Two Fists Against the Law (1980)

Two Fists Against the Law (1980)
Chinese Title: 雙辣
Translation: Double Spicy

 

Starring: Alan Chui, Chik Ngai-Hung, Legendary Superkicker Hwang Jang Lee, Melvin Wong, To Siu-Ming, Baan Yun-Sang, Chiang Kam, Chan Dik-Hak, Chung Faat
Director: Chan Chuen
Action Director: Chung Faat

Whenever I do these film binges, I don’t expect all films reviewed to be good (or if I were to do a Bruno Mattei marathon, I wouldn’t expect any of them to be good). I mean, that just comes with the territory. For every successful film within a certain mold, there are dozens that try to cash in it without understanding why the more successful example was as good as it was. The same thing (unfortunately) applies to Hwang Jang Lee: he made a lot of great films, but all too often appeared in movies in which the filmmakers were at a lost at how to use him effectively. After the mediocre Eagle vs. Silver Fox and the surreally bad Angry Young Man, I was hoping that my final foray into Hwang’s filmography this year would be a better example of the craft. Thankfully, Two Fists Against the Law is not only good, but it’s probably one of the best Hwang Jang Lee movies outside of his collaborations with Superkicker John Liu and Jackie Chan.

It shouldn’t be too surprising that this film was produced by Ng See-Yuen and Seasonal Films. They were responsible for turning Hwang Jang Lee, who had toiled away in cheap (and probably shoddy) Korean films before, into a genre phenomenon in the first place. Ng See-Yuen had directed the landmark bootmaster hit The Secret Rivals and its sequel, and then served as producer on Snake in the Eagle’s Shadow and The Drunken Master, so he obviously knew a bit about Hwang and how he should be used in a fight. The directing chores this time were given to Chan Chuen, who spent most of the 1970s as an action director, most notably alongside Sammo Hung on Kung Fu Queen Angela Mao’s early classics like When Tae Kwon Do Strikes and The Tournament. Chan got his start as an actual director the year before in the cult hit Kung Fu vs. Yoga.

There’s an interesting parallel between these two movies in that they seem like choreographers’ films. What I mean by that is that the main cast is made of martial arts choreographers. In Kung Fu vs. Yoga, the two protagonists were played by Alan Chui and Chin Yuet-Sang, two men who were usually relegated to supporting roles as villains or teachers, but were talented action directors behind the camera. Two Fists Against the Law carries this even further by having nearly every member of the cast be an action director, save Melvin Wong. Although not every actor plays a powerful martial artist, there’s something refreshing about the idea of Chan Chuen and Ng See-Yuen giving a chance to actors often relegated to playing Thug #2, Disciple, Bodyguard, or Robber. And Alan Chui, who must have gotten along well with Chan, is back as one of the main protagonists. Heck, even Chui Fat, who would go on to direct and choreograph some of Donnie Yen’s most hated films, like Crystal Hunt, shows up in this movie.

Another thing this movie does right is how it plays its story. By 1980, independent outfits like Seasonal Films (heck, even the Shaw Bros and Golden Harvest were already in on the game by this point) were eking out a living by ripping off The Drunken Master and trying to find the next Jackie Chan, or at least making a kung fu comedy that’d be both quick and cheap and worth a few bucks at the local box office. It’s refreshing to see Seasonal Films try something a little different here. Two Fists Against the Law is still something of a kung fu comedy, especially in the first third. For a while you’ll think it’ll fit the “Seasonal Formula” quite well, what with the sadistic training sequences and acrobatic fight scenes played for laughs. But Chan Chuen plays the bait n’ switch card after the first act and the movie becomes a humorous kung fu Spaghetti Western and by the halfway mark, becomes a surprisingly brutal and bloody film. The final showdown, while not one of Legendary Superkicker Hwang Jang Lee’s absolute best showcases, turns out to be one of his overall most intense fights, both physically and emotionally.

The plot revolves the exploits of two con men, Lee Yung (Chik Ngai-Hung, who choreographed the two unsung masterpieces The Loot and The Deadly Challenger) and Feng Erh (Alan Chui, who choreographed the epic Rebellious Reign). Feng makes his money by staging fights in places where people are sure to watch. Convincing his onlookers that his chi kung (i.e. iron shirt) technique is impenetrable, his bilks willing students out of their money in exchange for kung fu lessons that are nothing short of torture sessions. A large portion of the first act is spent with Feng and his unfortunate student, played by the recognizable little chub Chiang Kam (who worked as a choreographer in the extra footage of Snake Fist Fighter).

