The selling off of a priceless pearl relic from Shaolin Temple to the Japanese becomes the driving force for a fierce and involved scramble by Qing officials, Shaolin monks, Korean special agents, and Ming loyalists to gain possession of it. It’s a feast of solid kung fu action from top stars where everyone is suspect and no one is who they appear to be.

It all begins when a Chinese fighter posing as a Shaolin monk (Mars) waylays and kills a Japanese agent who has just purchased a priceless pearl from Qing lord Yun (Carter Wong) after it had been stolen from Shaolin Temple. Along comes a real Shaolin monk (Kam Kong), who promptly kills the fake monk, but not before his victim swallows the pearl. As agents of Lord Yun arrive on the scene, another mysterious fighter (Paul Chu) appears just in time to steal the corpse with the pearl inside it. Thus begins a fight by several parties to get their hands on the corpse. It gets more complicated when the trailing monk attempts to switch the pearl corpse with the corpse of the dead Japanese agent. The coffin supposedly containing the pearl corpse is then stolen by another Japanese agent, but turns out to contain a female fighter named Chin Lun (Angela Mao) instead. Soon after, Korean secret agents hiding under a small village enter the scene with their own agenda, as Lord Yun’s chief agents (Chan Sing and Casanova Wong) end up in a desperate fight with Ming loyalists to reclaim the corpse and the pearl it holds within its rotting flesh.

There’s no mistaking that the filmmakers were dead set on making the most ridiculously twisted plot surrounding a “McGuffan” as their vehicle for the usual series of kung fu battles. It works in the sense that it is genuinely difficult to tell exactly what motivations are driving half of the main characters and what outcome will arise from their struggles. But in the end it doesn’t really matter much for we never discover what use the one person who gets away with the pearl intends for it. All the plotting, double-crosses and subterfuge are really just empty filler to spice things up, or more likely cause confusion. What really matters is that we’re left with a modest series of confrontations for some talented classic kung fu actors to show off their skills.

Although he competently leads a prominent cast, Paul Chu Kong is not well known as a stunt actor and doesn’t earn special praise this time out. His big moves are flying leaps, presumably doubled by stuntmen. It’s his leading lady Angela Mao, who stands out better with her typically intense persona and powerful screen fighting. The bulky Chan Sing is doubled quite a bit for his character’s many acrobatic maneuvers, but he adds a certain flair with his distinctive Tiger Claw-like attacks. Carter Wong is terrific, as usual, in the lead villain role. The real standout performance comes from Korean kicker Casanova Wong, a fast-moving and limber screen fighter of incredible ability. His legwork is phenomenal. Even with some undercranking, used to speed up the action, his speed and power are quite evident, as is seen in most of his roles. He also gets to wield the most memorable weapon, a golden hand attached to a chain that fires poisonous darts.

Wong Fung, who previously directed many of Angela Mao’s early classics including Hapkido (1972) and the George Lazenby crossover Stoner (1974), puts these and other notable stunt actors, including Kam Kong and long-time Jackie Chan associate Mars, through their paces in a series of dynamic fights that may not stack up to the best of Lau Kar-leung or Sammo Hung, but are certainly nothing to scoff at. Of interest is how a wide variety of styles are blended together including swordplay, northern legwork, southern fists, acrobatics, and secret weapons. Limited wirework is used, but less effectively as poor camera work shows more of the wires themselves than the fighting prowess they are meant to enhance. The photography and editing are inconsistent, but occasionally manage to capture some of the better moves with an impressive degree of visceral excitement.

The soundtrack on this title is notable because it appears that some work actually went into it, unlike most budget kung fu soundtracks that were a hastily-edited mix of stock music or pieces of scores ripped from spaghetti westerns and various Hollywood films. Frankie Chan Fan-kei, who contributed to many kung fu movie soundtracks, is credited for putting much of it together and there is even an original vocal song added in. The impact this has on the film is that it gives it a little more dramatic punch, but just a little since the story remains secondary to the fight scenes.

The Legendary Strike is the type classic kung fu title that probably won’t impress casual viewers much as it contains few distinctive hooks to draw them in and more likely will confuse with its endlessly twisted plotting. But aficionados of the genre have quite a bit to appreciate, from balanced kung fu action to fun screen match ups where the likes of Angela Mao, Chan Sing, Carter Wong, and Casanova Wong regularly trade blows.

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