Kung Fu Espresso!!

[Jimbo]

220 - The Five Deadly Venoms (a.k.a., The Five Venoms)

This probably should have been entered in earlier. Although all the actors had appeared in minor roles in earlier Chang Cheh-directed films, this was the movie that propelled Kuo Chui, Lu Feng, Chiang Sheng, Lo Meng, Sun Chien, and to a lesser extent, Wei Pai, into stardom. It's not as off-the-wall as many of their later efforts, and Venoms came and went throughout the following years. It's also unusual because, like Daredevils, it emphasized empty-hand fighting. With the exception of Lo Meng and Sun Chien, the Venoms were generally known for acrobatics and weapons play.

(Opening Scene: includes Lu Feng as "centipede," Wei Pai as "snake," Kuo Chui as "lizard," Sun Chien as "scorpion," and Lo Meng as "toad")

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kX6EHqcvqyo

(End fight; Chiang Sheng, Wei Pai, Kuo Chui, Lu Feng, and Sun Chien)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p2GH-OBg4o0

[Jimbo]

221 - A Fistful of Talons

Billy Chong (a.k.a., Willy Dozan) was an Indonesian star who starred in only a few movies in HK/Taiwan from 1979 to 1983, though he starred/appeared in many films in Indonesia/Malaysia before and after this period. This was his last starring role in HK/Taiwan, although he did make a brief appearance in a later Aces Go Places film around 1989. He remains a star in Indonesia/Malaysia, or at least still was until fairly recently. He had loads of talent and charisma, and it's a shame he wasn't in more HK films. Reportedly, he had tried out for the Wong Fei-Hung role for the first Once Upon A Time in China film, which ultimately went to Jet Li.

The first link is actually a collection of various scenes from the movie. Unfortunately, there are no full clips of the final fight, etc., on youtube yet. I will only say that the lead villain, Hwang In-Shik, did not look as sharp in this film as he did against Jackie Chan in The Young Master and Dragon Lord (see entry #'s 78 and 88). But to be fair, Billy Chong doesn't look as technically sharp as he normally did either, so it's probably Sun Chung's direction. Although it's a much slicker production than Billy's other films were, he wasn't able to show off as many of his skills.

Many in the West would know Hwang In-Shik as the 'karate guy' who both Chuck Norris and Bruce Lee beat down in Way of the Dragon, and as Angela Mao's ally in Hapkido. This was probably Hwang In-Shik's last movie, or at least his last Chinese film. He lives in Toronto and has taught Hapkido there for decades.

If this movie has a Shaw Brothers look and feel to it, it's probably because the director is Sun Chung, and parts of it appear to have been filmed at Shaw Studios, though the bulk of of it was filmed in Taiwan.

(Scene collection: With Billy Chong, Hwang In-Shik, Pai Ying, Liu Hao-Yi, Chiang Tao, Chang Shan, Ma Chin-Ku, Cheng Ki-Ying, Tien Feng, Yang Hsiung, etc.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zIF7gPj1kj8

(Here is a bit more to the very end of the final fight. Billy Chong, Liu Hao-Yi...and an eagle...vs. Hwang In-Shik)

http://youtu.be/TS7QcvpWdUg

[Jimbo]

222 - The Tigress of Shaolin

Starring Lau Ka-Yung and Kara Hui. Lau Ka-Yung is the nephew of Lau Kar-Leung and Lau Kar-Wing.

(Training sequences and end fight; Lau Ka-Yung & Kara Hui vs. Chan Dik-Hak & Tong Kam-Tong)

**end fight begins @ approx. 24:25**

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PwxrxjkmQSU

[mickey]

223- The Invincible Super Chan: Forced to Fight

This flick was an unwelcome introduction to the fantasmagoric aspects of kung fu films to the 42nd audiences in NYC., most of whom were looking for something hardcore serious.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R3d1JDpaZkE


224- The Chinese Mechanic (aka Chinese Dragon), Barry Chan

The promotions that went along with this movie tried to promote Barry Chan as the next Bruce Lee. I remember the marquee saying "Step aside Bruce Lee..." Barry Chan appears more comfortable with the aristocratic sword fighting flicks than he does with unarmed fighting movies. The only exception would be Dragon's Vengeance.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TpkKk...eature=related

225- Three The Hard Way, Jim Kelly

While on the technical level this scene is not epic, people would still be talking about this scene if this music had originally accompanied it. It takes the viewer into a different zone, pulling the viewer into the protagonist's oppressed reality.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5wtS4APtAS4

