Chu long ma liu (1979)

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Monkey Kung Fu, AKA Stroke of Death, not to be confused with Monkey Fist, Floating Snake, has a lot of incident, but a very flimsy plot overall... It's mostly one excuse after another for acrobatic fights, not that there's anything wrong with that per se. And though it doesn't feature the best editing by Shaw Bros. standards, there's quite a lot to like as far as the comedic action goes. Unfortunately, the protagonist has few redeeming qualities, a roguish jerk who doesn't mind slapping prostitutes around probably won't charm you with his slapstick comedy. Worse, the motivations of both the heroes - escaped convicts who find a secret kung fu manual - and villains - who want revenge on the clan that produced the manual(?) - are extremely poorly drawn. The English dub available on most services (the DVD is out of print) doesn't do it any favors either. But for the pure martial arts sequences and a relatively early role for actor/action director/stuntman Siu-Tung Ching (A Chinese Ghost Story, Hero, House of Flying Daggers), it may be worth checking out. But not the best example of the genre if you're just starting out. 6 years 10 months ago