Chinese Kung Fu and Acupuncture (1973) -
Chinese Title: 中國針灸
Translation: Chinese Acupuncture
Starring: Chen Ming, Shao Pei-Yu, Tsao Chien, Sun Yueh, Yu Sung-Chao, Lan Yun, Chiang Ching-Feng
Director: Sun Sheng-Yuen
Action Director: Chan Long, Lin Feng-Sheng
Taiwanese basher told as a story about the greatness of acupuncture from a modern-day practitioner to a gwailo reporter. A bunch of Japanese priates led by a karate expert named Haishan (Lan Yun, of Heroine Susan and Enter the Panther) show up at a Chinese coastal village to rape the women and kill the menfolk. They are assisted by their interpreter, Ng Tuk (Sun Yueh, Lightning of Bruce Lee), whose family resides in that same village. Some of the pirates are killed by a local girl named Pak Yu-Mei (the lovely Shao Pei-Yu), who is suffering from some disease, but goes into undercranked kung fu overdrive whenever she jams a pair of acupuncture needles into her neck.
After the first scuffle with the pirates, the villagers get another acupuncturist, Chao Hung-Wu (Chen Ming, of the awful Kung Fu Rebels), to teach kung fu to the local militia. Chao gets in a fight with Haishan and is almost beaten to death. He is healed by a Taoist priest (Tsao Chien, of Infernal Street and The Hero of Chiu Chow), whose acupuncture treatment improves his kung fu. In his next fight with Haishan, he holds his own, and the Japanese pirate is defeated by Pak Yu-Mei's acupuncture skills. Ng Tuk takes the injured Haishan back to Japan and presents him to his master, the karate grandmaster Wuchuanhou (Yu Sung-Chao, who also was in Lightning of Bruce Lee). Wuchuanhou goes to China and beats the hell ou of Hung-Wu, but gets beaten by the Taoist priest when he tries to steal the guy's acupuncture manual. So, he gets a powerful katana expert (Lu Biao) to go to China and fight the heroes. And then that expert's brother (Wei Yi-Ping) gets involved in the fracas, too.
The action was staged by Chan Long (My Life is on the Line) and Lin Feng-Sheng (Stormy Sun/Super Man-Chu) and it's pretty good, surprisingly. I was skeptical at first because the first brawl had a lot of punches and kicks that were obviously not connecting and looked bad, even by early 70s standards. It gets better as the film progresses, though. There is a fair amount of undercranking, which is completely unnecessary and even laughable, especially the first time that Shao Pei-Yu sticks herself with acupuncture needles. This film is interesting in that acupuncture is used to heal, paralyze one's enemies (a lá Kiss of the Dragon) and jump-start one's kung fu. Lead actor Chen Ming is actually adept at screen fighting, so much so that I'm surprised he did so little in the genre. Chan Long shows up in the first melee and shows off some great moves, too. Too bad he doesn't fight after that. The final fight does drag on as many of these movies are wont to do. Chinese Kung Fu and Acupúncture is very much a cheapo-basher flick, but there are some good fights in it.
Lightning of Bruce Lee (1973)
Chinese Title: 勢不兩立
Translation: Unequal Power Stand
Starring: Lei Jun, Chin Kang, Chiang Fan, Liu Lili, Si Sin-Dai, Sun Yueh, Yu Sung-Chao
Director: Chung Gwok-Hang
Action Director: n/a
Despite the title--which is the original English title and not what the US distributors tacked on later--this is not an actual Brucesploitation film, but just a generic basher. The movie begins with two men (Lei Jun, who worked a lot with Jimmy Wang Yu, and Chin Kang, of The Snake Girl Drops In) mourning the death of their master. Chin Kang is a bit more ambitious and wants money and fame, much to the chagrin of his senior martial brother. The two scuffle and Chin makes a break for it. Some time later, Lei Jun arrives in a town to visit his girlfriend, Chin Chin (Chiang fan), whose father has recently died. The local loan shark/pimp (Sun Yueh, of The Pedicab Driver) is trying to force Chin Chin into prostitution to pay off a loan for her father's medical bills. The pimp in turn works for a crime boss, played by Duel with Samurai's Yu Sung-Chao. We later learn that Chin Kang is also working for him. Lei Jun steals some opium from some other thugs to pay off Chin Chin's loan, but the bad guys won't let him off that easily...
The fighting is pretty much constant, especially in the last 25 minutes or so. Lei Jun looks like he has training, but his skills are limited and he looks soft boned performing his moves. He throws up his hands whenever he kicks, making him look like he's going to fall over. Much better is Chin Kang as his brother, who packs a bit more power in his punches and kicks. The final fight between the two men and Yu Sung-Chao goes on for a very long time, for people who like endless basher movie finales. The best fighter in the cast is Pan Chang-Ming, who plays Sun Yueh's main enforcer. Pan Chang-Ming is mainly known as a C-list fight choreographer, working on lesser Angela Mao films like Duel with the Devils and Proud Horse in Flying Sand. His kicks trump those of all the other cast members and his punches are a lot crisper, too. Too bad he wasn't the main villain.
Superior Youngster (1973)
aka: Karado, the Hong Kong Cat; Karado, the Hand of Death; Super Kung Fu Kid
Chinese Title: 小霸王
Translation: Little Overlord
Starring: Nick Cheung Lik, Bolo Yeung Sze, James Nam Seok-Hoon, Fong Yau, San Kuai, Mars, Tong Tin-Hei, Lee Tin-Ying
Director: Joseph Kong
Action Director: Wong Chi-Ming, Pao Jia
Pre-Enter the Dragon basher with a very similar cast to Tough Guy, which I liked a lot. There's Nick Cheung Lik, Fong Yau, San Kuan, Anna Ho, plus a bevy of stuntmen who went on to bigger things: Alan Chui, Tony Ching Siu-Tung, Yuen Biao, Yuen Bun, Billy Chan, and Mars. I was very impressed with Nick Cheung Lik and I need to watch more of his films.
Cheung Lik plays Ah Lung, a super-talented kung fu fighter who has an overdeveloped sense of justice, not unlike Alexander Fu Sheng's character in New Shaolin Boxers. After getting in a bunch of fights at home, he and his mother take a boat down the river to a village where his brother, Man Ho (James Nan), is supposed to be staying. He finds out that his brother works for the local crime boss, Tiger (Bolo Yeung). Man Ho offers to get him a job with Tiger--who we learn is associated with the one of the local warlords--but Ah Lung turns him down. Some of the Warlords officers (Fong Yau and San Kuai) show up and it's basically non-stop fighting from there on out.
The action was staged by Wong Chi-Ming and Pao Jia. The latter had no real credit besides this. Wong Chi-Ming did stuntwork in close to 200 films during the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. He was also a member of Yuen Bun's Stunt Team, contributing to the action in films like City War and Blood Stained Tradewind, in addition to some late-period Shaw films. Cheung Lik steals the show with his fast kicks and nunchaku skills. The final fight between him and Bolo Yeung on a ship goes on forever, with the two throwing down with fisticuffs, nunchaku, knives, bamboo poles and even anchors. In fact, the last 17 minutes can be characterized as extended fight at a quarry->prolonged fight on the beach->protracted fight on a ship. The film is worth it to watch Cheung Lik kick so much butt, even if the acting and dubbing are often laughably bad. That said, it isn't a film for newbies.
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