Fighting Ace (1979)

Fighting Ace (1979)
aka: Kung Fu Ace; Master of Death; Kid’s Ace in the Hole
Chinese Title: 好小子的下一招
Translation: The Next Trick of a Good Boy

 

Starring: John Liu Chung-Liang, Doris Lung Chun-Erh, Han Su, Cliff Ching Ching, Wang Tai-Lang, Kwan Yung-Moon, Li Min-Lang, Wu Ma, Kao Ming, Chin Ti, Yu Chung-Chiu, Ching Kuo-Chung
Director: Chang Chih-Chao
Action Directors: Ricky Cheng Tien-Chi, Wang Chi-Sheng

So here's another in a long line of kung fu comedies that came out in response to the success of Jackie Chan's Seasonal Films (Snake in the Eagle's Shadow and Drunken Master), this time starring superkicker John Liu (Secret Rivals and Ninja in the Claws of the CIA). Unlike a lot of other kung fu comedies, John plays his role completely straight, leaving the comedy to some of his supporting cast, which is good, as I can't imagine the guy acting goofy.

Anyways, we open with two guys fighting. The Bad Guy is fighting another martial artist, who is supposedly in possession of a manual written by the great San Te (Gordon Liu's character from The 36th Chamber of Shaolin). The Bad Guy finally gets his hand on the manual, but not before killing the man and raping (and killing) his wife. Luckily, the Housekeeper and the dead couple's son are able to hide from the guy and finally escape.

Some twenty years later or so, the son has grown up into John Liu, who wanders around with his "uncle" looking for kung fu masters to teach him, so that he may get revenge one day. One day he spots a kung fu master (Kwang Yung Moon, The Loot and Ninja in the Dragon's Den entering the household of a rich guy, whom the latter wants to teach his fat, lazy son. John and his uncle are able to get jobs as servants at the household, in hopes of John being able to study kung fu under the master. Luckily, the rich man's son is such a fat loser that the kung fu master, Master Yen, is more than willing to take John as a student. Master Yen teaches John to be more of a super kicker than he already he is until the rich guy finds out and John is forceed to leave.

So John, his uncle, and another servant leave the household and start selling candy on the street. John eventually finds two more kung fu masters, one a palm technique stylist and the other a drunken beggar type (which was required by HK cinematic law in those days) and starts studying under both of them.

This goes well until one day when Master Yen's daughter (Doris Lung Jun-Erh, Master of the Flying Guillotine) is attacked by some would-be rapists and John comes to her rescue. The ruffians turn out to be lackeys of the Bad Guy from the beginning, who recruits John to be his student (even though John doesn't know it yet). Eventually, John must confront the guy to protect his friends and family and avenge his parents' murders.

Yeah, there's nothing new here. There's a fair bit of training and quite of bit of fighting here. There's some humor, although it never gets as irritating as it doesn in a lot of other kung fu comedies from the late 1970s and early 1980s. Most of the humor comes from the servant character who accompanies John after he leaves the manor, and consists of the guy acting like he's hurt so that John can leave one master and go to the other master's place to study.

The fight sequences are choreographed by Ricky Cheng (star of Chang Cheh's Chinese Super Ninjas) and Wong Chi Sang (action director for the cult favorite Mystery of Chess Boxing). All of the fights are pretty solid, mixing John Liu's flexible kicking with some acrobatics and Southern hand-based fighting, including some Panther style from the villain

John Liu, who was rarely more than his kicking, does some good handwork in this one. However, he's practically shown up by fellow superkicker Kwan Yung Moon (aka "The Mad Korean), who does some great kicking in the first act. Although the fights often look more like John Liu saying, "Hey, look what I can do with my legs!", there's no denying the man's skill. Interestingly enough, John was actually a more consistent fighter on film than his teacher, superkicker Dorian "Flashlegs" Tan Tao Liang.

Worth it for the fight scenes, but everything else is rather bland.