226- Hero with 9 Dragon Tattoos, Chen Kuan Tai

Chen Kuan Tai portrays one of the characters from Outlaws of the Marsh (Water Margin). This film may have been his first attempt at "comedy" kung fu. Here it is used to portray the immaturity of the character. The original dialect used was a little distracting for me because Chen's character was called Shihtalong and I did not hear the soft "h" sound in Shih. One thing that was unusual appeared to be Chen Kuan Tai's ability to do a lot of independent films. He did not appear to be locked in to one company by contract.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TpFtv...eature=related



mickey

[Jimbo]

227 - Buddha's Palm and Dragon Fist (a.k.a., The Roving Heroes)

(End fight; Chi Kuan-Chun & Li Yi-Min vs. Suen Shu-Pao. End fight begins @ approx. 15:00. But there are so many fights in this last third of the movie alone, the entire clip is worth seeing)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_PY5p-YslM

This movie was one of those independent Taiwan productions that featured even more fighting than the normal old-school KF movie. During Chi Kuan-Chun's post-Shaw Brothers/Chang Cheh period, the movies he was in featured him doing less and less pure Hung Gar-style in his films. Yet he handled it very well indeed. Of course, Li Yi-Min starred in several Taiwan productions after leaving Shaw Bros/Chang Cheh, and seemed to do better in the independent films.

The arch-villain, played by Suen Shu-Pao, was most familiarly seen in movies as the weaselly right-hand lackey to arch-villains, or as a betrayer to heroes, often in non-fighting roles, but got a few chances to play the main bad guy, this being his best. During the golden age of kung fu cinema, it seemed that almost anyone, even those who were usually bit-parters, extras or stuntmen, had an opportunity to have at least one turn in a movie as a leading star, a co-star, or an arch-villain, because the talent pool was so deep at the time.

[Jimbo]

228 - The Crazy Couple

(End fight; Lau Ka-Yung & Dean Shek vs. Lily Li; Lau Ka-Yung & Dean Shek vs. Fung Hark-On)

*end fighting begins @ approx. 15:50)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kq497UEaRRs

The lanky Dean Shek acted in HK movies at least since the early '70s, but gained the most fame as the incompetent senior student who bullied Jackie Chan in Snake in the Eagle's Shadow and Drunken Master. Afterwards, he was cast in many kung fu comedies when they were popular (late '70s/early '80s), often reprising the same types of characters. Though here is one example where he got to be a co-star. His character here can be seen as annoying or funny; I tend to feel the latter, at least in the final fight.

Fung Hark-On (Mandarin: Feng Ke-An) was a veteran of countless KF movies. This was one of those movies where he showed once again that he was indeed arch-villain material, although he usually played lesser roles. In the West and among younger KF movie fans, he may be most recognizable as one of the hired killers in Kung Fu Hustle, and as the Bagua stylist who loses to Donnie Yen in Ip Man 2.

[Jimbo]

I have posted a new link to The Kid From Kwangtung (see entry # 12). This is the entire movie, but I have also listed the points that contain important fight scenes. This was one of, if not the, finest showcases for Hwang Jang-Lee. Hwang is considered by many to be the best kicker in MA cinema history. Not the flashiest, but simply the best, and for good reason. They definitely don't make onscreen KF choreography like these types of movies had anymore.

Yen Shi-Kwan, who plays the monkey/chin na specialist who teaches Wang Yue, may be more recognizable to many in the West as the arch-villains in Jackie Chan's Fearless Hyena (entry #43), The Master Strikes (entry # 26), Iron Monkey with Donnie Yen, and the first Once Upon a Time in China. Although he appeared in a number of old-school movies, starting out as a stunt extra, at least since the early '70s. When he played arch-villains, he was on a level comparable to Hwang Jang-Lee in the movies.

The late Wang Yue, a.k.a., Huang Yu/Wang Yu (not to be confused with Jimmy Wang Yu) first gained fame in Spiritual Boxer (1975), which was probably the first full 'kung fu comedy,' predating Jackie Chan's kung fu comedies by 3 years. He is sometimes criticized as being annoying, or not being skillful enough, but most of the movies he either starred or appeared in were good to very good. I suspect some of the criticism stems from his boyish face, and the fact he was often cast as ne'er-do-wells or conmen. IMO, he displayed a lot more onscreen skills than he was given credit for.

Also, kung fu COMEDY is a very tricky thing. Sometimes it works, and a lot of times it doesn't. Some actors and directors can pull it off better/more consistently than others. For example, this movie has some good comic moments, but it could have done without the hopping corpses scene. And the very last image in the film is downright bizarre, probably one of the weirdest ever, in an era when sudden odd endings were common. Some get angered by it as disrespectful, but just take it for what it is: an oddity probably added for light shock value.

