Kung Fu: The Punch of Death

ej's kung-fu capsule review for films of the chop-socky old-school -

1. basic plot type - Young man coming of age as kung fu hero; 'school vs. school' rivalry to-the-death.

2. plot construction - Very good, among the best from this screen-writer (the ubiquitous I Kuang). Weakened by unexplained lapse in continuity editing towards the end.

3. dramatic - Frequently.

4. funny - Rarely.

5. dialog - Acceptible; clichés kept under control.

6. cast performance - Very good - Meng Fei's performance is among his best.

7. crew performance - Solid.

8. amount of fighting - Plenty.

9. quality of fighting - Very good for the era.

10. special any cast or crew notes - Somewhere between this film and the rest of his career, Meng Fei lost his humility, recapturing it only once for the classic Snuff Bottle Connection.

But here, he's entirely believable, and even demonstrates the character's maturing over time, which lays a solid foundation for the film's themes.

11. big positive - The final fight scene - rapid, strong, violent, and completely in keeping with the characters and themes.

12. big negative - In the scenes immediately leading up to the final fight, continuity gets lost; very distracting.

bottom-line - who should see this movie - It's a solid action film for those who like unarmed combat of any kind.