Yuen Biao's first film as leading man (after bit parts, stunt work, and supporting roles) was a spectacular debut. His mentor and "big brother," Sammo Hung, crafted an engaging vehicle that highlighted the younger man's acrobatic and martial arts abilities. Yuen Biao and Leung Kar Yan are brothers in the flesh and in the conman trade. They encounter the wiley Lau Kar Wing, who is so clearly their superior that the brothers seek to become his students. Something happens, though, that leaves one of the brothers dead, and the surviving sibling ends up training with an unexpected master (Sammo Hung) in order to gain revenge. The first part of the film has been criticized for its silly and juvenile comedy. Yet that is part and parcel of what made Sammo Hung's cinematic endeavors unique at the time (Jackie Chan and Yuen Wo-ping began introducing comedy into their films shortly after Sammo did). Sammo Hung recognized that the solemn and traditional martial arts films had played themselves out, and that fresh ingredients were needed to gain audience favor. For example, a less-than-reverential approach to the training sequences so commonly found in martial arts films (the master teaching the student in a series of training exercises) bolsters the effectiveness of them here. And the concluding fight scenes are awesome: muscular, brutal, and balletic.
|
