My 12 Kung Fu Kicks

I'm not a fan of old school Kung Fu films. I have never been able to appreciate the horrible acting, laughable sound effects, and out of sync English dubs in those old films, but my friend grew up watching old school Kung Fu movies in the theater during the 1970s. Browsing through Amazon's prime list of Kung Fu movies we came across this film. We decided to give it a try because it was dubbed in English. He doesn't like subtitles, but subtitles don't bother me since I love to watch lots of foreign films.

I was expected to be bored to death, but surprisingly, I had a good time watching this 1979 film. I don't remember laughing as much watching any other Kung Fu flick as I had with Kung Fu Hustle (2004). But this film had me chuckling throughout the film. It seems the makers of this film were greatly influenced by the funny physical antics of the original The Three Stooges (Larry, Moe and Curly). If you were a fan of The Three Stooges and you love old school Kung Fu movies, this one is up your alley.

The acting and English dubs are horrible, but the comedy made up for that.

MY KUNG FU 12 KICKS is another cheap and derivative kung fu film that's more than indebted to the success of Jackie Chan's SNAKE IN THE EAGLE'S SHADOW and borrows that film's plot and sense of humour. Once again the main characters are slovenly beggars who find themselves used and abused by society in general before they're forced to take up arms against those who oppose them.

This one is a rather undistinguished in terms of cast; the familiar Ku Feng plays in support but I didn't recognise the heroes, although the main one looks like a skinny Bolo Yeung. Much of the running time is occupied by exaggerated comedy antics which have invariably dated, but fun comes to the production in the form of the reliable Lee Hoi San, who is typically great as the master villain of the piece. Inevitably the viewer sits through a lot of time wasting material before he gets to the extended fight climax which doesn't disappoint.

This film adds a sense of humor to the normal Kung-Fu battles as our hero fights in a most unusual and funny manner (something Jackie Chan as well made use of in many films). While the film has the normal revenge motif set-up common in these type of films, it's most bizarre (or possibly due to the atrocious English dubbing) that after the hero's girl gets kidnapped, and worse, she is all but forgotten by the hero at the end as he approaches his climatic showdown with his most talented fighting enemy...it's this problem the film never recovers from. Also it puts a serious damper on the earlier fun.

The incredible Bruce Leung plays a character I can best only describe as the love-child of Bolo Yeung and Jackie Chan... with the look and build of a young Bolo complete with the moves and comedic timing of the latter. I've often thought Bruce Leung as a person is probably an absolute header of a man, and if his role here is anything to go by, I might be right.

Most definitely inspired by Chan's classic kung fu hits (as are many), the film certainly doesn't come close to being the classic that they are, but still entertains with its fights and comedy. Bruce Leung is a great mover, showcasing some fantastic kicks and punches against many opponents. With the first half hour of the film being a bit lacking, things soon pick up after he meets his new masters which quickly leads to a fast training scene so the fights can get started.

From the start, the story focuses on the trio of Bruce, Hon Gwok Choi (a very recognisable face from HK cinema), and Ku Feng (who played Jackie's ill-fated father in Rob-B-Hood). After learning some kung fu from his 3 masters who are training him for their revenge, Bruce soon finds out that his grumpy old friend Ku Feng is hiding a secret... A retired kung fu master himself, Feng starts teaching Leung his unique style of the legendary Ten Dragons.

As the 1 hour mark hits, the training stops and the fighting soon begins! No sooner are things looking up for Leung, when the bad guys kidnap his girlfriend and stick her in a brothel and all hell breaks loose!

A powerhouse fighter and one of the best kickers in HK cinema, Bruce doesn't disappoint when it comes to action. Taking down the bad guys one by one, he soon faces off against Iron Skin, played by the fantastic Lee Hoi San, with some crazy moves and awesome kung fu.

Overall: Might not be anything new regarding storyline, but seeing Bruce Leung in action is worth it!