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| Challenge Of The Masters (1976) Directed by: Lau Kar Leung |
A loving portrait of the very young Wong Fei-Hung (this time portrayed by Gordon Lau, in his first starring role) by Lau Kar Leung. The legend of the Chinese folkhero does sit close to the heart and mind of Lau as his father Lau Charn was a student of Lam Sai-Wing, one of the famous students of the real Wong Fei-Hung. For Challenge Of The Masters therefore, Lau doesn't set out do a martial arts extravaganza with the emphasis on revenge plotting and bloodshed (in fact, Lau kept the gore pretty subdued in his films compared to Chang Cheh). Instead, there lies poignant martial arts philosophy in this narrative that could've entered cheesy territory easily but with such a strong connection to Wong Fei-Hung and Hung Fist in Lau, it's no wonder the film comes off so well. This characterization of the young Wong is also compelling as he, as all do, is searching for something or somewhere to belong and it's that path he begins walking in his training with Lu Ah Tsai (wonderfully anchored by Chen Kuan-Tai). Lau's choices may disappoint genre fans as the structure of Challenge Of The Masters doesn't always follow laid down rules, especially in regards to the climactic fight BEFORE the final reel. Sure there's rivalry between martial arts schools and training sequences but the tone set is different due to the mentioned themes. When it does deliver action, combining hand to hand combat, weapons and a sport scenario not unlike the opening reel of Dragon Lord, it's simply terrific and exhilarating. Once again Lau also proves that when he steps in front of the camera as well, the most magic happens, and his fights with brothers Lau Kar Wing and Gordon Lau is classic martial arts cinema. Both from a choreographing viewpoint and thematically. Perhaps the dramatic storytelling qualities Chang Cheh had carried over in some shape of form to Lau Kar Leung? Nonetheless, Challenge Of The Masters ranks as one of Lau's finest in terms of impact on the viewing audience. Lily Li, Ricky Hui, Fung Hark On, Wong Yu co-stars plus many recognizable faces out of Hong Kong cinema flash by. Buy the DVD at: |
| The Challenger (1979) Directed by: Eric Tsang |
Working his way up the ranks by assisting the likes of Sammo Hung on Enter The Fat Dragon, Eric Tsang made his directorial debut in the old school martial arts vein with The Challenger (also known as Deadly Challenger). An effort more known thanks to the better reunion movie the year after (The Loot), problematic Tsang's direction may be but it gives way eventually to some astounding martial arts. Basically teaming up a thief (David Chiang) driven by money and Norman Tsui's character driven by revenge, unfortunately the film is also driven by tedious direction favouring grating genre-comedy. What Tsang does right however is mostly letting the fights play out at a high class level always rather than inserting pratfalls or Dean Shek into the choreography. But thoroughly rockin' the film becomes during the second half as the magical duo of Chiang, Tsui and baddie Phillip Ko deliver incredibly fluid and detailed choreography under the direction Chik Ngai-Hung (who also worked on The Loot) and Huang Ha. Especially Ko cements his legendary status. Tsang does definitely have playtime cinematically (as seen in a flashback done in the style of a silent movie) but The Loot showcased the better wit and therefore also showcases the growth of the filmmaker. Debut-wise, Tsang does give us classical martial arts cinema overall. Also with Lily Li. Buy the DVD at: |
| Challenge The Ninja (1986) Directed by: Godfrey Ho |
TROY'S REVIEW: Bruce Baron and Pierre Tremblay from the incomparable Ninja Champion once again team up in this similarly entertaining effort from everyone's favourite hack master Godfrey Ho. In this crazy entry, Baron plays good cop, and ninja to boot, Mark who is desperately trying to bring down the evil black ninjas. Unbeknownst to Mark however, his own boss Dickie (Tremblay) is in fact the head of the criminal organization. Intercut into this tale is another story featuring Billy, a young man who after witnessing his family brutally slaughtered at the hands of a ruthless gang, decides to take revenge. This is where it gets a tad more complex however as our Godfrey attempts (with minimal success) to join the two tales together. According to this version, Mark employs Billy to locate the head of the gang, a somewhat portly chap going by the name of The Red Devil (so called as he wears a rather garish looking red shirt with white tassels all over it). Ostensibly, the logic of this plot contrivance is that if Billy can track down the aforementioned gang leader, it will in turn lead Mark to discover the true identity of the leader of the black ninjas... Yes, it makes very little sense to me too. But let us not dwell on such