Lee Yung, on the other hand, earns his keep another way. Like Feng Ehr, Lee Yung is a extremely talented martial artist. But in Lee’s case, he simply takes out loans to pay for his lifestyle and then beats the hell out of the loan sharks whenever they come to collect their money. That way, he’s a lot like Roper in Enter the Dragon, although a lot less attractive. When we meet Lee, he’s destroying a restaurant while beating up the latest group of debt collectors, led by Chung Faat, the film’s choreographer (and also. Chung Faat is known for his strange appearances in his films, most notably as the “Crazy Eyebrow Guy” in Yes, Madam! and Twinkle, Twinkle Lucky Stars. Here he sports a fairly long perm, although he has no facial hair or crazy eyebrows this time around. Lee Yung eventually meets up with Feng Ehr and exposes his con to the latter’s student, after which they get into a really long fight and find out that their distant cousins or something, just by the techniques they use. Oh, the things you can learn from a person’s fighting style in these films. These days, it’s all MMA and brutal groundfighting. If I followed UFC and all that crap more closely, I’d just love for a fighter to be interviewed after a brawl and say something like, “I could tell by the angle he was kneeing me in the head that he hailed from chaparral country in Northern California and that he has two sisters, one of whom is currently available.”

While our heroes, so to speak, are thus making a living, the local police captain, Lawman Chang (Melvin Wong of Righting Wrongs and Blonde Fury), has a shipment delivered to him which he needs to deliver to the capital. I find it endlessly amusing that at this early stage in Melvin Wong’s career, he’s playing a police captain. You see, there was a time in Hong Kong cinema in which if you needed a certain profession, you automatically hired certain actors. When you needed a police chief, you either got Melvin Wong or Phillip Chan. If you needed a lawyer or a judge, you got Roy Chiao. If you wanted a charismatic crime boss, then you hired James Tien. I mean, that’s just the way the cookie crumbled back in the 1980s in Hong Kong. So that’s why I find it rather funny that even in old school chopsockey movies, Melvin Wong played a police chief.

Back to the film, Chang and his two deputies, Cross-Eyes (To Siu-Ming, The Victim and The Young Master) and Overbite Guy (Baan Yun-Sang, whose choreographer credits include Killer in White and Circus Kids), are tasked with transporting the goods. Not too far out of the city limits, they are confronted with a legion of robbers led by Prince Tai (Chin Dik-Hak, who served as action director for Tigress of Shaolin and The Deadly Secret), who runs the local pawn shop and is the son of the richest man in town. Although Chang is more than willing to confront the robbers in combat, his two flunkies hold him back and Prince Tai gets off with the loot. I’m going to assume that Lawman Chang doesn’t storm Chez Tai himself and get the loot back because Prince Tai’s father (who’ll be played later on by Hwang Jang Lee, choreographer of Five Fingers of Steel and Eagle vs. Silver Fox) is nicknamed “Devil Tai” and one cop plus two cowardly deputies surely wouldn’t be enough to stop someone with a name like that. So Chang has Lee Yung arrested at random, since he apparently had some business dealings with Prince Tai in the past.

Feng Erh sneaks into the police station via the rafters while Lee Yung is being interrogated. Chang realizes this, and thus mentions out loud that the goods stolen were 7 million dollars in gold bars. That’s more than enough to get both interested in recovering the goods. Feng breaks Lee out of the joint and together they formulate a wacky plan to get into Tai’s place, which I assume is heavily guarded. First, Lee Yung opens a pawn shop which pays generously for just about any useless item that one can imagine (ripped jackets, old caps, etc.). This draws the attention of Prince Tai, since it means that his own establishment will be in danger. Prince Tai goes to Lee’s pawn shop to see what’s up and picks a fight with Lee Yung. Of course, Lee Yung being the martial artist he is, gives the rich little bastard a sound thrashing. The only reason Lee doesn’t beat Prince Tai to death on the spot is because Feng Ehr appears out of nowhere and saves the wealthy jerk.

Playing the hero, Feng Ehr hands the injured Tai over to his father, who’s obviously grateful for Feng’s service. However, when it comes to talking a reward, Devil Tai sees right through Feng and figures that he was in on the beating himself. So Devil Tai kicks the crap out of Feng and his him imprisoned so that he may savor Feng’s death later on. Lee Yung then shows up bandaged up in the same way that Prince Tai is and frees Feng Ehr. They also kidnap the crippled Prince Tai and soon through the magic of the Chinese Cinematic Law of Mistaken Identities, Devil Tai is soon kicking his own son to death. Of course he doesn’t know it at the moment, but you can bet that he’ll be a little irate when he figures out just how he’s been snookered.

