HOLY FLAME OF THE MARTIAL WORLD -- Movie Review by Porfle

 

Originally posted on 4/11/16

 

Making just about every other movie in the world seem slow-moving and mundane in comparison, HOLY FLAME OF THE MARTIAL WORLD (1983) is about as close to a total cinematic freak-out as you could imagine.

Wan Ching Chung and his wife are killed by white-haired, bushy-eyebrowed Grand Master Jing Yin (Leanne Lau) and her associate Monster Yu (Jason Pai Piao) after they're forced to reveal the location of the Creed of the Holy Flame.  The Phantom (Philip Kwok) swoops in and rescues the dead couple's baby boy Wan Tien Sau, pledging that in 18 years the boy will return to get revenge.  Jing Yin takes their baby girl Dan Fung and raises her as a warrior in the all-female Er Mei clan, telling her that the Phantom killed her parents.

Eighteen years later, Wan Tien Sau (Max Mok) is sent off to seek the Holy Flame.  Along the way, he rescues the beautiful Juan Er (Mary Jean Reimer) from the evil Blood Sucking Clan and she inadvertently gains great power in her index finger after touching an enchanted snake's bladder. 

Meanwhile, Jing Yin, who possesses a Yin version of the Holy Flame, sends Dan Fung to avenge herself against the Phantom and retrieve the Holy Flame's Yang counterpart, which will give Jing Yin great power.  This sets the stage for a series of battles like you wouldn't believe between Wan Tien Sau, Dan Fung, Jing Yin and Monster Yu, Monster Yu's impetuous young apprentice Duan, Golden Snake Boy, the wacky Eight Righteous Clans, and Juan Er's Mighty Finger.

I just don't know what to think about this movie.  It's like taking an acid trip on a rollercoaster.  I'd call it cartoonish, but I doubt if even Tex Avery ever made a cartoon with such a breakneck pace and rapid-fire editing, nor such a dizzying, non-stop bombardment of bizarre images. 

Director Tony Liu Jun-guk couldn't be less concerned with how realistic the wirework is, which doesn't matter anyway because characters continuously zip around all over the place in fast-motion like a bunch of flying speed freaks.  In addition to this is the precision fight choreography that is quite impressive, and lots of colorful FX animation.

The characters also display a wonderful variety of super-powers.  The Phantom's main weapon is his "Ghostly Laugh"--he sits crosslegged and convulses with broad, forced laughter, creating a deadly cyclone all around him which terrifies Jing Yin and Monster Yu until they learn how to make their ears close up by themselves. 

In return, they attack with the horrific Bone Incineration By Fire and Merry-Go-Round techniques.  Wan Tien Sau is able to make his Devil Sword fly around as though he were operating it with an invisible remote control.

Blaring music and an endless cacophony of sound effects bombard the viewer along with the freakish visuals.  One of the best sequences is when a 1,000-year-old corpse, which Lam May Heung brought home from a trip out West, comes to life spouting English phrases such as "I KILL YOU!" and, sure enough, decides to kill him. 

Another is Wan Tien Sau's search for the Holy Flame inside the Moon Cavern, where he's attacked by cool cartoon ghosts and giant Chinese text that pops off the floor and flies around trying to do him in.

From the moment this utterly kooky film bursts out of the gate it just doesn't stop, plunging headlong through a rapid-fire succession of breathtakingly off-the-wall scenes until the hilarious conclusion.  Possibly the downright nuttiest movie I've ever seen, ever, HOLY FLAME OF THE MARTIAL WORLD is funny, exciting, stupefying, and wonderfully endearing.

Read our review of the SHAW BROTHERS COLLECTION VOL.II

HOLY FLAME OF THE MARTIAL WORLD -- Movie Review by Porfle

THE SHADOW BOXER (aka Tai Chi Chuan) 1974

since this is my first post here, I hope it's adequate.

this is an interesting early 70s Shaw Brothers movie. I had never heard of it until seeing it here. the kung fu used here is actually tai chi, which predates the more traditional kung fu styles.
however, not much of the fighting actually looks like tai chi. Tai chi can be a devastating martial art, but here, without the expert guidance of master choreographer Lau Kar Leung, all of our participants and just throwing punches, blocks and kicks without any regard to the style.

good thing in this movie one really doesn't need much more than that, as it's a story of an evil boss exploiting his workers and then our heroes go out for revenge when they've had all they can take and can't takes no more!