inconsistencies. Ney, let us instead revel in the numerous, hilarious scenes on offer in this which include Billy being "attacked" by a "vicious" dog which is so obviously not interested in the actor that it has to be literally thrown at him! Also brace yourself for the nail biting climax in which a little kid called Tommy finds himself hanging perilously over the edge of a vast cliff. Or at least that what we're expected to believe. In fact, the cliff is clearly a gentle incline of about five feet! Damn, the kid could have easily walked up it! Best of all though is a scene near the start where we see a ninja mugging a business man in a public park and reliving him of a suitcase full of diamonds. Mark just happens to be nearby and saves the day by transforming himself into a flying stick (!) which then trips over the fleeing ninja thief. A sword battle subsequently ensues (with Mark now back in human form), with Mark the clear victor. The very best bit is the response of the defeated ninja who in an riotous scene of overacting, declares to Mark, 'You're a damn good ninja!' Indeed. Also known as Challenge Of The Ninja. |
| The Champion (1973) Directed by: Yeung Jing-Chan |
KENNETH'S REVIEW: A basher from the vault at Shaw Brothers that right now seems destined to not ever come out in remastered form. In all honesty, that's a shame in itself but there are other flicks of the same fate that TRULY deserves the better one. Chin Han (not the one starring in many Taiwan romances and Center Stage) plays Lo Fu who returns to a home town in ruins. Parents dead, martial arts school closed down and his brother (Lung Fei) on a power rampage. Only option is to fight and at times beside the female heroine of the piece, played by Shih Szu. The movie seems tailored after a Jimmy Wang Yu vehicle a la The Chinese Boxer but is not Wang Yu-clichéd. It carries the genre staples rather. There's grit in Chin Han, solid ferocity (Shih Szu's comes off as poor and good, from scene to scene) and the biggest genre staple of them all, the rehabilitating training sequence turns out to be the best one The Champion offers up. My weakness personally are for such scenes. Also known as Shanghai Lil And The Sun Luck Kid. |
| The Champions (1983) Directed by: Brandy Yuen |
Amusing soccer-comedy that Stephen Chow no doubt drew inspiration from when making Shaolin Soccer. Yuen Biao is charming and sympathetic as Lee Tong, the country bumpkin who makes it as a soccer player, and inadvertedly causes physical harm to most people he encounters throughout the film. Brandy Yuen's direction isn't thoroughly even though and the movie becomes darker than it really needs to be in a few places. Other than that, The Champions is suitable family entertainment and the Yuen Brother's soccer choreography is done and performed with flair. Also starring Cheung Kwok-Keung Dick Wei and in a good supporting role as Lee Tong's uncle, Eddy Ko. Deltamac now owns the rights to the film but has so far only made it available on vcd. Their flow of releases sadly seems to have stopped dead at the time of writing and they're instead concentrating on their High Definition line of remasters of Hong Kong cinema classics. Hopefully somewhere along the line, smaller movies like The Champions will get the same deluxe treatment or at least a cheaper re-issue. Previous rights holder Megastar produced a dvd but never got round to releasing that in Hong Kong. Pioneer however distributes that Megastar release in Japan and it's the only in print dvd alternative now if you want the Cantonese language track. Buy the VCD at: |
| Changing Partner (1991) Directed by: Andy Chin |
Short but sweet romantic comedy that comes out on top thanks to a good double act by Anthony Chan and Sandra Ng. Law Gam-Fai wrote Dr. Lamb the same year and he proves not only a contrast in his work but a genuine feel for a simple sincerity. That is then competently handled by director Chin, resulting in a much painless 80 minutes of whacky fun and expected sentiments. Which is more than I ever expected from this effort to tell you the truth. Also with Michael Chow, Carrie Ng, Kenneth Tsang and Alfred Cheung. Buy the DVD at: |
| The Chase (1971) Directed by: Wong Tin-Lam |
KENNETH'S REVIEW: Master swordsman Shih (James Tien) carries with him the red sword that he has to bring to Han I Chu (Tang Ching) in order to find out the secret behind his father's death. Along the way he is followed, attacked and everyone seems to have a craving for the sword that in Shih's hands is fast as lightning. Director Wong Tin-Lam tells slowly, possibly a bit too slowly before the plot-secrets starts to become revealed. In a quite stagy Golden Harvest production, he is definitely aided by his true collaboration, in every sense of the word, with action director Chen Kuan-Tai. Elevating the narrative with exciting one on one skirmishes and exciting one vs. hundred-battles, in its crude format there's still room for clever stylistic touches. Main one being the lack of a a glimpse for us of the fast sword, done through sharp editing and capped insanely well in the finale. Director Wong himself manages to even hold viewer interest through massive exposition in the latter half and despite a less than stellar cast on board to embody all of this, The Chase is involving and unusually engaging for a twist-heavy piece. Maria Yi co-stars. |
