Character actors Ku Feng and Hon Gwok-choi leap into the limelight together as two bungling conmen mistaken for expert martial artists and hired to protect a town from a gang.

Mistakenly thinking that the two men are great kung fu experts, the gang’s leader sends for help. As pressure mounts, the two conmen decide to skip town before things get worse but have a change of heart when the townsfolk are threatened. They return in time to engage in a final showdown with the gang, relying on their wits and help from the townsfolk.

This is a silly kung fu comedy. Okay, I’ll elaborate further. The story is actually refreshing for an old kung fu yarn and reminded me of the farcical antics of Danny Kaye in THE INSPECTOR GENERAL. Unfortunately, the acting is too over-the-top for any real laughs, giving one the impression that the actors were trying outdo each other with contorted facial expressions.

Ku Feng’s kung fu is meant to look bad in a comical fashion but never comes close to the charm and creative movements found in comedy classics SPOOKY ENCOUNTERS and DRUNKEN MASTER. An opportunity to spoof the styles of kung fu is never fully exploited by the likes of the “Stumbling” or “Nasty” used in the film. Viewers will likely get a chuckle out of the surgical tubing that miraculously becomes a defensive kung fu style. Then again, maybe not.

Despite the few entertaining moments in CRACK SHADOW BOXERS, the lackluster story, humor too juvenile even by classic kung fu standards and sleep-inducing fight scenes lead the film to not only stumble but fall flat on its face. If your tastes in kung fu lean towards the absurd, you might still enjoy the film. It does feature many recognizable Shaw Brothers regulars such as Ku Feng while Hon Gwok-choi, his bald-headed partner, plays a great ignoramus.

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