I did not recognize any of the actors, other than the lovely Shih Szu. but they all do a fine enough job here, including the hero Ku Ting, played by Wo-fu Chen. while they may not have had any particular training, they all throw themselves into the fight scenes with gusto, and I am sure more than one of them had injuries.

too bad it doesn't have an English dubbed track, but the picture looks great. definitely worth a look to see an internal martial arts style at work. sort of.

Buy it at Amazon.com

THE SHADOW BOXER (aka Tai Chi Chuan) 1974

Revenge of the Shaolin Master by Martin

Can anyone name a movie that Yuen Woo Ping is involved in that contains nothing less than superb action choreography? The man’s name was in the 70s Kung fu movie boom synonymous with great martial arts action, and now there is no difference. This reviewer, as a great fan of Yuen and his brothers Yuen Cheung Yan, Yuen Hsin Yee and Yuen Yat Chor, was very surprised and pleased to find out about the film Revenge of the Shaolin Master. A 1978 Taiwanese production, its fight choreographers are credited as Yuen Woo Ping and Yuen Cheung Yan. While this is not surprising in itself as at the time the two brothers were working in Taiwan and Hong Kong together as a team, the main actor cast as lead certainly is. This is none other than Dorian Tan Tao Liang (aka Delon Tan, Delom Tan and my fave variation Delon Tanners) one of the most well-regarded kickers and indeed Martial Artists ever to grace the screen. Tan was peaking at this time, dividing it between Taiwanese and Hong Kong productions, with other classics such as The Hot, The Cool and the Vicious and The Himalayan. The Yuen clan, though yet to begin work on Woo Ping directed movies, were proving their action directing and stuntmen talents to all and sundry with movies such as Born Invincible and Broken Oath. The pairing of choreographers and star set me salivating, and to my fellow Kung Fu movie cohorts I am pleased to say: This one don’t disappoint.

There are few old skool movies whose consistency of action is constant and thrilling. Secret Rivals 2 springs to mind, as does Dance of the Drunk Mantis. Both choreographed by Yuen Woo Ping, of course. Revenge of the Shaolin Master, by virtue of its non-stop high quality action, is in that elite class. The ability to conceive of a plot and narrative that allows for constant action is a tough ask.

As anyone familiar with Hong Kong and Taiwanese cinema of the late 70’s knows, the idea of script re-writes did not cross film-makers minds. In many productions the plot was made up as the shoot went on. This means the action in quality productions grew organically out of the plot, with a feeling of cohesion and outcome of characters actions meaning they must fight. The problem with this is that it can be a hit and miss affair, as plotlines can suffer and formula is relied on. Unfortunately this is the case to an extent with Revenge of the Shaolin Master, but it has the talent on show to rise above it.

The film begins with Tan playing an upright man Lin Chan Hu, who has the task of escorting food and money to refugees across the border, by order of the magistrate. They are ambushed by bandits, and the goods are stolen. The Chief of the town Chi Chu (played by the creepy Choi Wang) comes to the conclusion that Chan Hu has set up the ambush, and he is captured but released for lack of evidence soon after. Meanwhile Chan Hu’s father dies of old age, and an inspector working for Chin Chu, Sha (played by Taiwanese actor/martial artist Chiang Fu Jian) encounters Chan Hu’s sister, Feng Yi (Lau San). It is revealed that Sha and Chan Hu have friends in common in the shape of an old uncle, and the two meet there in the midst of a fight with Chin Chu’s men. Chan Hu is eventually captured again and witnesses the murder of his mother and fianceė by Chin Chu. He escapes thanks to Feng Yi. Chan Hu and Sha discover that Chin Chu and his brother (played by the ever-excellent Lung Fei) were setting up Chan Hu and they are both taken to a desolate beach. They must fight to the death to discover who is the better fighter. Chen Sing’s cameo is at this point, as the Marshall, and what a cameo it is. Watch the shock ending to find out what’s next! The twists and turns of the plot are evident, and at times obvious, but engaging.

