This is another mediocre Taiwanese production that is marginally aided by the acrobatic antics of Chin Lung, some lighthearted humor and the addition of FIST OF FURY alum James Tien.

Tien stars as a vicious fighter who returns after his father’s death to reclaim his martial arts school from Miu Tin, who was given the school. Miu and the students who remain loyal to him scatter. Several years later Miu is hiding out in another school as a laborer while Tien has begun seeking out and killing the remaining students in hopes of finding Miu.

At the school where Miu is working, Chin Lung is a clownish laborer who dreams of finding a master to teach him martial arts. After he foils an already bungled attempt to kidnap the schoolmaster’s daughter (Violet Pan), Chin is attacked by the kidnapper and his men. Miu comes to his rescue, but one of the men happens to be an associate of Tien and a trap is set. Miu escapes but is badly wounded in the process.

Miu returns to the school where Chin cares for him and eventually becomes his student. Chin combines his natural acrobatic abilities with Miu’s training to defeat two more of Tien’s associates. But not knowing what Tien looks like, Chin inadvertently leads him straight to his master. Tien winds up killing Miu and Chin seeks revenge.

BONE CRUSHING KID is a perfect example of the average early ’80s film that continued to capitalize on the popularity of kung fu comedies introduced with the rise of Jackie Chan several years earlier. Hong Kong stars like James Tien were hired by indie studios hoping to tap into the success of a genre already in decline.

The movie actually fares well among low budget efforts from the same era. This is not due to the rehashed plot. Nor would the reason involve mostly uninspiring martial arts displays or the more overtly banal humor. What does work is Chin’s energetic and humorous performance. He’s a competent physical comedian even though much of the choreography he must perform is not anywhere near as entertaining as Jackie Chan’s early work. Chin has a fair amount of charm and the scene where he waltzes into a gambling parlor as a woman to fight one of Tien’s men is definitely memorable. But the last scene is perhaps the best. After defeating Tien in a grueling match where he’s forced to use every trick he knows, instead of walking off in silent resolve, he leaps into the air hollering in delight like a little kid.

Tien is in an utterly forgettable villainous role despite some decent martial arts display. He really needs something like a big wig, outlandish clothing or a kooky kung fu style. None of the rest of the cast distinguishes themselves in any remarkable way. And like the cast, the film itself doesn’t really stand out within the genre.

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