Hard Bastard (1981)

Hard Bastard (1981)
Aka Raging Rivals; Hands of Lightning
Korean Title: 천용란
Translation: Thousand Dragon Eggs

 

Starring: Hwang Jang Lee, Bruce Cheung, Kim Ki-Ju, Kwon Il-Su, Han Tae-Il, Lee Hae-Ryong, Choi Jae-Ho, Choi Sung-Kyu, Park Dong-Yu, Pearl Chi
Director: Godfrey Ho, Lee Hyeok-Su
Action Director: John Loh

 

By the early 80s, I’m pretty sure Legendary Superkicker Hwang Jang Lee was tired of being typecast as the villain and decided to branch out a little bit. I’m guessing that Hong Kong and Taiwanese studios weren’t all that willing to turn one of their big-time villains into the good guy, so Hwang eventually turned to his native Korea for a little more creative control. Although he still played the villain in most of his Korean movies, he still got a few chances to play the protagonist. There are least three films during this period in which he was the good guy, those being  Hitman in the Hand of Buddha; Buddhist Fist and Tiger Claws; and Hard Bastard.

The story to this movie is rather simple. Hwang Jang Lee plays Medicine Man, a trumpet-playing, tae kwon do kicking, pill-peddling gypsy working in the employ of a character we’ll call Fatty (Kim Ki-Ju, of King Boxer and Action Tae Kwon Do) and his sister, who’s Hwang’s fiancée. The three arrive in Shanghai, which, despite being one of the most populous cities in the world, is awfully devoid of inhabitants. While selling their wares, they come into conflict with the local extortion racket, led by Weasly Guy (Choi Sung-Kyu, of Bruce and Shaolin Kung Fu). They beat up Weasly Guy and his cronies, who run back to their boss, whom we’ll call Old Master (Lee Hae-Ryong of Dragon Lee Fights Back). Old Master sends a couple of top fighters to deal with Medicine Man, but he beats them up, strips them naked, and sends them running home to their mommies. Word of this eventually reaches the ears of Old Master’s Boss, the Ugly Guy (Kill the Shogun’s Bruce Cheung—actually, this movie is so full of ugly guys that Legendary Superkicker Hwang Jang Lee ends being the most attractive male in the cast!).

Ugly Guy and his men try to snuff our heroes, but they are assisted by an old kung fu master who’s currently working as a noodle salesman (Han Tae-Il, who showed up in both Returned Single-Legged Man films, for what that’s worth). The three retire to the countryside after being denied a place to stay by the locals, despite their being in one of the biggest cities in the world that would easily give them more than enough alternatives of places to stay. Weasly Guy and his goons try to kidnap/rape/beat up Hwang’s girl when she goes back into town at night to run some errands. She’s saved by Ho Lim, Old Master’s son. Ho Lim is good guy who’s against his father selling out to Ugly Guy and transforming their dojo into a night club. Anyway, Ho Lim and Hwang’s fiancée fall for each other, while Hwang falls for a hostess at Ugly Guy’s night club.

Long story short: Old Master repents and tries to give back to the community. Ho Lim and fiancée girl become an item. Hwang has sex. Ugly Guy sends his Uglier Goon (Kwan Il-Sung of Twelve Gates of Hell) and his lackies to kill off the supporting cast, leaving Hwang, Fatty, Noodle Salesman, and Fiancée Girl to get revenge.

The most impressive part of this movie is Hwang Jang Lee’s performance. When he played the hero in Hitman in the Hand of Buddha, he wasn’t too far removed from his other villainous characters, showing a certain sadistic streak when he had to deal with Tino Wong at the end. But here, he’s practically playing the same character Jackie Chan played in Drunken Master, the playfully arrogant, yet still likable, kung fu kicking goof. Hwang mugs and makes faces for the camera, dons disguises for comic value, dresses in suits and dress shirts that one could only wear during the 70s, and performs acrobatics that wouldn’t be out of place in a late 1970s kung fu comedy. Heck, he even has a legitimate love scene for crying out loud! I don’t care what anyone says, this is not your typical Legendary Superkicker Hwang Jang Lee.

The plot, on the other hand, is your typical stranger-fights-against-extortionists story that had gotten hoary back in the early 1970s. Few surprises are to be found here, which means that viewers will have to find entertainment in Hwang’s unconventional role and the films copious fight scenes. John Loh, whoever he is, choreographs the fights in the traditional early 1970s “basher” style, with some acrobatics and Hwang’s flashy kicking to keep things interesting. The handwork mainly consists of basic blocks and Mississippi Haymaker punches, but they’re executed with enough rhythm that the fights never feel slow. Hwang gets to perform his triple no-shadow kick, his leg-lock kick, and his jump-past-the-guy-and-back-kick-him-on-the-way-down kick, which should keep fans pleased. Nobody else in the cast stands out in the fight department.

But then again, they really shouldn’t. While not quite a vanity project, it is obviously a very personal project for our Legendary Superkicker. It was his way of telling the world that he wasn’t the high-kicking scuzzbucket that he built his career on playing, but a normal human being with other talents, desires, and aspirations. It’s a little disappointing that this well-rounded human being Hwang was inserted into such a generic story, but fans of the Superkicker owe it to themselves to check this film out.