Two of Taiwan’s brightest genre talents team up for this Spaghetti Western-inspired classic kung fu flick. Don Wong Tao stars as a silent assassin out to avenge his father’s death by bringing down a criminal organization led by a hunchbacked Tommy Lee.
Inspired by Sergio Leone’s masterful Italian Western ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST, Taiwanese martial arts star Don Wong Tao harnessed the fame he received from the success of THE SECRET RIVALS to step into the additional role of producer for the first and last time. The result was ALONG COMES A TIGER, a typical low-budget kung fu flick from Taiwan with just enough decent martial arts action to warrant a viewing, but ultimately too little of most everything else to come anywhere near matching Wong’s ambitions.
Veteran filmmaker Wu Ma was recruited to direct the film, but it doesn’t fit his style, which has more in keeping with Shaw Brothers’ studio filmmaking. In its indie look and content, the film’s stamp of ownership belongs to its star and producer Don Wong Tao and his longtime action directing partner Tommy Lee. Unfortunately, that’s not exactly a good thing. While the two had success working together on classics such as THE HOT, THE COOL AND THE VICIOUS and EAGLE’S CLAW, this collaboration lays bare the problems many indie kung fu movies suffered, namely a lack of artistic license and imagination to overcome monetary limitations.
The story apes your typical Spaghetti Western revenger with a seemingly mute hero gunning, figuratively speaking, for men responsible for the murder of his father years prior. Using a small wooden call sign, Wong Tao becomes known as “Sacred Cloud” or “Miracle Man” (depending on which translation you favor), a feared one-man army who is single-handedly destroying each sect of a gang of thugs led by a notorious hunchbacked villain (Tommy Lee). It is this villain that strung up Wong’s father in front of his frightened, adolescent eyes and laughed ruthlessly as only a kung fu villain can. Before they clash, Wong takes on each of Lee’s lieutenants including the head of a local casino.
Genre beauty Doris Lung runs the gambling hall with her all-female bouncers. They’re a deceptively deadly force to be dealt with. Using feathered fans that hide razor sharp spines, the girls bedazzle their opponents with a flowery dance before closing in for the kill. But it’s nothing Wong and his short stick, which breaks apart into nunchaku can’t handle.
Wong’s only allies include a moralistic young boy who attempts to guide him away from killing and a cocky mystery man, whose unknown mission puts him on the same path. This latter character is played by future Hong Kong action director Stephen Tung Wei, a talented fellow in part responsible for the fight choreography in films such as BULLETPROOF MONK and SEVEN SWORDS.
Wong clearly aspires to recreate the haunting poeticism of Sergio Leone’s filmmaking into his own work. But such is the nature of the limited resources, talent available and his divorced working relationship with his director that results in a film that falls hopelessly short. I will credit Wong for attempting to infuse a little more depth into his characters than we’re used to seeing in this genre. Not all of Wong’s foes are unrepentant thugs and with the boy acting as his conscience, he’s forced to face the complexities of acting as judge, jury and executioner. Doris Lung tries to point out the good points of her mentor and later is shocked and humbled by Wong’s mercy. Alas, karma prevails and the end result is still the same
by Mark PollardRelated Topics:
Along Comes a Tiger (1977)
