Shaolin Deadly Kicks (1977)

Shaolin Deadly Kicks (1977)
aka: The Flash Legs; Deadly Kick, Flash Legs
Chinese Title: 太極八蛟
Translation: Tai Chi Eight Dragon

 

Starring: Dorian Tan Tao-Liang, Lo Lieh, Wang Hsieh, Doris Lung Chun-Erh, Chin Kang, Lu Ti, Tsai Hung, Ou-Yang Sha-Fei, Gam Sai-Yuk, Wu Chia-Hsiang, Cheng Fu-Hung, Lung Fei, Chen Hui-Lou, Min Min, Wang Tai-Lang, Tseng Chao
Director: Wu Ma
Action Director: Huang Fei-Long, Hsiao Huang-Lung

 

There is not much to be said about the background of Shaolin Deadly Kicks. It’s a film directed by Wu Ma, a well-known character actor and disciple of sorts of Chang Cheh. The two collaborated directly on a number of projects, including The Water Margin; All Men are Brothers; Shaolin Avengers and The Shaolin Temple. Prior to that, Wu worked as Chang’s assistant on Return of the One-Armed Swordsman and The Singing Thief, among others. That said, unlike John Woo, another disciple of Chang Cheh--who inherited his mentor’s penchant for blood-soaked tales of brotherhood and male bonding--Wu Ma was a more workmanlike director. His work was generally competent: he knew how to place a camera, he could film action in reasonably competent way, and he can handle drama okay. And that more or less describes Shaolin Deadly Kicks: it does everything solidly, without standing out in any way.

The movie opens with eight robbers breaking into a house to steal a map to a hidden treasure. When the owner of the house is roused from his sleep and goes to see what’s happening, one of the robbers (Lo Lieh, of King Boxer and Mad Monkey Kung Fu) kills him with a metal claw at the end of a rope. Knowing that the Law will soon be on their trails, the lead robber (Shaw Brothers actor Lu Ti, of The Bastard and The Men from the Monastery) cuts the map into eight pieces and suggests they go on with their lives for three years before getting together and finding the treasure.

At the end of the three years, one of the robbers (Chen Shen-Lin, who spent his career playing extras and bit roles in films like The Shaolin Invincibles and Heroes of the Eastern Skies) is a now a lout living at a brothel without ever paying his bill. He gets kicked out and is quickly arrested for being a deadbeat. He’s thrown in a cell with some guy named Hung Yi (Dorian Tan Tao-Liang), who is desperate to leave. The two escape with the help of a third prisoner, and they meet up with a second robber (played by Li Hsiao-Ming, who worked as choreographer on Snake in the Crane’s Shadow and Drunken Arts and Crippled Fist). Both men thing that their respective pieces of the map are enough to find the treasure. In any case, both Hung Yi and the third prisoner turn out to be undercover policemen—there’s a third constable who is following closely behind. A big fight breaks out and everyone but Hung Yi is killed, leaving him all by himself to find the remaining six bandits.

The story is a bit episodic, with Hung Yi tracking down a bandit, confronting him, getting into some fights, and ending up with another piece of the map. This essentially repeats itself until we reach the climax, when Hung Yi faces off with the last surviving robber. Along the way, he befriends a young woman (Doris Lung Chun-ehr), who happens to be the daughter of the one of the bad guys. This puts her father at odds with his cohorts, especially when the latter begins to suspect just who exactly Hung Yi is. The film ends as the final villain is dealt the killing explosion, so we don’t even really know what happens to the actual treasure. There is also a bizarre subplot involving one of the bandits as a nobleman who does matchmaking: his latest match is a pretty young woman and a dwarf (Ai Tsu-Wang) who acts like a kid and whose face looks like it was repeatedly struck with the Oxford Dictionary. Hung Yi steps into to save the bride from her husband, since God forbid this pretty girl be forced to have sex with an unattractive midget.

The film is pretty standard chopsocky business, although the second “episode”, in which Hung Yi goes after the third bandit, Chang Fang (Kam Kong, who was Dorian Tan’s student and a frequent bad guy in these films) is actually rather compelling. It is easily the best directing that Wu Ma does in the film; it’s a shame he was on autopilot for the rest of the movie. Chang Fang is a poor woodsman whose mother (Ou-Yang Sha-Fei, of Death Duel and The Avenging Eagle) is blind and whose child is sick in bed. He doesn’t have enough money to buy medicine; he’s hoping the pending robber reunion will turn his fortunes around. When Hung Yi meets up with him, Hung Yi notices his quarry’s family situation and mercifully allows him to give up his piece without going to jail. Chang’s mother begins to suspect that her son has been up to no good. In order to not disappoint her, he prefers to try to kill Hung Yi—away from the house—fearing that when his colleagues come calling for the map piece, his mother will find out about his nefarious activities. Hung Yi kills him, but gives the family money and reassures them that the man had done nothing wrong. The mother believes him, but the tears on Chang’s wife’s face suggest that she has figured out what is really going on.

The action is frequent and varied, if a little lackluster in its execution. The fighting is solid, but it lacks the power and energy of the movies Tan Tao-Liang had done at Golden Harvest the year before under Sammo Hung’s direction. Choreographers Huang Fei-Long and Hsiao Huang-Long were undistinguished action directors for the most part. The former is best known for his work on Story of the Dragon and The 18 Bronzemen, a beloved indie classic. The latter was starting his career as a choreographer when this was made and would make a number of lesser-known Taiwanese films, including 7 Promises and Eunuch of the Western Palace, which we’ll discuss later on.

Tan Tao-Liang gets a strong showcase for his legwork, at least in terms of demonstrating his flexibility with his legs. Tan could never—or chose to never—indulge in the crazier aerial kicks that his contemporaries Casanova Wong and Legendary Superkicker Hwang Jang Lee could pull off. He does perform a few jumping spin kicks, but he favors multiple side kicks, high roundhouse and spin kicks, and chain kicking. Nonetheless, when you build a movie around the leads footwork, it can get boring quickly if you don’t have anything behind it.

Thankfully, the action directors thrown in a whole slew of weapons to keep things interesting. The first big fight between Hung Yi and the bandits has the latter fighting with shovels and hoes. Later, when Hung Yi squares off with Chang Fang, a large stick with a rope tied to it is used. Taiwanese mainstay Lung Fei uses a variation of the Sun and Moon Blade that looks like half of a buzzsaw. Another bandit lives in a House of Traps™ and is guarded by two men with extendable spears. There are also claws, bombs, bamboo stakes, cane swords and other weapons included in the madness. The frequent action, combined with a few good character moments, makes this recommended for aficionados, although the uninitiated might find the film a bit tedious.