[Jimbo]

229 - Promising Young Boy

(End fight; Collin Chou, {a.k.a., Ngai Sing} vs. Alexander Lo Rei. Also featuring Wong Tao)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZNSZCOZlrnw

This Taiwanese film was Collin Chou's first(?) movie. He is probably familiar to Western viewers in many movies, including the last two Matrix movies, Jet Li's Fearless, Donnie Yen's Flash Point, The Forbidden Kingdom, and DOA: Dead or Alive.

Alexander Lo Rei's most famous role was the lead in Shaolin vs. Lama, along with several other Taiwanese Shaolin and ninja films of the '80s.

[Jimbo]

230 - The Crane Fighter

(End fight; Judy Lee {a.k.a., Chia Ling} & Raymond Lui vs. Kam Kong)

*Whole movie; end fight begins @ approx. 121:40*

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LVYLjPZALoM

231 - Shaolin Chastity Kung Fu (Shaolin Tong Zi Gong)

(End fight; Alexander Lo Rei & others vs. Tang Lung. Also featuring William Yen, Liu Hao-Yi, etc.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hO5CgSa5SiU

This was one of the more unusual Taiwanese KF films. The makers chose a large group of kids who were acrobats or Peking/Beijing Opera students to play the orphans. During the course of the movie, there were some scenes where the monks were teaching the kids Tong Zi Gong that some people (mostly Westerners) found morally questionable, but there was no ill intent involed. A lot of the training sequences were designed to look like some old illustrated manuals.

An image from the poster of this film is visible in a scene from the movie Desperately Seeking Susan, which shows Liu Hao-Yi in a pose.

The villain (Tang Lung) is made to seem almost ridiculously invincible.

[Jimbo]

232 - Shaolin Temple Against Lama

Not to be confused with Shaolin vs. Lama, also starring Alexander Lo Rei. This movie clearly had a lower budget. There is under-cranking that speeds up the action, and the shaky camera in the slow-mo shots seemed to have been done intentionally.

The arch-villain, Alan Hsu (a.k.a., Hsu Chung-Hsin) was a veteran of countless KF films, beginning his career as a stunt extra. As an extra, he was visible very briefly in Enter the Dragon as one of Bruce Lee's attackers in the underground caverns, then later as one of 3 guys (with Phillip Ko and Chan Lung) who escorted John Saxon to the 'killing field' to face Bolo. He was originally a Peking/Beijing Opera performer. KF movie fans in the West probably remember him most as the arch-villains in The 7 Grand Masters, Shaolin Ex-Monk (a.k.a., Renegade Monk), and Last Hero in China.

(End fight; Alexander Lo Rei vs. Li Hsiao-Hua; Alexander Lo Rei vs. Alan Hsu)

*fights begin @ approx. 1:35*

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-CAX...eature=related

[Jimbo]

233 - Two Toothless Tigers

(Wang Lung-Wei vs. Lee Hoi-San)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t9rgfH4sVm0

(Wang Lung-Wei vs. Chung Fa)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4IrNtjLtgVY

(Sammo Hung and Yuen Shun-Yee vs. Wang Lung-Wei. Note: Unfortunately, I couldn't find the complete end fight on youtube. These two links are the best I could find at the moment. Some of the jumping and flying kicks executed by Wang's character were actually doubled by Cananova Wong)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXQVFShAgA8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=awkwQCIs9RM

[Jimbo]

234 - The Inspector Wears Skirts

(End fight; Kara Hui & Cynthia Rothrock vs. Jeff Falcon)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Vg6dldXRiI

[mickey]

235- Hwang Jang Lee Montage: Though not from any one movie, the editing and fantastic hip hop beat made this an official Kung Fu Espresso entry for the jaded. Dang, it kicks a$$!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a8OOl...eature=related


mickey

[Jimbo]

236 - Mismatched Couples (1985)

(Donnie Yen in a breakdancing contest. This was his second film)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Otwxi...eature=related

[Jimbo]

237 - The Lady Assassin

(Pai Piao vs. Tony Liu-Yung)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xkYcWQP5aNo

Although Tony Liu Yung was in many HK productions, he was best-known for being the only actor to appear with Bruce Lee in all four of BL's completed martial arts films, including Enter the Dragon, where he fought John Saxon's character. In this film, he plays the arch-villain.

(End fights. With Liu Hsueh-Hua, Tony Liu Yung, Sun Chien, Yuen Tak, Yang Ching-Ching, Kuan Feng, Hsu Shao-Chiang, etc.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fRXV2O6u6pA