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My Kung Fu 12 Kicks
Shaw Bros. mainstay Bruce Liang (10 Tigers of Shaolin, Broken Oath) is our hero, Tao Pin (sp?). It is the sort of sad sack, underdog idiot role suited for the likes of Sammo Hung, Alexander Fu Sheng, or Jackie Chan. After he is beaten by the local moneylender and his henchman, Tao Pin is kicked out of the town, befriends a brothel lackey, and the two move into an abandoned monastery. A badass warrior (Lee Hoi San- Executioners from Shaolin, Warriors Two) waltzes into town and cripples three martial master brothers and ruins their school. The three brothers take refuge I the monastry and make Tao Pin their pupil.
Now, admittedly as huge a old school martial film fan that I am, I'm not real big on HK comedy, especially goofy martial comedy. The occasional Jackie Chan or Sammo film is fine. An injection of goofiness is okay here and there, and I'm not adverse to a good fart joke or off the wall bit, like the rap number in Chinese Ghost Story. Sure, there are always exceptions, but My Kung Fu 12 Kicks really emphasizes the comedy in every aspect. Whereas Jackie Chan might throw funny bits into his action, they are often balanced by the pure thrills and dire perils of the stuntwork.
Bruce Liang is a good performer, more up to the task of a martial comedy that the many Jackie imitators that popped up in the late 70's. His arms may be short but you can see callouses on his knuckles, proving that the guy took his stuntwork seriously. He is also one of those guys best suited for a best friend or secondary role and not a lead. For all of his physical talent he just doesn't have the chops when it comes to charisma. And boy does he look goofy in this film. He sports a shiny forehead revealing haircut that makes him look like he has Downs Syndrome.
Directed by Lee Tso Nam (Fatal Needles, Fatal Fists, The Hot the Cool and the Vicious), the action is all very solid. Once again though, the comedic emphasis may sour martial fans like myself, those who prefer a Chang Cheh blood bath to mugging. For instance, a long fight sequence where Tao Pin gets his revenge on the moneylender and his thugs involves not only his peeing on one of the men but his grabbing their testicles, biting them all over, and making wacky faces the entire time.
The DVD: Crash Cinema
Picture: Non-anamorphic Letterbox. In terms of old school kung fu this print is right up there at the top. While it has the standard age wear (spots, lines) and some contrast quibbles in some of the night scenes, overall it is in very decent shape with adequate sharpness, some strong colors, and deep contrast. While non-anamorphic, with so many full-screen prints still getting put out there, the widescreen is welcome and captures the action quite nicely.
Sound: Mono. English dub. Goofy bubbling music. A dub as wacky and over the top as the acting. Not dynamic, pretty hollow, but it is what we kung fu geeks come to expect and begrudgingly deal with.
Extras: Chapters--- Bonus fights--- Crash Trailers--- Informative Bruce Liang Bio and filmography.
Conclusion: Out of the past few old school kung fu DVDs I've reviewed this is one of the few letterboxed releases. That alone puts it on eager fans radar. Even though it isnt my style of kung fu, the film is decent and the DVD just good enough to merit a recommendation.
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