Jimmy Wang Yu and Lo Wei are two of the most important figures in kung fu film history. This lesser known but entertaining entry has a solid story and an awesome finale. It also has some value for fans of today’s Bourne series
I was really hooked on kung fu movies by the time I saw this one. I noticed this one was a little grittier. It had a contemporary setting but the action took place in a very rural area. Most of the time the only thing to see in the background were grass fields. This was my introduction to the lower budget films of the ‘70s. These weren’t the relatively lavish films of the Shaw Brothers. No this one was done on the cheap with available sets. Still I didn’t mind. The plot was very straightforward. In fact it was very western.
A gang of bandits steal money meant to help refugees. Into their camp, apparently in the middle of Angkor Wat, they are interrupted by The Dragon, played by Jimmy Wang Yu. The Dragon steals the money back but is wounded. He takes shelter in a village. As it so happens the bandits have set up a casino near the village. The bad guys cheat the villagers out of their life savings. The Dragon comes to the rescue, using his razor sharp hearing to turn the tables on the crooked game. The villains retaliate by killing the Dragon’s friend and he goes to casino one last time for a showdown.
I didn’t know it at the time but Jimmy Wang Yu was one of the most important figures in kung fu cinema. He’s credited with starring in and directing the first kung fu film to emphasis unarmed combat, The Chinese Boxer. Previously kung fu films had been swordplay movies like Come Drink With Me and its sequel Golden Swallow which also starred Wang Yu. Tattooed Dragon was directed by Lo Wei another important figure. As a director he worked with not only Wang Yu but also Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan.
I doubt Chan has anything nice to say about Lo Wei though. His pictures with the director were pretty forgettable. It was his projects with other studios that made Chan a rising star. The final “divorce” between Chan and Lo Wei was far from amicable. It may or may not have involved Triad members. Bruce Lee too had his problems with Lo. His first two big hits were with him but their success was more due to Lee’s charisma and groundbreaking fight choreography. Wang Yu seems to be the only actor who got along with Lo Wei and they brought out the best of each other as in this film. It’s slow in the middle with the action scenes at the beginning and end. Lo Wei loved gambling as this movie and A Man Called Tiger make clear. Despite this the story is solid, easy to follow and holds up to terrible dubbing.
Also in the cast are a pair who would star in their own action franchise a decade later. Samuel Hui plays the Dragon’s doomed friend and Sylvia Chang plays his girlfriend. Both would go on to star in the comedy action Mad Mission movies also known as Aces Go Places. Ms. Chang enjoyed a very long and diverse career. She became a director and writer herself and continued to act, appearing in Eat Drink Man Woman among other films.
Finally there’s Wang Yu’s fighting. For years it’s been derided by kung fu fans. Bey Logan once said he looked like he was trying to claw his opponents faces off. It’s very true that despite Wang Yu’s athletic background, he was a champion swimmer, that he wasn’t nearly as flexible or as acrobatic as later kung fu stars. He couldn’t kick above waist level and even then he rarely had his leg straight. But he was a Shotokan practitioner so it wasn’t like he didn’t know anything about martial arts. Asian Cult Cinema described his approach as no nonsense and when I viewed this movie again for this post I saw what they meant. He actually through in a lot of rough and tumble, down and dirty moves into his fighting. A lot of elbows, knees, and double strikes. His low kicks he aims at opponents’ knees or else he kicks them when they’re already down. In fact his fighting reminded me a little of Jason Bourne. The fighting in those movies wasn’t meant to be pretty. So in a strange way maybe Jimmy Wang Yu is ready for rediscovery.
If he is I’m glad. For further entertainment here is a review of Jimmy Wang Yu’s Australian epic The Man From Hong Kong, a glorious example of two gonzo filmmaking schools come together.
Next up: Avenging Eagle
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