Enter The Fat Dragon Review

Rating: 4 out of 5

Director: Kenji Tanigaki and Aman Chang

Year: 2020

Plot:

I was drawn to this movie for the cover. The cover features a fat Donnie Yen dressed like Bruce Lee. The classic yellow suit is what he is dawning, and the movie is supposed to be a reboot or remake of “Enter the Fat Dragon” which was previously released in 1978 and starred Sammo Hung.

The plot of the movie isn’t half bad. It flows easily, and it features Donnie Yen’s character, Fallon, a good cop that tends to go extreme. Think of Jackie Chan’s characters in “Police Story” and you get a little bit of what you would expect from Fallon. Fallon chases the bad guys and beats them to a pulp. We get an opening sequence that features a great deal of fighting, chasing, cars, and some action that is definitely on par with anything modern you are watching.

Now, the plot moves forward with our main hero being placed in the evidence room instead of the streets. He sits a lot more, and ends up getting fat, losing his fiancé, and no longer getting into the action that he was used to. When his friend gets him to join a case, he has a second chance to get into the streets. He goes to Japan and he is supposed to bring back a felon which should be relatively easy.

The plot moves fast, and the felon gets away, only to have Fallon chase him and a secondary plot comes through. The secondary element is that the felon is really someone that saw the Yakuza putting drugs into fish. The Yakuza is now after him, Fallon is also chasing, and the felon is trying to hide out. Through this movie however, a great deal more happens, and we get a lot of set pieces that are intriguing, lit up greatly, and features fighting, chases, gun fights, and more. It’s impressive. All done with Donnie Yen in a fat suit!

Thoughts:

First of all, this whole movie is subtitled, so if that turns you off, you’re going to dislike this. There is some English spoken throughout, but it is not enough to carry the plot or the movie at all. You won’t have to read a novel, but you will need to read quite a bit overall. It’s subtitled in English, so that’s a plus for sure.

The overall movie is fast paced, and comedic. There are plenty of fat jokes and fat puns, as well as moments that are specifically made to make fun of Fallon’s weight gain. However, despite his size, he still fights like crazy and it is interesting to see that contrast between fat and skinny. There are a few moments where he seems tired, as he should be because he’s fatter, but it doesn’t get in the way a lot of times. In fact there’s a lot of times that he looks amazing, and he indeed fights back hard. The fighting is great, there is even callbacks to Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan.

Overall, “Enter the Fat Dragon” is a solid modern kung fu movie. It features a great deal of action, gun play, and comedy. I want to compare it to Jackie Chan a lot, but that’s not fair, because Donnie Yen does great work here and this is a great movie. I give it a 4 out of 5 and highly recommend it.

Rumble in The Bronx (1995) Review

Rating: 4 out of 5

Director: Stanley Tong

Year: 1995

Plot:

Keung is a Hong Kong cop that comes to New York city for his uncle’s wedding, and to house sit. He also decides to stick around an extra week to ensure that his uncle’s grocery store changes hands well. Things go off the rails when Keung goes face to face with a local gang that is looking to tear up the streets. Keung has to fight the gang in various locations when he becomes a target and is chased through various arenas. Meanwhile, a diamond heist goes bad, and Keung’s friend in the building he is staying in gets involved without meaning to, and now a larger syndicate is after the diamonds and much more. The movie moves from the gang after Keung to them joining forces to try and take out a syndicate that is trying to get their hands on stolen diamonds.

Thoughts:

Jackie Chan movies are great, we know this. This is a movie that features a more modern take on action. Action in this movie is nonstop, and involves Chan fighting uphill against the gang in modern locations with sets like a grocery store, a warehouse, an alley, and features incredible stunts. Chan jumps, fights, and features a lot of back and forth that you would expect from Jackie.

This is not just kung fu, mind you, while there is a lot of it. There are stunts that feature everyday objects, big jumps, and a hovercraft that is really cool. One of my favorite stunts features a Lamborghini and a large sword/metal object. The stunt involves Jackie breaking the doors off of the car, then pushing the sword through the hovercraft’s bottom area, which completely deflates the hovercraft. It’s an insane stunt that has nothing to do with kung fu, but all action, making it one of the finer moments in “Rumble in The Bronx”.

Despite the fact that production was difficult for Chan, and that this was the first major movie crossover into the United States, it’s stellar and holds up very well. It has a bit of comedy, a bit of romantic element, and more importantly kung fu back and forth. Overall, it’s a solid action movie with a lot of action from modern explosions to fights back and forth. It’s excellent, and one of my favorite performances of modern action, kung fu movies. I rate it a 4 out of 5.

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Kung Fu of 8 Drunkards (1980) Review

Rating: 2 out of 5

Director: Wu Ma

Year: 1980

Plot:

“Kung Fu of 8 Drunkards” is a martial arts movie from 1970. The movie has a plot that follows Chang Fung, a martial arts student that is studying under a drunken master. His master has made enemies through his life and a gang of warriors show up to kill him. Chang must defend his master and use drunken kung fu to fight back.