Lee Yung and his cohort hand the gold over to Lawman Chang after discovering that the bricks aren’t made of gold, but of opium. Chang knew this from the beginning and spun the whole gold yarn in order to have those two conmen do his work for him. Now that just leaves us with the unenviable task of transporting the opium to the capital. At this point, Cross-Eyes and Overbite Guy, who have made no contribution to the plot so far, decide to repay their employer’s kindness and transport the goods themselves. Those two will soon learn that they have a date with Devil Tai, an encounter which they have no hope in the world of surviving. News of their demise reaches Lawman Chang via a dying messenger who delivers Overbite Guy’s torn-out jaw(!) to him. Now Lawman Chang rather liked those two wusses, so he’s not going to take this sitting down. But the question stands: Is he powerful enough to take on Devil Tai all by himself? And what of Lee and Feng, who have since washed their hands of this whole escort business?

My criticisms of this film are few. For one, I thought it was a bit of a cheat to have one of those opening sequences where the main stars perform martial arts forms to a red background and have Alan Chui demonstrate his jian, or straight sword, skills and then not use them in any of the fight scenes. I understand the dramatic reason for Hwang Jang Lee not using more of his trademark kicks in the finale (more on that in a little bit), but I would’ve liked to have seen a few more. Finally, I think the first third, which is in large part only tangentially related to the main plot, could’ve been edited a little more tightly and maybe integrated into the main story more. I mean, I know it’s a tall order to ask for this movies to have air-tight plots, but Chiang Kam and Chung Faat disappear completely from the film after their scenes and I think the writers could’ve found a way to bring them back. For example, Chiang Kam could’ve been the one to expose Feng Ehr to Devil Tai; he’d certainly have reason to, having been swindled and all. The filmmakers could’ve had Chung Faat and his bill-collecting mob show up at the pawn shop for one more fight before Prince Tai got involved. Little things, my friends. Little things.

Of course, I’m always glad to see Alan Chui get work and even star as one of the main protagonists. I’ve said this somewhere, but casual HK viewers will remember him more for his role as the laughing villain from Jet Li’s Last Hero in China. He’s a wonderful acrobat and he gets to show off a lot of spin kicks and Southern style-based hand techniques here. His timing is impeccable and few films showcase his skills like this one does (if you’re in a good mood, check out Daggers 8). Despite this being a kung fu comedy, Alan mainly plays his role straight, which is good. Hong Kong had enough kung fu dopes mugging in front of the camera by 1980 that I’m glad we didn’t have to sit through 90 minutes of Alan Chui doing the same.

Chik Ngai-Hung acquits himself surprisingly well as the film’s other hero. His character is a lot like David Chiang from the previous year’s The Deadly Challenger, in that he’s a lovable con artist who uses his kung fu to get himself out trouble he himself is responsible for. Chik’s fighting is a lot less descript until the end, when he starts performing multiple styles against Hwang Jang Lee, including monkey kung fu. Like Alan Chui, he largely plays his role straight, leaving the comedy for some of the other characters (mainly the two Sheriff’s deputies). I’m glad that Chan Chuen saw enough in him that he was cast as a lead this time around.

Then of course, there’s Hwang Jang Lee. This is one of Hwang’s best films in terms of both screen time and fight time. Sure, it takes him about 45 minutes to show up, but once he does, the film never lets up. Most of his flashier kicks are saved for his first two fights. In his first duel, he takes on a surprised Alan Chui. In less than two minutes, we get to see Hwang perform his triple no-shadow kick, a leg lock that allows Hwang to boot Alan multiple times in the head, and his other famous kick in which he wraps it around the person’s neck and performs a “donkey” kick. When he fights his own son later on, he performs a neat aerial kick in which he jumps into the air, does a front kick to the chest with one foot and a roundhouse kick to the head with the other.

In his last three fights, Hwang’s moves are a bit more standard. He uses his usual Eagle claws to compliment his kicks, just he’s done in so many other films. His kicks are a lot less flashy though, although I know the reason why. His character in angry and desperate for revenge. He’s less concerned about showing off his awesome skills and would prefer to finish off his enemies with more powerful applications of basic moves. So we get to see more side kicks, roundhouse kicks and spin kicks during the final duels. He does perform a jumping front roundhouse kick and a kangaroo kick during the last two fights, though. The final showdown between Hwang and our two heroes becomes extremely violent, as the combatants become increasingly battered and bloodied as they desperately try to kill each other. Lives are sacrificed in order to buy time for the other and Hwang in his desperation even produces a weapon: a buzz saw at the end of a chain. This really ranks up with the final fights of The Prodigal Son, The Victim, and The Thundering Mantis as the most intense showdowns of the old school era. Although Chung Faat was known more as a stuntman than as a fight choreographer (he was assistant choreographer to The Odd Couple and has two other action director credits), you’d can just see how Chung’s working all the time with Sammo Hung rubbed off on his own choreography style.