Half a Loaf of Kung Fu

I've said it before, I'll say it again: I think Jackie Chan's pre-Drunken Master movies are pure gold. Not for the same reasons that make'Drunken Master' and following movies gold, but gold nonetheless. 'Half a Loaf of Kung Fu' is rather gold. I swear, the more the 70s kung-fu movies I watch, the easier it becomes to watch them, and the more I like them and wish to seek out more. Now there's a scary thought...

I missed the name of Chan's character here. In fact, I missed most, if not all, of the character's names in this movie. Actually, I missed most of the plot too. Actually... Plot? What plot? I still can't figure out what this was actually about, and there no identifiable threads running in the plot other than the evil-witch and the treasure she wants to steal.

'Half a Loaf of Kung Fu' is very funny movie, and I'm sure Chan was trying to spoof kung-fu films. It probably would have worked had other kung-fu movies of the time not been sillier that 'Half a Loaf...' in the first place. The fight scenes are credible enough to maintain interest when the plot-apparent lags. 'Half a Loaf...' does drag on a bit at times, especially when it just gets to ridiculous. It probably could have been shorter, and much more entertaining for it.

It isn't the best of 70s kung-fu movies, but it is by no means the worst. Jackie Chan fans might get a kick out of this, as would others looking for something to laugh at - 6/10

Jackie is finally given creative control under the constraints of Lo Wei and here's the result: an early key to the new direction which sees Chan clowning about in his own distinct fashion, less Bruce Lee and more Charlie Chaplin, ridiculing the stifling pictures that were forced onto him at the same time as sending up the genre as a whole. Straight from the slapstick titles we know what we're in for; Chan perfecting his underdog happy-go-lucky character that would later make him such a huge star. Yet like all beginnings, HALOKF isn't a polished piece, certainly dragging in places with the Lo Wei influence still clearly evident (namely in the souped-up story concerning the transportation of sacred treasures the Evergreen Jade and the Soul Pill, much in demand by nasty bandits). Lo Wei's reaction was open detest resulting in the picture being shelved, only to be given a successful theatrical release after Chan had finally re-defined the kung fu movie.

"Jackie Chan plays the part of Jiang, an orphan who is neither good in the literary nor the martial arts. Nevertheless, he's a happy-go-lucky fellow with an amiable personality. Saintly beggar Mao, who was a Kung Fu Master, is impressed by Jiang's earnest demeanor and takes Jiang in as a student. Liang joins the Sern Chuan Bodyguards, who have been entrusted with the task of escorting the priceless Evergreen Jade to safekeeping. Outnumbered by an army of ruthless highwaymen, the Sern Chuan sustain heavy losses during their long and grueling journey. Undaunted, Jiang refuses to admit defeat, and with only the spirit of Mao to guide him, singlehandedly defeats the enemy horde."

I don't blame Jackie Chan for finding a new contract after this movie. In the movie, his name was misspelled as 'Jacky Chan'.

Best Quote: "It's my Kung Fu. It's no good for anything, except laughs."

Worst Quote: "If I'm lying to you, then I'm a SOB."

Best New Fighting Technique Introduced: the Concubine

Half A Loaf Of Kung Fu really is an early glimpse at the kung fu comedies that would make JC famous. You can really see that Jackie had influence over this production in both fight choreography and overall tone of the film. The opening sequences is really a highlight of this film and the choreography is solid in the fight scenes. Overall a very enjoyable film and a must for JC fans.

7 Tiny Wooden Dummies out of 10

believe it or not, this was my first chan experiance. i was delighted at how they mixed humor and action. but 15 years later, i rewatched it, only to find it wasnt nearly as good as his newer(or older) films. i would like to take these last few lines to say that Jackie Chan is the man and no one could ever be as good as he is. thank you, and good night.