Arguably Sammo Hung’s finest work since Warriors Two and one of the best martial arts movies of the ’80s is this intense near-masterpiece that sees Sammo Hung and many of Hong Kong’s finest stunt actors deliver unparalleled kung fu and stunt action.

This action is set to a tragic love story centering around a young pedicab driver in pre-war Shanghai nicknamed Malted Candy (Max Mok), who falls in love with a young beauty (Fennie Yuen). Little does he know that she hides a dark secret that will not only test his love, but his ability to fight for their lives. Malted Candy’s closest friend and fellow pedicab driver Lo Tung (Sammo Hung) forms a challenging romantic relationship of his own with a young baker’s apprentice (Nina Li Chi), but that’s played mostly for laughs. When Malted Candy and his girl find themselves in serious trouble with a contemptible local crime boss named Master 5 (John Shum Kin-fun), Lo Tung races to their aid and eventually faces the crime boss and his men alongside fellow pedicab driver Rice Pudding (Mang Hoi) for some serious payback.

The story isn’t perfectly structured, but the action is and that makes up for a lot. Even so, the story manages to mix typically crass Cantonese comedy with equal parts drama and romance reasonably well, as far as ’80s Hong Kong movies go. While often uneven and exaggerated, the film does tackle some genuine emotions. Just don’t expect to be blown away by sophisticated drama. We’re talking about a film directed by an action director and stuntman, not Frank Capra.

Hung opens the film with a teaser of sorts, a comic-tinged fight between quarreling coolies, led by action directing master Corey Yuen, on one side and pedicab drivers, led by Sammo Hung, on the other. Eric Tsang, Peter Chan Lung and a number of other familiar faces make appearances amid an all out brawl quite literally highlighted by a “light-saber” duel with fluorescent light bulbs. This sets the trend as big-name Hong Kong stunt actors and action filmmakers show up here and there. None loom larger than Lau Kar-leung, who briefly appears as a benevolent crime boss in an extended fight with Sammo Hung.

Yes, finally! Quite possibly the two greatest action directors in the world square off on screen with nothing but their own skills and some complimentary editing. Although both men are past their physical prime, you’d hardly notice. What begins as open-hand sparring with a vast array of hard-hitting forms becomes a fierce duel of staves as both men display their very real mastery of traditional weapons handling. This is such a rare and wonderful treat for any fan of martial arts movies and even surpasses Master Lau’s terrific sparring with Jackie Chan five years later in Drunken Master II.

Sammo was always a good judge of casting villains and for Pedicab Driver he picked one of the best of the era. Billy Chow Bei-lei would go on to wow audiences worldwide with his mean turn as a militaristic Japanese aggressor pitted against Jet Li in Fist of Legend, but he sets an high standard for badass kick mastery right here. I’m pretty sure he didn’t have a single line of dialogue and all the better. His words are power kicks, every bit the equal to Benny “The Jet” Urquidez and Ken Lo. Sammo paints him as pure evil, capable of kicking a pregnant woman and efficiently killing without a shred of mercy. This is emphasized by his white-powdered face and darkened eyes, a common visual trick in Cantonese cinema to denote a truly vile villain. So how does the robust Sammo Hung match this powerhouse? He simply out-kicks, out-punches and outlasts the competition, from Billy Chow to guest villain Eddie Maher.

The other kung fu-fighting villain of note is played by another great stunt actor, Chung Faat. Perhaps his most memorable role up to this point was as a chivalrous sorcerer who channels the spirit of the monkey king through Sammo to fight his evil nemesis in the horrific kung fu classic Encounter of the Spooky Kind. With his slight build and sparring abilities, he applies himself more appropriately to an Eagle Claw-like attack that the acrobatic and sword-wielding Mang Hoi ends up countering.

The fight choreography and accompanying editing throughout the movie are of the highest standards in terms of maximum visual impact and technical execution. The best is saved for last as Sammo himself performs incredible feats of dexterity, power, speed, and precision. Even after the main fighting is over, Sammo saves a couple visual punctuation marks for the despicable Master 5 that send the action wonderfully right over the top. The non-combat stunt work is more limited this time around, but not forgotten. Sammo stages a terrific chase scene early on between a pedicab and pursuing automobile.

If anything detracts from Pedicab Driver, it’s the awkward handling of Sammo’s growing relationship with Nina Li Chi. Too much time early on is spent on this light-hearted side story and then it effectively ends following a cliched romantic montage that shifts back to the neglected and ultimately more serious relationship between Max Mok and Fennie Yuen. Yet I give kudos to Sammo for making the attempt to beef up the drama while not compromising on the expected action and humor. It’s still one of his finest action dramas next to Painted Faces and Heart of the Dragon. And when it comes to martial arts action and memorable match ups, Pedicab Driver does not disappoint.

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