD disc. Talk about spooky!

Reviewed by David Williams

The Super Inframan (1975) - A Review

 

This is called one of the best worst movies. I think it's entertaining!

The Super Inframan (also known as Inframan) is a Hong Kong superhero/sci fi/action/martial arts movie released in 1975, and is the first Hong Kong superhero movie. It stars Danny Lee, Wang Hsieh, Yuan Man-tzu, Bruce Le, Terry Lau Wai-Yue, Dana Shum, and Lin Wen-Wei. The Super Inframan was directed by Hua Shan, with martial arts directed by Tong Kai.

Super Inframan. Enough said.

In The Super Inframan, Hong Kong is being attacked by monsters who rise straight out of the ground. The monsters' leader, Demon Princess Elzebub, makes her intentions clear to the world: She and her monstrous minions are planning to take over! Professor Liu Ying-de (played by Wang Hsieh), head of the Science Research Center, has just finished the BDX project, which coincidentally is just what is needed to deal with these monsters. The BDX project puts bionic parts into a human being to give them super strength and deadly combat weapons in a special suit the human can transform into at will. High ranking Science Research Center officer, Rayma (played by Danny Lee), volunteers to become The Super Inframan. From there, Super Inframan battles the various monsters, while Demon Princess Elzebub brainwashes one of Rayma's colleagues to do her bidding. Can Rayma stop Elzebub from taking over the world?

Demon Princess Elzebub and her skeleton ghost crew.

The Super Inframan is a Hong Kong movie influenced by the tokusatsu shows and movies from Japan. This movie is the Hong Kong version of Ultraman and Kamen Rider. I think this character and movie was a cool concept for Hong Kong movies at that time. Seeing as this was the first superhero movie made in Hong Kong it has its positives and negatives. The story is simple enough. Monsters are attacking and a team must stop them with the help of their super powered team mate. Rayma is a great hero... but there is not much else to his character. Really, all the characters are a bit one dimensional. We do get a nice scene between Professor Liu Ying-de and his daughter, but that's about it. It's fine, though. Who needs dramatic, serious scenes getting in the way of all the action?

The special effects are a mixed bag. The costumes are cool, especially Super Inframan's and the monsters'. They were designed by the same company that made the costumes for Kamen Rider (Shaw Brothers replaced the helmet made by the Japanese company for Super Inframan with their own helmet. I will always wonder what that original helmet looked like). Some special effects are primitive (like lasers) and some are really good (like the monsters and Super Inframan growing to gigantic size). There are a lot of explosions, including one on top of a lake! If you watch this movie, you will either respect the effort of the special effects, you will be embarrassed to be watching it, or you will laugh at it. I respect the effort. 

There's a lot of action in this, and it's awesome!

Even though The Super Inframan takes a little while to get going, once Rayma becomes Inframan, the action scenes pick up. The fight scenes are reminiscent of the first season of Power Rangers (the morphed fight scenes from the original Japanese sentai footage). So no highly complex fights in this one. Still, the fights are very fun. Inframan even has his own version of the Rider Kick! Bruce Le (with one 'e') plays an officer of the Science Research Center, and he gets to fight some Skeleton Ghosts. Danny Lee also has a cool, non-transformed fight as well. The final battle goes on for quite a while, and Super Inframan uses every move and weapon he has against the horde of monsters he has to face. Good stuff! 

So, should you watch The Super Inframan? If you like Ultraman, Kamen Rider, Power Rangers, or Godzilla, then I would say yes. Otherwise, you can skip it. I still say you should give it a chance, though. It's a fun, light-hearted movie with a crazy plot, crazy visuals, and crazy fight scenes. I hope this movie gets remade in Hong Kong or China some day. With modern special effects, and modern fight choreography, I think it would be a pretty cool movie.

(I apologize for the quality of these next pictures, I can't figure out how to take these pictures without glare.)

 

The DVD I watched for this review. The first non-bootleg Shaw Brothers movie I was able to buy.

Back cover of The Super Inframan DVD.

 

The DVD disc with a nice picture on the inner case.

The Super Inframan DVD comes with a booklet that goes into detail the making of the movie. Really informative stuff!

 

 

Reviewed by David Williams

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