With the release of Chang Cheh’s CRIPPLED AVENGERS in Hong Kong, Taiwan unveiled a martial arts film that may have a similarity to the Chang film in terms of plot, but the notoriety is that the two lead actors of the film are actually disabled, making this film quite interesting.
The film opens with a kung fu master, Lee Ho (Thomas Hong Chiu-Ming), getting both his arms amputated for disgracing his school and the school’s master, Lin Chang Cao (Li Ching-Chien). Supervising the amputation is Tang (Sam Chung-Chuen), who is praised for his loyalty to Lin. When Lee Ho is tossed out of the school, an attempt to get some food fails when he is mocked by the local waiter and then pummeled by the bouncer of the inn. When Lee Ho runs into Lin’s henchmen, he escapes and finds solace at a rural farm where he learns to live without the use of his arms, even using part of his stump to grip objects.
Meanwhile, the evil Lin ostracizes Tang for knowing too much. However, unlike Lee Ho, Tang ends up with acid poured onto his legs and is forces to live in the wilderness. When Tang finds Lee Ho, the armless man wants nothing to do with Tang. However, under the guidance of the local farmer, Lee Ho does eventually forgive Tang and the two begin to study martial arts. Tang learns the Mantis Fists style while Lee Ho resorts to learning kicks and picking up objects with his feet to use as a slingshot of sorts.
One can’t help but give credit to the two lead actors. When the film was released in the United States in 1982 from New Line Cinema, the leads were credited as “Jackie Conn” and “Frankie Shum”. However, their real names respectively are Thomas Hong Chiu-Ming and Sam Chung-Chuen, who are in fact disabled in real life. Under the supervision of action director Chan Mu-Chuen, Hong and Sam make good use of their skills, only showing more proof that just because one has a disability, does not mean they cannot learn martial arts. Hong not only uses his feet, but the stump he has enables him to whirl a bamboo stick like a bo staff quite proficiently. While Sam adepts to using the hand techniques of Praying Mantis to good use as well.
A fun little fight scene takes place after Lee Ho and Tang have mastered their skills, the duo set off into town, in hopes to somehow find Lin and get their revenge. However, first they have a little fun when Lee Ho exacts revenge on the inn’s bouncer and makes the waiter look like a fool. This is reminiscent of what something along the lines of FEARLESS HYENA II’s teahouse fight scene or even CRYSTAL FIST (1979)’s inn fight scene could have looked like had it starred Hong and Sam.
Speaking of Chan Mu-Chuen, he appears in the film as well. He plays a government agent who infiltrates Lin’s organization to get his hands on the Eight Jade Horses, a series of small jade statues that hold the key to secret kung fu techniques. When he ends up helping Lee Ho and Tang retrieve the horses for their master, he is busted and then, he shows his true colors and helps the duo with their skills.
The villain of the film, Lin, is well played by Li Ching-Chien. Sporting a small moustache and a sort of scar or tattoo on one side of his face, Li has impeccable martial arts skills, even using his back as a weapon that is reminiscene of the Iron Armor technique only for it to be a metal plate that one never sees. However, Li does have pretty good kicking and acrobatic skills that make him quite the villanous actor for this period.
As for Hong and Sam, they would go to make three more films together before going off into the sunset. Those films are FIGHTING LIFE (1981), TWO CRIPPLED HEROES (1982), and RAIDERS OF THE SHAOLIN TEMPLE (1984).
CRIPPLED MASTERS may seem somewhat of an average classic kung fu film but one can’t help praise the skills of the two lead actors. This film is living proof that anyone can study the martial arts, even the disabled.
by Albert ValentinRelated Topics:
Crippled Masters (1979) • Genre: Kung Fu • Genre: Shapes
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