Joe Law Chi, a veteran director in the Kung Fu genre, directs the film. He has a reasonable ability to weave plotlines around the action, but his directorial style at times is not suited to the subject matter. The screen seems to go dead at times without the action, and he also directed the roundly derided Invincible Kung Fu Trio, known to be one of the worst Kung Fu films involving major stars ever made. However, there are some nicely framed shots and good uses of crash zooms between cuts and scenes. What really impresses is the way the action is integrated into a complex plot, and the build up of rage which Tan’s character feels reflecting in the fights.

At this time the Yuen clan’s ability to film intricate old skool action was at its peak, and here we get an unbelievable mix of leg techniques, open hand kung fu and weaponry. The rhythm and tempo of the fights is up there with the best, while the editing apart from a couple of shots is not a frame out. Chiang Fu Jian, who plays the inspector, had a short career in movies. His other credits include Thundering Mantis and Shaolin Legend, but here he gets to show off his action chops at an incredibly high level. In his first fight he shows off great arm lock techniques, while in the mid section his spearplay is timed to the second combined with nice legwork, and in the end fight to the death his hand techniques come to the fore with maximum effect. Lau San who plays Tan’s sister also had a short career, with other titles of note including Kung Fu from Beyond the Grave and 18 Bronzegirls From Shaolin (!). Here her martial arts abilities are given a great showcase, and she performs some kick and punch combinations with grace and authority. Choi Wang, a veteran of Shaw Brothers and many other company’s films, is supremely creepy as the main villain and gets a magnificent knock down and drag-out fight with Chiang Fu Jian. To see Chen Sing go into weapon-wielding action with Lung Fei is a joy to behold, if the fight is a little on the short side.

Now to Tan the man. As one of the most prolific performers of the old skool, it is very difficult to pick a best martial arts performance. For me, having seen more than half of his output, this IS his best. Every aspect of his open hand martial artistry is tested to the extreme. In the most complex fight in the film he takes on four spearmen. This scene contains some of the most fancy footwork ever seen on screen, including Tan’s logic-defying ability to keep his left leg of the ground for up to a dozen kicks. The criticism of Tan not using his right leg much is supported by the movie, but in some moves he finishes off the opponent beautifully with his right. The end battle contains powerful examples of his hand forms and exceptional bootwork. In most of his films there is no concentration on his hands, but here we get combinations of them and his legendary legwork. Its all testament to the genius of the Yuen Clan, to make mercurial Martial Arts movies which stand the test of time.

Revenge of the Shaolin Master is exactly what old skool greatness is all about; a movie with an understandable plot and action scenes of the highest quality that never fails to entertain, no matter how many times you watch. The Taiwanese locations are very easy on the eye, especially the opening scenes among the mountains and the ending on a desolate beach surrounded by crags. Despite the soundtrack being typically unoriginal, it adds drama to a number of scenes. The majority of the cast, in Martial Art terms, never looked this good in other productions and Tan the man is at his supreme best. While the Yuen clan and Woo Ping in particular would go on to bigger and better things, in terms of pure choreography this is up there with classics such as Legend of a Fighter. A must for fans of any of the aforementioned persons.

Revenge of the Shaolin Master by Martin

We're back! Martin Reviews Shaolin Plot With Sammo Hung

Once in a while a classic movie crops up that has somehow slipped under the radar, for some unknown reason. One such movie is Shaolin Plot. If you are a dedicated searcher for old skool Kung Fu flicks, you will not be disappointed with this discovery. The personnel involved immediately point it towards the majestic. Directed by Huang Feng in 1977, This was one of the journeyman directors last self directed films. Anyone who is familiar with Sammo Hung's early action choreographer days should know the name Huang Feng. A veteran director who began his career in the late fifties as a writer, Huang turned his hand to Martial arts films in the late sixties with the Angela Mao starrer Lady Whirlwind. At this time Sammo was choreographer extraordinaire, having just worked on King Hu's Palme D'or winning masterpiece A Touch of Zen. Huang Feng took the young Sammo under his wing, and Sammo action directed almost of his output up to 1977 and Shaolin Plot. This series of films are regarded very highly, with many of them breaking new ground for martial arts cinema. Films such as Hapkido and When Taekwondo Strikes introduced new styles of screen fighting, while establishing Angela Mao as the number 1 femme fatale lady warrior.

