Fists and Guts is one of very few kung fu movies to show the ultra rare and in fact, quite non-existent art of leper kung fu. But what they should have called it was idiot kung fu, for that would have been a much more apt kung fu technique for such an idiotic movie. Putting aside three kung fu fights and the presence of four talented genre talents gone to waste, the film is more or less rubbish.
Lau Kar-leung’s brother Kar-wing directs and costars and that’s usually a good sign, for his past independent films include Odd Couple, a collaboration with Sammo Hung and a minor masterpiece of kung fu cinema. But the sad truth is that Kar-wing, although a very talented stunt actor and choreographer himself, is not anywhere near his brother’s level when it comes to filmmaking. Granted, Fists and Guts is a serviceable film with some semblance of a plot, numerous attempts at broad physical humor and several opportunities for top stars Gordon Liu and Lo Lieh to strut their stuff. But good intentions are not enough. When it comes down to it, there isn’t anywhere near enough martial arts action, the comedy isn’t funny and the script is horrible, even by low budget kung fu standards.
The premise and subsequent plot must have been thought up during a long night of heavy binge drinking. Gordon Liu, fresh from starring in Lau Kar-leung’s brilliant martial arts comedy Return to the 36th Chamber and now sporting a wig, plays a disguised Shaolin monk who cons two bumbling con men (Lau Kar-wing and Lee Hoi-sang) into helping him to reclaim a Buddhist artifact stolen from a wily Tibetan monk and master of disguise (Lo Lieh). I wasn’t going to spoil the secret of Liu and Lo’s identities, which the film keeps secret until the end, but seeing as how both available DVD releases spoil it on their covers, there isn’t any reason for me to hold back.
The film is extremely uneven and appears to have been the product of a script conceived of moments before each scene was shot and in some cases not at all. I’d imagine the film’s entire shoot lasted not more than a week. A good indication is that in place of the Lau family’s usually high-quality kung fu, there is a lot of boneheaded slapstick comedy that audiences would see a lot more of in the ’80s with the decline in kung fu movies. Kar-wing’s character doesn’t even know kung fu and Lee Hoi-sang, who usually plays powerful villains is even more inept, thus wasting the considerable talents of two stunt actors. They put their stunt acting skills to use clowning around while the real action falls to Gordon Liu and to a lesser degree Lo Lieh, who appears to have only been available for a day or two of shooting.
It takes nearly thirty minutes for the first good fight to appear. It features Gordon Liu wielding butterfly knives against stunt actor Lee King-chue with a staff. It’s a good duel that has Liu showing skilled restraint in his use of the knives. The film’s featured attraction is a nearly-silent fight between Liu and Lai Kim-hung. It’s a career highlight for Lai, one of many nearly faceless Hong Kong stunt actors who usually lurked about as fist-pounding fodder for the stars. He and Liu are both after a Buddhist artifact, which is sitting in a general’s room guarded by soldiers with itchy trigger fingers just outside. Both men make a silent vow not to draw attention as they continue to quietly battle for possession of the artifact. Jackie Chan-like choreography ensues as Liu is forced to use all his skills to not only best Lai, but also keep vases from hitting the floor. The last fight of value is the big finale with Liu versus Lo Lieh. It’s a pretty standard, but well executed engagement of forms with Lo favoring a cat-like claw attack and Liu performing more traditional Hung Gar techniques.
One fight only worth mentioning for its lunacy takes place when Lee Hoi-sang and Lau Kar-wing are duped by a disguised Lo Lieh into going on a fool’s mission to find what they hope will be treasure. Instead, they wind up in a leper’s camp where they’re forced to fight a small army of stuntmen wearing cheap, rotting flesh make-up. This has got to be one of the most asinine kung fu fights, in conception and execution, since a guy in a gorilla suit started fighting in Shaolin Invincibles (1979).
The only thing besides the three main fights that makes this nutty picture digestible is the film’s ridiculous dubbed lines. While I’m sure the usual gang of classic kung fu voice actors embellished the original dialogue a bit, I’m just as certain that they weren’t too far off on the original context, which tends to satirize kung fu movies in general. Unfortunately, the humorous slant just doesn’t work as well as it did in similar films featuring Lau family direction like Mad Monkey Kung Fu and Odd Couple and the action, though occasionally great, is in far too short a supply to make up for it.
One thing to listen for is reoccurring music snatched from some Hollywood or European horror movie from the ’70s. A hearty congratulations goes out to anyone who can name that tune!
by Mark PollardRelated Topics:
Fists and Guts (1979) • Genre: Kung Fu
