Don't Believe the Hype

Brilliant and touching

best movie i've ever seen.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

Foreshadowing the climactic fight scene- which takes place in a barn crammed with life-sized dummies that look like Wang Yu-, the opening sequence of RETURN OF THE Chinese BOXER features Wang taking out his frustrations on a bunch of life-size training dummies. There are several firearms used throughout the movie, including an eight-barreled shotgun, wielded in the end by Lung Fei (who played the mysterious "man from Okinawa," a.k.a. The Kung Fu Beast, in Wang's epic THE Chinese PROFESSIONALS- a.k.a., THE RETURN OF THE ONE-ARMED BOXER). The highlights include yet another martial arts tournament with yet another assortment of wacky but oh-so-cool contestants (which include yet another pair of Thai kick boxers who don't hesitate to dole out the punishment, firearms that include a chained weapon with a trigger that allows the user to blow his opponent's leg off once the chain has ensnared said limb, and suchlike). Flying Dagger, another assassin gunning for Rabbit Fist (figuratively: he throws darts affixed with sticks of dynamite!), is busily refining his technique for his next confrontation with Rabbit Fist- but ends up accidentally providing Rabbit Fist with the means to overcome the vampires raised from the dead to hunt him down. (If that sounds like a mouthful, keep in mind that this is another Wang Yu masterwork, and is chock full of these little touches...) The scene where the trio of vampires are resurrected is worthy of Mario Bava himself (see PLANET OF THE VAMPIRES). The final battle features "robot dummies" of a decidedly STEAMPUNK nature: steam hisses from them when they are shot. Wang Yu was ahead of the curve when it came to steampunk, too. (Note: Wang Yu plays Rapid Fist; I prefer to think of him as Rabbit Fist...)

I found this to be a confusing at times martial arts period piece. The story has to do with Japanese and Chinese rivals, a pair of swords, and some pearls. Star Jimmy Wang Yu as the title character shows up only sporadically and doesn't get any real screen time til the end of the flick. There are still plenty of fight scenes without him though. And that's what this movie is all about. The fight scenes. Fans of his MASTER OF THE FLYING GUILLOTINE will find much to enjoy and much in common with this film. Outlandish villians with equally outlandish weapons. Unique fighting styles and interesting arenas of combat. Highlights include the trio of long-haired kung fu zombies as well as the showdown at the end in the barn of many Wang Yus.Crash Cinema's DVD is ok. Picture while wide-screen is a little scratchy and washed out at times. This english dub though is probably the only place to see this bit of 70's martial arts action.

This is the most brilliant piece of kung-fu rubbish I've ever seen. Horrible dubbing, such as how the japanese refer to the country of "Chiner" and the 5 sound effects used in the movie all add up to a delightful movie experience. It is without a doubt the most stirring actor-driven emotional drama I have ever seen. Plus, the more people you have, the more fun it gets! I totally recommend it!

This Shaw Brothers production packs a lot of neat stunts and fast action. Director-star Jimmy Wang Yu does a really good job and is a really cool kung fu hero. A lot of his stunts are incredible and the action scenes are all shot magnificently. Fans of Hong Kong action shouldn't miss this one. This is the Shaw Brothers at their best.