Shaolin Kickboxer

Awesome kung fu movie! Won Jin makes possible the best debut in the history of kung fu action movies here! with unmatchable kicking skills and just sheer menace!

The rumors about his death are all false, he is alive and kicking (heh) On the recent Hong Kong Legends DVD release of this film it has a interview with him, wich is recent. It also includes an awesome showcase of the man himself :) a must buy :)

4 outta 5

"Operation Scorpio" is not one of the best HK action flicks you can find. The story is only mildly engaging, and at times utterly confusing. The martial arts choreography is unique and fascinating (in one of the fights, superhuman strength is pitted against superhuman agility; in another one, we have "scorpio-style" kung fu vs. "eel-style" kung fu!), but a bit too "exaggerated" for my tastes. I'd say there is about 40% wirework and 60% physical skill involved, but even that percentage is still to be admired. One other thing the film lacks is star power: Chin Kar Lok is likable, but not strong enough to carry the entire film as a lead (but that girl he rescues is incredibly lovely). Overall, if you just skip to the last 20 minutes and the three main fights, you won't have missed much. (**)

Hong Kong, the 1920s. A young man from poor beginnings dreams of being a hero, and spends most of his time training and learning about kung fu and bodybuilding, much against his father's will. He helps a servant girl escape from a ruthless businessman, whose goons then come after them, and terrorizes the young man's uncle's noodle restaurant. The uncle turns out to be an old, reformed Triad assassin, who now helps the young guy become proficient in martial arts. It's all-out Karate Kid style with "wash the wok" instead of "wax on, wax off". The kung fu villain is the ruthless businessman's son, who has a trademark scorpion style that looks cool although it is quite silly and surely completely unrealistic.

But the story, which develops over time, has an epic feel, good characterization, great kung fu and is generally very entertaining. The young hero is very sympathetic and provides a good protagonist to root for. The romance dimension remains undeveloped, though, which is a bit disappointing. Otherwise a great movie.

My rating: 8 out of 10.

When I saw OPERATION SCORPIO, I never thought I would see such a fantastic villain in Yuen Jeung. His kicking abilities are the best I've seen since Hwang Jang-lee in the 70's classics. There was wire use in the film, but Yuen didn't really use wires in his fights as his acrobatics and kicks were superb. Sadly, it is a tragedy that Yuen died a while later.

This Martial arts comedy is set in 1920s Hong Kong; protagonist Yu Shu attends a prestigious private school but he spends his time drawing martial arts comics and dreaming of being a hero... much to the annoyance of his teacher and his father. When a friend is bullied he tries to help even though the bullies are stronger. Later he helps rescue Mei, a girl he rather fancies who has been sold into servitude who is about to be resold into prostitution. This act leads to him being expelled from school. He and Mei start working at his uncle's noodle restaurant. He also starts attending a local Kung Fu school... although he might just be learning more in the restaurant. Eventually Mei is found by the man intending to sell her so Yu Shu, with some help, must rescue her and others; this will mean fighting the son of the crime boss... a man known as The Scorpion King due to his unique fighting style.

This film provides lots of exciting martial arts action combined with quite a few laughs. The fights are all brilliantly choreographed; they feel very physical despite some obvious wire work. The story is effective even if it doesn't provide any real surprises. The training scenes to slow the action somewhat and the fact that he is actually learning more working in the kitchen won't be a surprise to anybody who has seen 'The Karate Kid'. The cast does a fine job; most notably Kar Lok Chin and Chia-Liang Liu as Yu Shu and his uncle. Jung Yuen was solid as The Scorpion King despite a rather ridiculous hair style! May Mei-Mei Lo was likeable as Mei. Overall I'd definitely recommend this to those looking for martial arts and a few laughs but nothing too intense.

These comments are based on watching he film in Cantonese with English subtitles. I have used the character names listed on the IMDb rather those on the DVD box.