The Shaolin Plot, while not being as well known as a title such as Hapkido, is certainly up there with them in all departments. The film begins at a good pace, with the evil intent of mastermind baddie Chen Sing put to the fore. A veteran of hundreds of 70's kung fu films, Chen here displays all of his villainous presence alongside his extremely powerful martial artistry. In the opening scenes Sammo's Lama villain is superbly introduced with his penchant for strange weaponry i.e. flying cymbals that decapitate! The plot moves at a breakneck pace at first, with Chen's Chinese general character Dagalen looking to gain access to all martial arts manuals from around China, at whatever cost. Cut to our main hero James Tien as a Wu Tang fighter who attempts to save the Wu Tang manual, but fails and escapes to by chance to a wandering Shaolin Monks home. He is trained in the Shaolin style, With which he can counter Dagalen's attacks. Meanwhile Dagalen attempts to raid Shaolin for the ultimate prize; the Shaolin martial arts manual. Just as he has reached his goal the Wu Tang fighter discovers him, and Dagalen retreats to his palace. Both the Shaolin Monks and the Wu Tang fighter join forces to crush this most cunning of foes.

While the plot contains formulaic elements such as the training of the Wu Tang fighter and the disguise of Dagalen to infiltrate the Shaolin Temple, there are lots of developments and surprises in relation to character. For instance the mid section concentrates on Dagalen and his infiltration of the Shaolin temple and is filmed in an almost pseudo-documentary style; this allows the viewer to relate to the ends to which Dagalen will go to achieve his goal. Dagalen pretends to be deaf and mute and on the run to infiltrate the Temple, and observes the rituals of the monks. Here the audience is invited to identify with Dagalen in his deed, as the presentation is of him adapting to the life of the Monks. While this is intriguing, it is a deviation in tone from the earier and later parts of the film. As Dagalen reveals his disguise the build up of the mid section loses its impetus, as he is presented as the formulaic villain. However, this is an interesting aside to an otherwise familiar approach to old skool Kung Fu. In this part the use of location is superb, with some long tracking shots taking in the Temple buildings. The production values are pretty decent considering the year. The change of pace in the middle and differing style is a bit jarring, especially to those who like their movies fast and furious. However, to those who like their action fast and furious and delivered by the best, this is one to savour.

At this time in his career, Sammo was producing nothing less than faultless old skool action, and this is no exception. The opening battle between Kam Kong as the renegade Monk and Sammo and his minions is superb, with Kam showing off his bootwork to great effect. As the plot progresses Chien Yuet San (always an underrated actor and martial artist) performs superb spearplay backed up by razor sharp editing, while Sammo holds court. After the aforementioned middle section things really hot up, with one name most aficionados will know appearing in his first screen role: Casanova Wong.

This Taekwondo expert was spotted by Sammo and immediately thrust into the limelight. . Anyone who has seen Warriors Two or The Master Strikes can attest to Casanova's boot prowess, but here arguably his greatest work resides. First his combination kicking when fighting Tien is superb, which leads up to the end battle, and then his brief encounter with Sammo ends magnificently.

It is the ending wherein the all star martial cast really get to shine. First Tien battles Dagalen in Tien's best martial art performance ever, but it is up to the two monks Casanova AND Kwon Young Moon to vanquish there foe. This pairing of two of the jade screens greatest kickers does not disappoint, even though Kwon does not perform his usual array of fantastic kicks. That role is left to Casanova, and Sammo obviously knew he was up to the task. In one shot he fires off seven kicks to head and body, lightning fast without his foot touching the ground! Chen Sing's brute force and clinical style is given a supreme showcase, with some of his hand forms reaching very intricate heights. During all of the fights the camerawork is fluid, catching all of the moves superbly. As in most old skoolers it is the long takes which are most important, with up to 30 moves in a take, and Sammo really pushes the casts ablilities to their limit. The editing here adds to the impact immeasurably, with climaxes reached in the action pieced together with superior accuracy. The 70s style sound effects really add to the impact too. In terms of soundtrack there is an unusually good orchestrated score, which in the main has not been used in a thousand movies you've seen before. In the mid section there is some great use of the score, which really adds to the atmosphere.

