Seven Commandments of Kung Fu, The (1979)

A young drugstore clerk named Shou Pei becomes the student of a mantis fist expert who teaches him seven rules of a fighter. Together they defeat a gang of thugs, but eventually Shou Pei must fight his master to avenge the death of his father and uncle.

Commandment #1: “Always be ready for a deception.”
Commandment #2: “Be on your guard against a tale.”
Commandment #3: “Plan ahead before you move.”
Commandment #4: “Be on your guard against ambush.”
Commandment #5: “When you attack, go for the kill.”
Commandment #6: “When there is too many, split their forces.”
Commandment #7: “Don’t leave anything undone that you can do now.”

These are the rules by which Mantis Fist expert Lu Tzo Hai (Chang Yi) lives by and imparts on his young and impressionable student, Ching Shou Pei (Lee I Min), a clerk working at a drugstore owned by one of those classic Cantonese stereotypes of a sniveling, wart-infested buffoon. Shou Pei lives with his uncle who we later learn has just cause to be concerned over the presence of Tzo Hai. But for the time being, Shou Pei learns kung fu while the two work together to wipe out a group of criminals lead by Lun Tin Chin (Lung Fei). Things get messy when the white-haired master discovers that Shou Pei’s uncle is a former martial brother who needs to be silenced. He kills the uncle, but not before Shou Pei gets a letter explaining that his new master killed his father years before over a difference of opinion. Incensed, Shou Pei runs off with his father’s kung fu manual to train in preparation to meet his master for a reckoning.

By 1979, filmmakers were constantly looking for new gimmicks to market the same old kung fu formula. As far as creative ideas go, The 7 Commandments of Kung Fu didn’t have a prayer. The film uses the common story template of an immature young man pushed to train in kung fu to avenge somebody’s death. The twist is that his master proves to be his worst enemy, but you’re never quite sure until the very last moment in the film.

Chang Yi has effectively played the white-haired evil master in so many films such as Fatal Needles vs. Fatal Fists (1980) and Shaolin Kung Fu Mystagogue (1976). You actually get to see him as the young man he really was at the beginning the film (see first screen capture). His skills are terrific and you can really see a lot of him in action here. Unfortunately, the filmmakers chose to under crank the action scenes to a greater extent than usual. While a more judicious director would have only used this level of enhanced editing for specific emphasis if at all, every single fight is sped up to the point where you can no longer focus on any one movement or stance. This is a real shame since not only is Chang Yi worth watching, but also Lee I Min who is a decent, semi-acrobatic performer.

Although it appears thoroughly impractical as a fighting style, one of the highlights is I Min’s training and subsequent fight while suspended from iron hoops hanging from a platform. Its likely that he was doubled for some of the more intense gymnastics, but its still fun to watch. Less probable is the training he undergoes with giant straw praying mantises. He fashions them himself and even operates their limbs by using a series of ropes and pulleys. This corny scene might have worked if the rest of the film hadn’t been so conventional.

After watching this film with a certain degree of disappointment, I’ve come up with my own commandment which is to be on your guard against bad kung fu. The 7 Commandments of Kung Fu has nothing new to offer and through poor editing reduces the quality of its only redeemable quality, the fights. Only Chang Yi fans will find any real entertainment value here.