Thoughts:

If you have been reading my reviews, you know that I often look at the transfer at first. The transfer is lower end VHS quality on this one, and the dub is louder than the alternating sounds at times. The lighting is way bright, and the contrast is also, making it an interesting watch, as though someone is throwing on a brightness to your screen. That doesn’t take away from the action, but it’s noticeable on the DVD I watched.

We are introduced to our main character, training in drunken style kung fu, and there’s a bit of comedy throughout. The drunk is interesting, and teaches in an unorthodox way. The music is comical, and the lessons are too, making for an entertaining bit of progression for the movie.

The general plot is that our main teacher has some debts to be repaid and our hero must fight off the warriors that come after him to collect. However, to get there, and to see that, there are multiple smaller stories that have nothing to do with that progression. For instance, there’s a random tournament of fighters, there’s a scene where one of our character pees on a wall, there’s some stealing going on, and just random sequences that don’t necessarily move the plot along but are there for filler.

The majority of the brawling aside from the tournament fight is due to the drunkards having enemies that are looking for him. That kind of moves the plot along, but for the most part it’s convoluted. You have to throw away your notebook on this one, and just watch some funny moments, as there is comedy mixed into a variety of the scenes.

“Kung Fu of 8 Drunkards” is not that fun to watch. Sure, there are comedic moments, and the plot is thin enough for you to take a little nap to, but there’s a lot missing in this one. I found myself a little bored at times, but I stuck with it. I did appreciate the brawling, especially the last fight which is always a good sign with these type of movies, but it just isn’t enough to save it as a whole. With that in mind, I have to lower the rating some, even though there’s enough kung fu to make it watchable. I guess I’m of two minds when it comes to “Kung Fu of 8 Drunkards”. I give this a rating of 2 out of 5.

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Fists of Fury (1971) Review

Rating: 5 out of 5

Director: Lo Wei

Year: 1971

Plot:

“Fists of Fury” is a 1971 film that is really “The Big Boss”. Bruce Lee stars as a man who seeks revenge for the death of his family members. He discovers that the ice factory he was working at is trafficking drugs, and as a result caused the death of his family members. That’s about as simple as you can make the movie’s plot, although there is some side action, and a little more information that you’ll glean from the movie overall. However, at the crux of the film, it’s a revenge plot. This is explored through various plot points, including our main hero’s family starting to go missing, and the revelation that the ice factory he works at is trafficking drugs. It tightens up, before leading to a major showdown to close the film out.

Thoughts:

First, the transfer and audio are top notch for this movie. You can get it on blu ray, and you can stream it in high definition as well. The transfers on this are great, and well worth your time to seek out. This is somewhat unusual for the genre, and you can tell through the reviews that I have. It’s a nice thing to see up front, a nice overall transfer, excellent even.

There is a lot of story to this movie. It is driven by plot, and you are introduced to the characters through different scenarios. It is not a straightforward fight film, so don’t expect all out brawls throughout every quarter of the film, it’s just not that type of movie. If you’re used to kung fu films that keep brawling throughout this is not it. That’s not bad, it’s just an observation that I made while watching the film. Plot heavy, the movie takes time to build the story, and you are not in for a frenetic style. That’s where this stands out, making it a crime drama at times, more than a kung fu movie.

Due to the nature of the story, “Fists of Fury” ‘becomes more than just a fight film. It gets serious, and while there is some fighting, it doesn’t feel like your traditional kung fu movie. It feels more important, especially in that our main hero doesn’t get involved in every brawl until he is provoked. Once provoked he jumps into the fray. When we do see Bruce Lee fight, he does so with grace and poise, fast and to the point.

“Fists of Fury” is a good movie. It stands tall amongst fight movies, because it’s not just about that. In fact, there’s far more to it than fighting, and really holds a good candle to cinema in general. At the core it’s simple, but as you unravel it a bit, you have crime, drama, and action, making it a great one to watch. It has something for everyone, and that’s rare in the genre. I give it a 5 out of 5.

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One Foot Crane (1979) Review

Rating: 4 out of 5

Director: Min-Hsiung Wu

Year:  1979

Plot:

“One Foot Crane” has a very simple plot, and it was released in 1979. The main plot according to sources online is that an orphan girl studies the art of Crane Boxing for many years so that she can seek revenge on the culprits that slaughtered her family. Unlike other movies, the main plot comes at you fast. The beginning of the film shows the slaughter of the family by 4 swordsmen, meanwhile a little girl watches. She runs away and is found by an old man who teachers her kung fu. That story is the crux of the movie, a revenge plot, with a little minor element here and there, but it sticks to the larger story very well. Even the subplot is about revenge, and our  main heroine shines bright in the end.

Thoughts:

Let’s begin with the quality of the transfer, which is higher VHS, with good lighting and more than adequate dubbing. It is in standard definition, even on DVD and it is a rare one so you may have to pay a little if you want to have the physical copy. It looks good overall, and I had no problem seeing things, even in the dark lighting at times.

