The Prodigal Son

Excellent period Kung-fu film. It features outstanding Kung-fu scenes, beautiful cinematography, and amusing and clever dialogue.

We follow the "Street Brawler" (Yuen Biao), as he strives to learn martial arts from a master he has selected. The master is reluctant to teach, and the "Street Brawler" must prove his worth somewhat to learn.

Although *slightly* over-plotted, this film has a unique balance of all the important elements one looks for in a Sammo Hung film. The comedy, the innovative and savage Kung-fu, and the unusual dramatic structure.

It is never boring, particularly the start of the film. It is so well made that I could watch at least another hour of this film if it were possible.

Yuen Biao certainly rivals Jackie Chan in this film. It is his second starring role, but it is played with such ability you would never know.

Sure, the ending's a little "syncopated", but the overall effect of this film is too much for any niggling details to harm it. A must-see in this genre.

I cried from laughter at the pair of marbles they put in Yuen's sidekick's mouth to make him look stupid. Go watch every movie you can that has both Yuen Biao and Sammo Hung, I'm going through them as quickly as I can, and I have yet to be disappointed. I particularly recommend "My Lucky Stars" and "Knockaround." In this movie they clearly pay tribute to their Peking Opera heritage (where they and Jackie Chan received their earliest training). Really, these guys made far better movies after Jackie Chan came to America to make unbridled steaming piles of "oh look, I can hurt myself!" I do realize, however, that these movies aren't for everyone. However, if you're even reading this, your interest must be great enough that you've searched out this movie on purpose, in which case, you must go get it.

Review: This is a classic, old school Kung Fu movie with a lot of silly jokes but a dramatic ending. Its about a boy called Leung Chang (Biao Yuen) who things that he's a Kung Fu master because his friends pay people to take his beatings. When he finally comes across someone who is not willing to fall down, he realises that his skills aren't that great and his friends tell him about what they have been doing behind his back. He then seeks training from his opponent, who is reluctant on taking him on as his apprentice. After much persuasion, he finally teaches him Wing Chun, along with his brother who has a different style. When he returns home after some intense training, his master gets murdered by a man who wants to challenge all of the Kung Fu masters, so he steps up to revenge his teacher and friend. Basically it's the old concept of "You Killed My Master" which we have seen many times in this genre but I never get bored of it. Although this film is extremely authentic, with some great action scenes, Sammo Hung's script was quite silly and camp, which was a bit weird for films in this genre in the 80's. I did chuckle at a few scenes, especially the funny English dubbing and it reminded a lot of when I used to watch Kung Fu movies on VHS. Anyway, it's definitely one to have in your collection, if your into your old school karate movies and it's one that I will never get bored of. GREAT!

Round-Up: This movie was directed by Sammo Hung, 63, who brought you movies like Project A, Wheels & Meals, Dragons Forever, Moon Warriors, Evil Cult, Mr. Nice Guy and One Upon A Time in China and America. He's starred in over 160 movies and he's starred in the lead of a successful series called Martial Law, which made him a household name around the world. He has a comedic style, very much like Jackie Chan, who he has starred alongside for many years and he is highly respected in his native country. This movie, which has become an all time classic, pushed him major stardom in the 80's and his chubby stature proved that you can still pull of some amazing moves, no matter what your weight is. He hasn't directed a movie since 1997 but he is still starring in movies like Once Upon A Time in Shanghai and the Last Tycoon. Personally I find his jokes a bit too silly at times, like I did in this film but it still worked. Anyway, the bonus material on the DVD was as interesting as the movie so it's one worth purchasing.

I recommend this movie to people who are into their action/comedy/martial arts movies starring Yuen Biao and Sammo Hung. 7/10

Just a great movie. Never mind the slapstick beginning, when Lam Ching Ying appears as a cross-dressing Chinese opera star, it takes off. (He trained as a Chinese opera singer and used to act as a stunt double for female film stars.) The English dubbing adds rather than detracts, giving him a snide, camp voice. So sad he died young of cancer.

Prodigal Son takes the traditional historical setting and standard kung-fu revenge story and creates an amazing comic masterpiece. If you enjoy Jackie Chan, don't miss this. Even the dubbed version I saw (I usually hate dubbing) worked very well. The final fight is one of the greatest in celluloid history.