All in all Shaolin Plot is definitely up there with the best 70's old skool Kung Fu movies, and holds its own against even the best of Sammo Hung's early output, even the masterpiece Magnificent Butcher. It makes for an intersting comparison with Iron Fisted Monk, which was one of the first movies to move away from the po-faced dramatic style of most traditional Kung Fu movies, Shaolin Plot included. Casanova reprises his role in the former film as he battles Sammo in a friendly duel during the credits, while Chen Sing plays a Monk with values at the opposite of his character in Shaolin Plot. Also Chien Yuet San reprises his weapon wielding baddie role. The mid section may split audiences due to its slow pace, but it is an interesting aside juxtaposed with the traditional Kung Fu-ery. All of the cast are on top form, especially Casanova and Chen Sing. While Sammo does not get a huge role here, he really sinks his teeth into it and it is one of his few villainous performances that stand out alongside Broken Oath and Sha Po Lang. This movie lives up to its all star billing, and will not disappoint fans of any of the cast.

DVD review

Company? Hong kong based, there is no English on the box, could be Mei Ah

Box: The cover art is the best thing about this presentation, with some great illustrations and a cool fold out box.

Picture, presentation: Its presented in 235:1 letterboxed version, but is not remastered and the print is pretty aged, but still very watchable

Languages: Cantonese with burnt on English subtitles

We're back! Martin Reviews Shaolin Plot With Sammo Hung

Ten Tigers of Kwantung Review

Ten Tigers of Kwantung Review by Ian Friedman

What happens when you mix all the Venoms (even Wei Pai), Ti Lung, Fu Sheng, Ku Feng, Johnny Wang? Well, you get an amazing asskicking experience. Ten Tigers of Kwantung is as much a tribute to the career of Cheng Cheh as Shanghai 13 and perhaps even more because it was a Shaws film, whilst Shanghai 13 was an independent production. This film contains actors from the early period of Cheng Cheh’s Shaw career, the Venoms, and even the so-called Baby Venom’s. Ten Tigers of Kwantung is a portrait of Cheng Cheh’s work in a broad brush stroke.

The film is certainly uneven to an extent similar to Heaven and Hell and the fact that this project like Heaven and Hell was clearly two different pictures merged into one. The film has often been criticized for a use of flashbacks to help connect the two separate projects, but I feel that it is fairly easy to understand in the version I saw (which was the re-mastered Region 3 version put out by IVL) and if you go in knowing this its not really that bad. The films features some great fights, both in terms of how they are choreographed and the match of the combatants. Its very interesting getting to see Ti Lung fighting along with the Venoms. A wide variety of weapons are on display in this film including a giant mermaid statue (which is deadly as hell)! The plot deals with the attempts of the Qing (headed up by Johnny Wang) to catch a Ming rebel (played by the always great Ku Feng) and the consequences of their attempts. The film has one of the two most crazy lead villain deaths ever. They may not be the goriest or bloodiest, but they are ones that will make you jaw drop and really will catch you by surprise. The story is quite brisk and enjoyable and you won’t find yourself fast forward or bored. While there is a lack of character development, one should treat this as a pure action film as opposed to a more character based work by Cheng Cheh. Still that doesn’t mean either film type isn’t great! The final two ending images of the cast really are a testament to the legacy and greatness of what Cheng Cheh achieved at the Shaws. Ten Tigers of Kwantung is highly recommend for its start and action power.

The DVD put out by IVL is pretty good barring some sloppy conversion problems (they is going to be remedied quite soon by Media Blasters) and a pissy 5.1 remix full of lame surround sounds and new effects (a mono version of the track free of these additions should be available on the VCD version). The good new is that fans will be able to see this film in Region 1 via Media Blasters. This version will contain mono sound, and a remastered English dub and more than likely some great extras. This is why I strongly caution people to avoid junk releases by PanMedia. The elements used to source there English dub mostly comes from old VHS tapes, even when synced to newer video. If fans really can’t wait to hear a dubbed version they are advised to trade for copies of it. In fact most PanMedia releases come from fan re-dubs. There is really no reason not to seek a trade at Kung Fu Cinema’s forums and save the money for legit releases. You can get the legit R3 via HK FLIX at this link

http://www.hkflix.com/xq/asp/filmID.536108/aid.85597/qx/details.htm

Ten Tigers of Kwantung Review

Morgoth Takes on Undefatable aka The Eyeball Clip on Youtube

Yes, this is THE Undefeatable, one of the best cheesy movies ever made. Godfrey Ho's modern day masterpiece. The acting is beyond horrible, and the way the actors deliver their lines is bound to cause laughter.