The movie’s plot moves fast for a change. We get going forward with the death of a family, and a young lady that survives. She is rescued by a martial arts master and she learns kung fu. She then embarks on a quest to find the men responsible for killing her family. These men are wanted in a city, and she tells the magistrates that she will find and bring the men to justice. This plot carries through the majority of the movie, even though there are some fights that progress things a little as well. I liked the plot, it’s interesting, and the revenge story makes sense, never really straying from the overall path.

The fighting isn’t bad, our hero gets ridiculed at times for being a girl but she shows up and proves the naysayers wrong. There’s a good flow to the fights, and they use different weapons throughout. Each fight builds the story a little, and features some high quality sequences. I was impressed with how the story’s continuity was proven throughout. As far as a fight film is concerned, this is a good one, and I liked the flow of things, which is sometimes hit or miss. Not in this case, it flows well, there’s good fighting, and for some reason it just caught me in a good mood. I give “One Foot Crane” a 4 out of 5.

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The Guy With The Secret Kung Fu (1980) Review

Rating: 3 out of 5

Director: Chi Lo

Year: 1980

Plot:

“The Guy With The Secret Kung Fu” is a 1980 movie that has a simplified plot, but lots of surprises throughout the movie. The plot according to internet sources is about two good guys that help the weak, and are captured and told to chase after the Dragon Gang. They must fight their way through the Dragon Gang, but they also must confront a Taoist with a zombie, and then fight the leader of the gang as well. All in all, there’s a lot of fighting to be had, and our heroes must overcome quite a bit to get their triumph.

Thoughts:

Let’s begin my thoughts with the traditional talk of the transfer and dubbing. The dubbing leaves a little to be desired, and the transfer is VHS quality. It’s not grand, but it has enough clarity to make it worth your time. The music is clear, the dubbing is clear too, but don’t expect perfection with this DVD, even though there are several versions available.

The plot gets moving swiftly, and I appreciated that. There’s a little bit of subplot, but it’s mainly a focus on the larger plot, getting rid of the Dragon Gang by forcing two heroes that have been arrested to get the job done. It’s a simple premise, and one that works within the genre. The initial setup is swift, but getting to the fighting takes a little bit of time. There’s a lull in place, so don’t think that this is all brawling. That’s not to say that it’s boring, but I wanted to make viewers aware that there’s a bit of storytelling and build towards the fighting that is to come.

 The Dragon Gang is no joke, they have a lot of fighters, and even a zombie! I kid you not, a zombie comes to fruition and is one of the fighters that the duo has to get through. The brawling is great, there’s some nice back and forth, good kung fu, and definitely a nice plot that surrounds it. Even though there’s a lot to offer with “The Guy With The Secret Kung Fu”, the transfer and dub bring it down a few notches. That being said, I give this one a 3 out of 5.

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Against The Drunken Cat Paws (1979) Review

Rating:  3 out of 5

Director: Shan-His Ting

Year: 1979

Plot:

“Against the Drunken Cat Paws” is also known as “No One Can Touch Her”, and “13 Evil Bandits”. It’s a movie that was released in 1979, and features a female main hero. The main plot concerns our hero, a blind martial artist that needs to figure out who killed her father, and hopefully gain her sight back and avenge her father as well. Another plot online stated that our hero has to figure out how to take on 13 evil doers of kung fu to reign supreme as the best.

From what I could tell, the above plots aren’t all that wrong. When the father of a kung fu practitioner is killed by a gang, which includes a female, a one armed bandit, a little person, and a self professed crippled warrior, revenge becomes the flavor of the day. At the core of the plot is a revenge plan, and that is explored through brawling, and attacks from gangs. The gangs all say they come to seek their revenge, but never fully explain why. Safe to say, there’s a bit of convoluted elements here, but they are meant to try and give backstory to the blind martial artist. As a whole, it makes sense, but in action it can be a little clunky when delivered for the first time.

Thoughts:

I usually begin my thoughts with the dub and transfer of a film, because it’s important to me to see things clearly. These movies are old, and the transfers can be somewhat hit and miss. That being said, “Against The Drunken Cat Paws” is in standard definition, but with a high VHS transfer, and good overall dubbing. I didn’t find that there were any major flaws from what I could tell. There was some minor editing issue, but the transfer is good overall.

The movie starts out swiftly, with our hero being introduced as a thief in the night. We then move forward to the rest of the plot, which gives us backstory to the hero, and the reasons why she is seeking revenge. This is not without some fighting, as  there is brawling throughout. The kung fu is good, and there is a mix of hand to hand combat, sword fighting, and more. Chia Ling, the actress does an amazing job with the fighting, and it is very cool to see overall. There’s also a kid doing kung fu, which is really cool as well.

The plot features a revenge score, but it is mixed with thievery, and a few other minor subplots. I liked it overall, and there’s a mix of fighting and story that doesn’t make the movie too slow to watch. I did think the main hero having a drinking problem is a bit odd, but it works I guess. “Against The Drunken Cat Paws” isn’t bad, the fighting is fun, and despite some predictable moments, it’s worth checking out. I give this movie a rating of 3 out of 5.

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