Mean Streets of Kung-Fu

Pretty good '70s chop-socky melodrama featuring the personable Barry Chan, otherwise known as Wei Tze-yung (actually credited here as Wai Tze-wen). Star of a number of independently-made kung fu flicks like "The Brave Lion" and "Mantis Combat", Chan had very respectable fighting and acting skills and should have become at least a modest success but, unfortunately, is not widely remembered today. In this film, he plays a virtuous kung fu student framed for the murder of a young woman (part of a larger criminal conspiracy to get his sifu out of the picture and take over the town), and there's no shortage of action as Chan simultaneously battles the bad guys and attempts to prove his innocence to the police. The fights are nicely choreographed by Lam Yue-chuen, and the thunderous, histrionic musical cues will warm the cockles of your heart if you grew up watching USA Network's "Kung Fu Theater". Six and a half stars.

It starts with two guys sparring at a martial arts school as the girl and master observe. The new guy brings the master a token gift and explains he wants to start a school. He says it is up to the committee and refuses the gift. The new guy frames the master for murder and rape.

My copy is a digital file that plays on a HDTV as a square video like the old VHS format. It is dubbed into English.

The story is dumb, the characters are annoying, and the acting is terrible. But what about the fights? That's the question a typical fan of this genre would ask. This movie has a lot of action. Problem is, I would estimate about 80% of the action has no entertainment value. The final fight is a good example of this problem. The two fighters are just hitting and kicking each other over and over again. All the punches and kicks have no effect. The beating continues. It goes on and on and there is nothing interesting about it. Another punch, yawn, another kick, yawn. There are brief moments like when they are up on a ledge to break the monotony but the monotony still overwhelms.