One of the early Sammo Hung directed films which made its mark on the world, including me. This film hardly messes about. And whatever might seem as filler ties into the main plot in some way. Perhaps the bits with Sammo Hung himself. Although, even then, this serves as exposition to show how special he and his brother are.
His brother is played by Lam Ching-Ying. He is most famous for the Mr. Vampire films. Although in this one, he doesn't have a moustache. In fact, in this film, he is deliberately more portrayed as a man with feminine characteristics. Not uncommon for Chinese Opera, where men also portray the roles of women. Here his role also serves as some kind of protection. This way he can hide his true skills. Unfortunately, because of Yuen Biao's character, he gets exposed. Yuen Biao plays a young man who wants to be the best fighter in his region. He believes to be the champion as his father and servants have made sure he always wins the fights he is engaged with. They accomplish this by bribery. Leung Chan, a famous Wing Chun practitioner, played by Yuen Biao, is not happy with this when he finds out and wants to remedy this. Leung Yee Tai, a Wing Chun master played by Lam Ching-Ying is not interested in teaching him the way until fate forces him too.
The names I mentioned have truly existed, but naturally a lot of dramatic freedom has been taken by Sammo Hung. Most of the time, this film is pretty light. But make no mistake, there are a few pretty brutal scenes in here that will make you feel for the characters who are victimized. I mean, a lot of people get killed just so that this big honcho can claim to be the champion. As usual with films like these, it's the action that matters, which is absolutely superb.
Overall, a must-watch for fans of the genre!
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