Les 7 commandements du Kung Fu

A ruthless assassin (Chang Yi) adopts a new disciple (Lee Yi Min) from an old kung fu master. He teaches him the deadly Mantis Style in the hope that his new protégé will continue his killing for him.

An average Kung fu with some good fights, though it can be too lengthy and the comedy was forced, however it's still watchable, but it's not a standout. The idea of an assassin training a protege to be like him with his commandments of Kung fu is good, but it isn't as utilised properly, mainly because of its pedestrian direction.

Despite the grand, Biblical-sounding title, 7 COMMANDMENTS OF KUNG FU is nothing more than a bog-standard and cheapjack effort from Taiwan. It tells a tired old storyline and is so cheap that the action sequences lack bite and excitement. Only genre completionists are going to want to bother with this one.

Li Yi-Min plays the usual eager student whose old master teaches him ring training among the stock kung fu styles. Chang Yi once again essays the role of the old white-haired master who meets up with our protagonist and proceeds to teach him the seven 'rules' of kung fu, all of which are common sense such as "watch out for ambushes". However, there's a twist in the tale leading to a fraught climax...

The best part of this movie are the strenuous training sequences, in particular one stand-out bit in which the hero has built a massive praying mantis out of straw and proceeds to kick it to pieces. Sadly the rest of the production is below par. I can ignore the inanity of any storyline as long as the action is good, but here it really isn't; it doesn't help that a grainy, fullscreen print ruins the fight choreography and renders the whole thing a choppy mess.

This is one of the best kung fu movies of all time and one of the best Yi-Min Li movies. It has everything a kung fu movie should have, a great story which has a twist, good acting, top fights and acrobatics. One on my best childhood movies and until now I give 10/10.

This film has a typical kung fu story but for those who truly enjoy old school kung fu films, and are a fans of them. They will truly appreciate this film, anyone who gives bad reviews about this film are just idiots.

After about 20 minutes of laxative jokes a story finally emerges. Li Yi-Min hits to road with Chang Yi and learns of the seven commandments. I wrote them down the first time I watched the movie but that was a waste of effort.

Overall this movie is only for the hard core fan with thumb on the fast forward button. There is nothing going on with the story in between the fights. The fights are all similar and do not tell a story. On the plus side the fights are good. Li Yi-Min has excellent acrobatic skills that add to his fighting. Chang Yi is an actor first, he came on the scene as a martial artist back in 1967 with "King Rat". Back then only the stunt men knew real martial arts. After over ten years Chang Yi has certainly practiced and attained quite a skill level.

I rate this as below average and suitable only for the hard core fan to watch once.