| Chase A Fortune (1985) Directed by: Liu Wai-Hung |
Newspaper photographer Sunflower (Liu Wai-Hung, also director) gets thrown off a high railing on a commercial shoot by famed boxer Tiger Dog Bruce Lee (Wong Ching) after being mistaken for a triad attempting to make the boxer lose an upcoming fight. While at the hospital, Sunflower's cousin (Danny Lee) hatches a plan to fake a paralyzed state in Sunflower in order to get a great, big chunk of money from the insurance company. Riddled with guilt, Tiger Dog even hassles Sunflower to the point that he's taken on board as a maid... What starts out as a glimpse of what rival reporters and photographers get up to transforms into a fully predictable tale of greed, humanity and the destructive effect the former has on a life, in this case Tiger Dog's. Liu Wai-Hung's only directorial job, he's being straightforward about his goals and Chase A Fortune is merely a semi-wacky time with 80s Hong Kong cinema. Something you'd rather have over much else but the film grows a few notches during the boxing finale as Liu manages to find some meaning in the friendship between his character and Tiger Dog. Wong Kar-Wai wrote the screenplay while Charlie Cho, Lung Tin-Sang, Parkman Wong, Joh Chung and Billy Lau turns up in the cast. |
| Chasing Girls (1981) Directed by: Karl Maka |
Being one of the founders of Cinema City, Dean Shek could also put himself into more personally flattering roles that any other company would hesitate at doing. In one of their earlier productions, Shek plays Robert, returning home from America, afro and all, to find himself a wife (a plot device echoed in his own directed The Perfect Wife?! in 1983). Time to live up to the movie title, team up with Eric Tsang and get a pink car but along the way, the girls are also chasing, in particular Fa (Nancy Lau)... There has to be some form of redemption handed out to any movie where Dean Shek keeps his face almost always in normal mode throughout. Chasing Girls represents one of those slightly less obnoxious acts and the various skits along the way with Eric Tsang reveals a decent comic chemistry. This is why Chasing Girls surprises but director Karl Maka clearly hasn't got enough material for a feature as he reprises the same scenario between Fa and Robert while also inserting an overlong car chase towards the end. Also starring Flora Cheung while Karl Maka and Sammo Hung appear in cameos. |
| Cheap Killers (1998) Directed by: Clarence Fok |
Hitmen and sworn brothers Sam Cool (Alex Fong) and Yat-Tiu (Sunny Chan) decide to take down their own boss but end up being the hunted. Along the way, Yat-Tiu has been sleeping with Ling (Kathy Chow) and killed off her husband Ma (Ku Feng). However taking women along for the ride or caring for them at all is not his game but many of these principles fail miserably in one swift blow. Ling betrays Yat-Tiu, has Western henchmen rape him and that sends him into a life of madness and addiction (a not so subtle connection between this and John Woo's Bullet In The Head DOES exist). Loyal brother Sam Cool, who is also a father, takes care of him while in hiding where also a possible alliance with a young cop (Stephen Fung) is forming. Wong Jing produced and scripted excess with quite the perfect candidate beside him to bring it out visually: Clarence Fok (Naked Killer). Echoing the themes and bloody violence of 80s/early 90s heroic bloodshed cinema, Cheap Killers at the same time takes quite an exaggerated stance that acts as homage and parody at the same time. A literally hot frame and ridiculously over stylized scenes of the lustful infatuation between Sunny Chan's Yat-Tiu and Ling (Alex Fong may bring the subtle class to the material but Kathy Chow shines of lust and danger), this is the work of someone who knows this is corny material so why not make it fun to look at. Almost making the film resemble a comic book come to life during some of the more gory scenes (the most genius piece of design is the lead characters wearing white), it's well done spice sprinkled evenly throughout the production. It's quite impossible to take it seriously as a brotherhood drama though and although intentions might've been different, an outrageous silly time with a cinema long gone but done in the late 90s is what the team of Wong Jing and Clarence Fok brings us. That counts a whole lot more in the whole scheme of things. Co-starring Henry Fong. Buy the DVD at: |
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