Yong chuang jiang wu

A HEROIC FIGHT (1990) is a rather unusual vehicle for Lin Hsiao Lan, the cute young female action star of Taiwan-produced costume fantasies (MAGIC OF SPELL, MAGIC WARRIORS, KUNG FU WONDER CHILD, all also reviewed on this site). Set amidst Hong Kong's then-hyperactive film industry, it features Lin in modern dress and gives her stunt work far more prosaic than the flying, wire fu and sorcery she engaged in in her other films. The actress always played male parts and this one is no exception, although, curiously, here she plays an actor who does female roles(!). The character also does stunts and special effects work as part of a "family" led by actor/fight choreographer Yuen Cheung-Yan (of the famed Yuen Clan) as HK's leading special effects genius. So basically, the magical settings and effects of Lin's other films are transformed into movie special effects and gadgets here. And her fighting uses weaponry and elaborate stunt work rather than magical powers. In one scene she thwarts the kidnapping of a triad leader's granddaughter by using her gadget-rigged bicycle against the kidnappers and their cars.

There's a rather tiresome plot about triad shenanigans grafted on to all of this. An aging triad leader, "Grandpa Duh," wants to retire and go straight and turn over his enterprises to a successor whom he must choose. One of his lieutenants (Dick Wei) feels slighted and joins Grandpa Duh's rivals and all hell breaks loose. Since Lin had rescued his granddaughter early in the film, Grandpa turns to her and her family to help out. The bike-vs.-kidnappers confrontation is the action highlight of the first half of the movie. Later, Lin launches an impressive solo commando raid on the bad guys' headquarters and uses kung fu and an assortment of different weapons and gadgets. In the final section, a big fight is staged at a movie studio in which Yuen and his team use special effects against the gangsters.

Dick Wei makes a good kung fu fighting villain as always and he is joined by two other kung fu regulars, Chen Shan (SHAOLIN VS. LAMA) and Yeung Hung (who's in all of Lin's movies, as well as numerous Shaw Bros. films, e.g. SUPER NINJAS). It's all a lot of fun, but something's missing. There really isn't a lot we haven't seen before--and better--in other Hong Kong films. It's just not as inspired as Lin's other films. Worse, since Lin plays a boy in short hair and modern dress (jackets and jeans), the cuteness factor (evident even in her male costume roles) is severely diminished. She does play an attractive lady singer--all too briefly--in a movie-within-the-movie that parodies John Woo's A BETTER TOMORROW.

The precocious little girl who plays Duh's granddaughter is amusing, although we really didn't need to see her dress like Madonna and go to McDonald's while "Material Girl" blasts on the soundtrack. Other American pop songs are used in the film, which may make it difficult for this film to get distributed properly in the United States, given the rights issues. If you've seen Lin Hsiao Lan's other films, then you've probably seen this one as well. It's worth seeing, but to really get a sampling of this performer's considerable martial arts and acrobatic skills you need to see her first starring vehicle, MAGIC OF SPELL (1986).

April 2021

I don't know where Yuen Cheung Yuan keeps coming up with such wonderful and inventive ideas.

If you don't know the name he is one of the Yuen clan , who also made the amazing films like Miracle Fighters and Drunken Tai chi.

This is a kung fu film, with plenty of action and plenty of gadgets, and of course comedy to be had too.

Fantabulous

10 out of 10.

This film is so 1980's it's ridiculous. Wait the film is supposed to be ridiculous. Taking a page out of the incredible "Shaolin Drunkard" manual, this movie is a non-stop barrage of visual gags and comedy that could have come from a Mack Sennett silent.

Virtually every facet of HK action film making from the 80's is parodied here. The movie also bends the audience's brain as the plot involves stunt people who work in the HK movie industry using their tricks to defeat a crime gang. So the tricks that the real HK stunt people use are used here as fake stunts in some scenes however in other scenes we see similar stunts but they are supposed to be "real"! And the lead actress is playing a man who plays female roles. Add the wacky mechanical gags that the Yuen clan are so fond of, plus the typical hyper- kinetic under-cranked HK movie action from that time and you've got a very silly film.

Unfortunately the cheaper Drunkard series from a few years earlier are better directed and photographed. Much of the fighting action, while making fun of the HK action style of the time, is so similar to that action that it's not as fun as it could be. The lead actress is a very good martial artist but she spend much of her time on wires, oh well. The plot is very tired even as a parody. The comedy that works in an ancient China setting doesn't work as well transported to the "present" day.

All said, there a number of real laughs in the film and I recommend it if you're feeling like a goofy film.

An action packed comedy so drenched in Hong Kong humour that new fans of the genre will find it absolutely ridiculous for the most of it.

Yuen Cheung Yan leads (ironically) a film 'fight and stunt' group that get hired by a local Triad boss to protect him and his granddaughter from other triads and a rebelling son.

It's a no-brainer that relies more on gadget fighting than kung fu. That said, it does have its moments, from fantastic fight scenes to clever comedy and will entertain (even for the wrong reasons).

The very talented Lin Hsiao Lan is amazing as always, and the super bad Dick Wei dons the white suit once more to kick some butt!

Enjoy!

A HEROIC FIGHT is a madcap, anything-goes kind of Taiwanese martial arts flick with a bizarre, self-referencing plot line: the film is set in and around a film studio, where a director and his special effects team are busy trying to make a historical fantasy movie before some local gangsters get involved and proceed to wreak havoc.

This movie noticeably features the talents of Lin Hsiao-Lao (CHILD OF PEACH), an actress well known for playing young boy heroes in the movies. The twist here is that she's playing a male actor who plays a woman at one point! If that wasn't head-scratching enough, the film is packed full of special effects, some of them portrayed as effects and some of them taking place in the 'real' world so to speak, so you get a mixture of film-within-a-film action and real-life fights, and there's little to distinguish them at times, so over the top they become.

It's really not as confusing as it sounds, but it does offer a whole slew of crazed, madcap fight scenes which delight in the best Hong Kong tradition. The fights are fast, furious, and make full use of props and scenery to offer the ultimate destruction. When Hsiao-Lao goes on a rampage of revenge against the bad guys, she uses all kinds of gadgets to blow them up and kill them, which makes for a great viewing experience.

A HEROIC FIGHT is full of familiar faces (look out for Yuen Cheung-Yan) but of particular note is Dick Wei who plays the chief antagonist. Wei is on top form here playing one of those unstoppable villains that the good guys have to team up for; he's a powerhouse of hard-punching, hard-kicking energy and gets far more screen time than in a film like, say, PEDICAB DRIVER. A HEROIC FIGHT might be a special effects film at the end of the day, but Wei helps move it towards greatness.