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Director: Tony Liu Jun Guk
Cast: Chen Kuan Tai, Johnny Wang Lung Wei, Yuen Tak, Candy Wen Xue Er, Chan Lau, Lam Fai Wong
Original Title: Bei Pan Shi Men
Production Country: Hong Kong 1980
Review:
Gao Jian (Yuen Tak) is a low-ranking kung fu student frequently bullied whose fortunes change when he begins training with a wounded kung fu expert (Chen Kuan-tai) hiding from the ‘Three Devils.’ Forced to leave his school, Gao returns a year later to get revenge for the kung fu expert’s death at the hands of the Three Devils and to free his school from their subjugation.
Oh, how the mighty had fallen. Once the dominating force in Hong Kong filmmaking, by 1980 Shaw Brothers was reduced to following the trends of upstart independent filmmakers. But these upstarts were no lightweights. Filmgoers had grown weary of tragic swordplay epics and Bruce Lee rip-offs. The people wanted kung fu they could laugh at and Yuen Wo-ping and Jackie Chan were just what the doctor ordered. Snake in the Eagle’s Shadow (1978) was Jackie’s first major hit and set a new direction for the genre to follow. Not only did comedy kung fu flourish for a number of years, but so did films that aped the plot. SB’s The Master was one such film that worked both angles to great success thanks to competent direction, excellent kung fu action, and fine performances.
The Iron Monkey star Chen Kuan-tai is the kung fu master hiding from three “parasites of the martial arts field” who have wounded him. He makes his way to a kung fu school where a cheeky student of low rank named Gao Jian (Yuen Tak) nurses him back to relative health in secret. His own master Shi (Lau Hok-nin) is apparently a ‘poser’ when it comes real kung fu know how and most of Gao’s fellow students simply abuse him. Gao begins training under Chen’s expert guidance. A fair amount of time is spent in training that incorporates the breaking of many clay tiles, plus sword work. As with the choreography, the training is all shown very clearly with logical cause and effect while the purpose behind each action is explained. This is a welcome departure from so many esoteric explanations and displays of kung fu that lesser productions feature. An unwise plan to raise money for Chen’s medicine leads Gao to a brothel where one of the Three Devils is being entertained by throwing taels of gold at topless women. This only gets Gao into hot water with master Shi. But Shi really explodes when Gao makes another mistake by displaying the kung fu he’s learned, thus exposing that he’s gone behind his master’s back to study kung fu with a rival expert. In order to escape punishment, Gao leaves just before the Three Demons catch up with Chen and then proceed to take over the kung fu school. Gao returns a year later ready to get revenge and free his school.
The Master is hardly original or even engaging when it comes to the plot or the comedy bits, but it excels in the key element of filming great kung fu sequences with inviting clarity. The opening teahouse duel between Kuan-tai and Johnny Wang, who plays the leader of the Three Devils, sets the standard by which director Tony Liu and choreographer Hsu Hsia manage to maintain. Acrobatics by stunt doubles are thrown in and a reoccurring ‘money shot’ features Johnny Lung’s character doing spinning, mid-air attacks that will take your breath away. Aside from these trampoline-assisted aerial assaults, there is no wirework or reverse camera work. There isn’t even any noticeable use of those obnoxious zoom-ins. The only gimmick used with regularity is slow-motion action shots to emphasize the power of attacks. These and other shots make it easy to follow the action and appreciate its quality.
Yuen Tak, a fellow graduate of the same Chinese opera school that Jackie Chan and Sammo Hung emerged from, delivers an awesome action performance. Truthfully, I don’t care for his acting or the character he plays, but he displays a well-rounded set of physical abilities worthy of the ‘Yuen’ name. His sword-handling in training and in his final bout with Johnny Wang is particularly entertaining. The hilt of his sword has a long tassel hanging from it that Chen earlier explains is designed to confuse an opponent when in motion. Yuen’s foes are fairly entertaining as well. The Three Devils include Johnny Wang as Yan Qing-wang with his Leopard Fist, whose special weapon is a knife attached to the end of his braided hair. This appears long before Yen Shi-kwan used a similar attack against Jet Li in Once Upon a Time in China (1991). The other two characters include Fan San who wields dual blades (Wing Chun knives) and Zhou San-zhao who carries a coat full of darts that he is capable of tossing with expert precision.
The humor in The Master is less successful and only seems to be a have-hearted effort to appease demand. Chan Lau has one of his least interesting roles as the leading tormentor of Yuen, along with Lam Fai-wong. Yuen Tak’s clowning lacks the charm of Jackie Chan or even the lessor Mang Fei. On the flip side, the soundtrack is always complimentary with a combination of orchestral and more upbeat synthesizer music. The camera work is accomplished with nicely done panning shots. The shooting of interior sets and outdoor locations is fairly uniform, although I can always easily spot that distinctive blue sky wallpaper.
There is nothing particularly outstanding about The Master and it seems pretty routine for a 1980 production. Yet there isn’t much to complain about either. Frequent kung fu mayhem of high quality overcomes niggling faults and makes this old schooler worth hunting down.
LANGUAGE: Chinese
SUBTITLE: English
DVD-RiP
Mp4
97:20 min
730 mb
credit to mallam
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