Jian dong xiao xiong

A crazed, last-gasp attempt at blockbuster entertainment from the reliable folk at the Shaw Brothers studio, this sees them abandoning the period kung fu film in order to deliver a riotous, blood-drenched contemporary gangster flick heavily indebted to both THE GODFATHER (invariably) and Yakuza flicks.

The tale is a simplistic one, bolstered by elaborate and large-scale action. Shih Kien (the villain Han in ENTER THE DRAGON) is the ageing boss of a crime syndicate who faces trouble from one of his supposedly loyal underlings. A betrayal plot is set in motion, and two loyal and upstanding fighters are caught up in it. One of the men is popular kung fu star Beardy, proving his mettle in contemporary fare, and the other is Norman Chu, possessing the most '80s hairstyle ever.

HONG KONG GODFATHER has a rather slow first half that takes time to set up the characters and put the plot in motion. However, the talk is interspersed with bloody gang fight scenes in which sharp weapons are invariably brought into play. The battles get more and more brutal as the running time progresses, with a shocking act of violence against a kid being one of the more unforgettable images. It all builds up to one of the most insane endings I've seen in a Hong Kong film ever: a climax which leaves the set looking like an abattoir, so extreme it is. It's great stuff, and a fine, late stage effort from the studio.

An emotionally charged gangster flick surrounding a traitor within one Triad mob and a couple of overzealous members who seek revenge for the betrayal. The story is simple and doesn't offer much intrigue, and the performances by the righteous Triad members (Ka-Yan Leung & Norman Chu) are mediocre as well. The one redeemable aspect of this fast-food revenge flick is the insane machete fights that get progressively more intense. The problem with the mass machete riots is that the movie makes clear guns are available to mob members however nobody ever uses a gun. Usually scenarios are set up in martial arts films where the use of guns during fight sequences are unattainable, prohibited, dishonorable, etc. In Hong Kong Godfather no attempt is made to reason why none of the mobsters on-screen don't just use a handgun to get what they want. An irritating flaw, especially in this era of widespread gun use with Triad films, but regardless the machete fights are very enjoyable and have their impressive moments. Despite the bloody fights I'd still give it a pass, as the ending's not as satisfying as most other fun Shaw Brothers ventures. -5/10

Watched this for the first time last night. I finally got my hand on it after several years of research... My expectations were pretty high, knowing that this was directed by Wang Lung Wei and starred Leung Kar Yan and Tsui Sui Keung. The story is pretty standard with the ever present "traitor" whom you can identify after only a few minutes... But I was not prepared for what was upon me: the finale! It's 10 minutes of precise yet chaotic fight choreography that is very brutal yet entertaining. So skip the first two thirds of the movie and you'll be in for a treat! My rating...........................................................8/10 (Would have been a 6 without that awesome ending)

Hong Kong Godfather is indeed a great movie . As far as quality , Shaw Bros. studios was one of the most consistent ones around . The SB logo was the deciding factor in purchasing this DVD. I am not disappointed . This gritty action drama is somewhat of a hybrid of a heroic bloodshed film crossed with the classic kung fu movie . What is interesting is this predates A Better Tomorrow by a year. Both films are similar , except in this there are knife and kung fu fighting instead of gun battles. Of which are extremely brutal and bloody. The melodrama and quality of acting keeps things moving and interesting in between the action scenes . This is much better than many of the A Better Tomorrow clones that came after this . If you are a fan of heroic bloodshed , or brutal martial arts films you should watch this . You will not be disappointed. Also similar is Code Of Honor which is very good( but less bloody )as well.

At the time of it's release, Hong Kong Godfather was heavily cut by the censors, but now, we can finally enjoy the movie as the director intended, in all it's bone breaking and blood splattering glory!

The plot is really nothing new or special (because we have seen similar plots in many gangster films, both in the East and West), but the real selling point of a Shaw Bros. movie are the fight scenes (at least for me) and the film is packed with super brutal, bloody gang fights. The director, Johnny Wang, is well known for putting hard-hitting violence in his films and Hong Kong Godfather is definitely no exception. The violence is very brutal, bloody and gory (as the runtime goes on, the movie always manages to get more violent and bloody), there are also a few bits that might offend the most sensitive viewers. The fights are well choreographed and filled with lots of cool stunts.

If you are looking for an entertaining triad flick (or a cool martial arts film with a good dose splatter), Hong Kong Godfather is highly recommended.