will91XingYu
11-02-2007, 01:29 PM
Hi Will91XingYu here, this is my review of the 1982 shaw brothers classic from legendary martial artist/director and action director Lau Kar Leung. The mandarin title for the film is Shih Ba Pan Wu Yi , it stars Lau Kar Leung, Hsiao Ho, Lau Kar Wing and Kara Hui.
The films plot revolves around the movement of the spiritual boxers, so around the time of the boxer rebellion, which was in 1901 i think. The spiritual boxers were people who trained in supposed god skills kung fu, this supposedly was to beat the foreigners and their guns. Obviousley this was a huge sham. The story is set with a fantastic display of the weapons of cina, this is performed by the films star and chinese oera veteran Hsiao Ho, who shows skills with the weapons and insane gymnastics, also Kara Hui (Austin Wai's sister) displays some of the weapons.
We meet the leader of the boxer movement played by Chu Tiet Wo (Tiger over Wall, Martial Club) who sends out his top student (Hsiao Ho) to go and assasinate a traitor (Lau Kar Leung), soon other assasins are sent out as well to find and kill the traitor, (the other assasins are Gordon Liu and Kara Hui who ends up helping Lau Kar Leung's charecter). Soon they discover Lau Kar Leungs charecter who pretends to know nothing of kung fu, until Kara Hui who ends up befriending Hsiao Ho finds all 18 weapons of china in his house.
Also hot on Lau Kar Leung's trail is his real life brother Lau Kar Wing, soon the boxer gang leader comes after Leung, and the stage is set for a hugely enjoyable and fantastic film with one of the best finales of all time. Legendary weapons of china is so much fun, it has so much cool stuff, like the secret weapons, the fights and all the acting is great fun, special mention has to go to Fu Sheng (Boxer Rebellion, Shaolin Avengers) who tragically died in 1982 in a car crash. Here he has a exteneded cameo as a conman and gets to show some cool moves.
Lau Kar Leung who had made classics like My Young Auntie, Mad Monkey Kung Fu and Invincible Pole Fighter, gives us here his finest film. Lau Kar Leung is so cool in this film, not only does he deliver his classic shapes but the final duel with Lau Kar Wing features all 18 weapons! The finale is breath taking, but other fights in the film that really stood out was Lau Kar Leung against Chu Tiet Wo and when Gordon Liu turns up and fights Hsiao Ho and Kara Hui. People watching this for Gordon Liu won't be dissapointed he isn't the star but gets a great fight!
The biggest highlight action wise is the Lau family duel and Hsiao Ho, i go on about hima all the time, but this guy is crazy! His other stand out roles are Mad Monkey Kung Fu and My Young Auntie, this guy can do anything gymnastic wise, and he is like made of rubber! There's a bit where he fights Kara Hui in a narrow alley and he does the splits up against the wall (Ho doubled Wang Lung Wei for some of the more unhumanly splits in Martial Club). Kara Hui gets a fair amount of action and shows that she can do the splits with the best of them, Kara Hiu, Hsiao Ho, Gordon Liu ect were all part of Lau Kar Leungs action team, along with people like Wong Yu, Wilson Tong and Ching Chu (who apears in this film).
This film is kung fu poetry and is sublime to say the least, i can't praise it enough, the sets, music, acting and the action coreography is amazing, so please go and buy this film! Overall i give this film a definate 5 out 5! I'm now hunting down every Lau Kar Leung film i can.
Thanks for reading, take care.
will
The films plot revolves around the movement of the spiritual boxers, so around the time of the boxer rebellion, which was in 1901 i think. The spiritual boxers were people who trained in supposed god skills kung fu, this supposedly was to beat the foreigners and their guns. Obviousley this was a huge sham. The story is set with a fantastic display of the weapons of cina, this is performed by the films star and chinese oera veteran Hsiao Ho, who shows skills with the weapons and insane gymnastics, also Kara Hui (Austin Wai's sister) displays some of the weapons.
We meet the leader of the boxer movement played by Chu Tiet Wo (Tiger over Wall, Martial Club) who sends out his top student (Hsiao Ho) to go and assasinate a traitor (Lau Kar Leung), soon other assasins are sent out as well to find and kill the traitor, (the other assasins are Gordon Liu and Kara Hui who ends up helping Lau Kar Leung's charecter). Soon they discover Lau Kar Leungs charecter who pretends to know nothing of kung fu, until Kara Hui who ends up befriending Hsiao Ho finds all 18 weapons of china in his house.
Also hot on Lau Kar Leung's trail is his real life brother Lau Kar Wing, soon the boxer gang leader comes after Leung, and the stage is set for a hugely enjoyable and fantastic film with one of the best finales of all time. Legendary weapons of china is so much fun, it has so much cool stuff, like the secret weapons, the fights and all the acting is great fun, special mention has to go to Fu Sheng (Boxer Rebellion, Shaolin Avengers) who tragically died in 1982 in a car crash. Here he has a exteneded cameo as a conman and gets to show some cool moves.
Lau Kar Leung who had made classics like My Young Auntie, Mad Monkey Kung Fu and Invincible Pole Fighter, gives us here his finest film. Lau Kar Leung is so cool in this film, not only does he deliver his classic shapes but the final duel with Lau Kar Wing features all 18 weapons! The finale is breath taking, but other fights in the film that really stood out was Lau Kar Leung against Chu Tiet Wo and when Gordon Liu turns up and fights Hsiao Ho and Kara Hui. People watching this for Gordon Liu won't be dissapointed he isn't the star but gets a great fight!
The biggest highlight action wise is the Lau family duel and Hsiao Ho, i go on about hima all the time, but this guy is crazy! His other stand out roles are Mad Monkey Kung Fu and My Young Auntie, this guy can do anything gymnastic wise, and he is like made of rubber! There's a bit where he fights Kara Hui in a narrow alley and he does the splits up against the wall (Ho doubled Wang Lung Wei for some of the more unhumanly splits in Martial Club). Kara Hui gets a fair amount of action and shows that she can do the splits with the best of them, Kara Hiu, Hsiao Ho, Gordon Liu ect were all part of Lau Kar Leungs action team, along with people like Wong Yu, Wilson Tong and Ching Chu (who apears in this film).
This film is kung fu poetry and is sublime to say the least, i can't praise it enough, the sets, music, acting and the action coreography is amazing, so please go and buy this film! Overall i give this film a definate 5 out 5! I'm now hunting down every Lau Kar Leung film i can.
Thanks for reading, take care.
will