The movie starts off with a woman talking to her psychiatrist about her abusive husband Paul. She says Paul used to be a mechanic but has changed since he became a fighter. He fights in death matches and thinks he is undefeatable. Paul is nicknamed Stingray. He gets home one day and sexually abuses his wife. She finally leaves him and Stingray goes crazy. He starts kidnapping any woman that has a flower dress and red hair like his wife. The cops start to take notice after finding the women dead. There are a lot of clues, but these cops are not the brightest people. Ray Niam, an unknown actor to me, plays the cop that is investigating the murders.

Cynthia Rothrock is a gang member who fights on the street to earn money. She has a job as a waitress but needs the extra money to pay for her sister's college tuition. Her sister just so happens to have red hair and wears a flower dress. She is kidnapped and killed, and Rothrock teams up with the cop to take down the killer.

The fight scenes are not too bad. Stingray is hilarious. He is very muscular, kind of looks like Michael Douglas, and has a crazy mullet fro thing going on. His acting is so bad that he comes across as being mentally handicapped. He is not believable at being scary, but he is still a lot of fun to watch. His movements are very akward and his facial expressions had me bursting out with laughter.

The first fight scene introduces Ray Niam as the cop. This guy is a horrible actor. He never shows any emotion, and his acting performance is actually funny because you can tell he is trying his hardest, yet he does everything wrong. So the first fight has him taking out 2 goons who are robbing a convenience store. This fight is pretty good, but only about 10 seconds long. Ray Niam does some good handwork and takes out both guys quickly.

Next fight has Rothrock fighting a rival gang member. The fight itself is decent, but what is going on around the fight is much more interesting. The audience starts clapping and stomping a concrete wall in a rhythmic beat. Godfrey Ho really knows how to set the mood.
Next fight has Stingray killing some guy and kidnapping his girlfriend. Nothing special about this fight. It's too short, and the actor who plays Stingray doesn't seem to know what choreography is. He does his own thing. There is an nice stunt at the end of the fight, but that's it.

Then Rothrock has another planned fight. She goes up against a big guy who wears football pads and charges at her like a football player. Rothrock kicks him a few times and beats him easily. Somehow Stingray spots the football player and his girlfriend going home from the fight with Rothrock. The girl is wearing a flower dress and has red hair so Stingray goes over to their trailer and beats the guy up. But he doesn't take the girl. I think Godfrey Ho just forgot. This fight is over quickly. The football player is so bad he actually makes Stingray look good with a few of his punches.

In the next scene Stingray sees Rothrock's sister with her red hair and flower dress. This is one of the better fights of the movie, but too short only lasting about 30 seconds. Stingray looks tough and there is a good stunt.

Now that her sister is dead, Rothrock tries to find the killer by challenging gangs to fights. She goes up against an eagle claw performer. I like the idea of having the eagle claw guy wear actual claws, but the choreography is only average.

The next guy Rothrock challenges is not bad. They have a good fight but it is cut too short and turns into a bad group fight. There are a couple good stunts but the choreography is slow.
The final fight is Stingray vs the cop. This is as bad as fight choreography gets. These guys do not work well together. There is no chemistry and none of their attacks look believable. The cop is always putting his hand up to block kicks and punches before Stingray even attacks. Midway through they decide to take off their shirts for some reason. I guess Godfrey Ho was hoping the audience would look at the guys chests instead of the terrible fight that is going on. So the fight is bad, but very funny.

If you are a hardcore fighting fan, then this will disappoint. If you like really cheesy movies then you will love this. The final scene may just be the best scene in the movie. Rothrock decides to enroll all of her gang member friends into college. So is Rothrock going to college? She says no, but the cop already enrolled her. That sneaky dog.
2/5

Morgoth Takes on Undefatable aka The Eyeball Clip on Youtube

A New Member Joins HKCFN!

Ron aka Morgoth will be a new staff reviewer here at HK and CULT FILM NEWS. You may know Morgoth from his posts at Kung Fu Cinema's Kung Fu Fandom Forum or from his more than 900 plus reviews at Amazon (and no that is not a exaggeration in the least). Ron, brings a passion for old school kung fu coupled with a knowledge of its cast and crew that will help HK and CULT FILM NEWS evolve even more in its goal to be one of the top HK sites around.

A New Member Joins HKCFN!