Dirty Ho

No pun intended - families can be a good and a bad thing I reckon! Also sibling rivalry can obviously go beyond just teasing and be mad at each other. That all being said, we first get to learn the two main characters. Who don't seem to keen of each other ... but we know things can change - will that happen here too? This we will have to see.

What really was interesting: most weapons looked fake in previous movies, but it seems they have used better material for some of the weapons here. Shiny metal and all that - still fake probably, but not as obvious as they were before. Another small note: I had forgotten about how they treat their hair - especially the long ones where they (s)wipe it back, either with their hand or just a small head movement - both looking cool.

The movie also introduces a lot of humor - even making fun of previous Shaw Brothers entries - the one armed series and so many more - pulling back the curtain/fourth wall and all that. You have to dig the comedy/teasing of course. There is also gender based stuff here - they really were ahead of their time in some aspects. And if you like the fighting ... well there is a lot of that too. Plus the training - where fire was away or shot in a way where it probably was not close to any of the actors ... it is different here too ... the stakes are high - the kicks are too! No pun intended.

'Dirty Ho (1979)' is a martial arts movie about a young conman who finds himself indebted to a mysteriously influential antique enthusiast. His initially antagonistic attitude to his new master soon changes when he realises the latter is really, really good at kung fu. This action-comedy is equal parts humorous and exciting, featuring phenomenal fight choreography that perfectly blends fast-paced combat with zany slapstick to craft some truly unforgettable scenes. The creativity on display is almost as impressive as the physicality, with dance-like sequences that go on for minutes longer than you'd ever think possible (without ever truly dragging). Although the story is somewhat weak and the characters aren't exactly deep, the picture knows exactly what it wants to do and it does it with aplomb. You'll smile, then drop your jaw; laugh, then ponder how a mere human can even move like that. It's pretty great for what it is, even if it never quite gets past just being generally enjoyable as an overall experience. Fans of martial arts cinema are in for a real treat with this one.

This is one of the films that sears itself into your mind forever unless kung fu films are a real turn off. Even when it was only watchable in poorly centered TV prints the brilliance of the action shined thru. Filmed towards the end of the golden age of the Shaw Brothers Studios, Dirty Ho rates as the top of the genre. The way the fights are choreographed is mesmerizing and I have spent hours rewinding the scenes to see exactly how the director orchestrated the camera and actors. It incredible how the movement progresses. I defy anyone to come up with something as subtle yet outrageous as the wine scene or the antique scene. The scenes in "House of Flying Daggers" are quite impressive but everything is computer assisted exaggeration. Here the only tricks are what could be done with editing and camera movement (O.K. maybe a few wires). You can see that most of the work is being done by the highly talented actors.

When this is re-released, buy it!

Felt like it was more concerned with comedy than action, and either the comedy didn't translate well or I'm just a bit out of it, because I didn't really understand a lot of the humour here (what I'm assuming was meant to be funny, that is).

If anyone knows what was up with those scenes where people were sort of sparring while conversing and also trying to make it look like they weren't fighting, I'd love to know. I just didn't get what was going on, truly.

Some of the more traditional martial arts scenes were satisfying, though. The last 20 minutes were particularly great (it even did the normal speed to slow motion back to normal speed technique decades before Zack Snyder popularised it).

Not bad overall, but I'm a little sad I didn't completely get or appreciate what it was going for at points.

This review is based on the version I watched on Prime Video.

Firstly, the dubbing is absolutely atrocious. I always prefer to watch these movies in the original language with subtitles, but this option wasn't available and I had to settle for the excruciating American dubbing.

The over the top sound effects in some scenes was very cringey, and so this movie mainly suffers on the audio alone.

The other negative point was the abrupt ending, as it would have been nice to have an explanation for the assassination attempts on Wang. I was originally going to rate this a 7 for these 3 points, but thought I'd be generous as the film makers can't be blamed for the dubbing.

I had no expectations on this movie and hadn't heard of it before doing a search for Gordon Liu movies, and I wasn't disappointed. The story isn't ground breaking, but it is rather deep for a movie of it's genre, but the movie really excels in the fight sequences.

The fighting is beautifully choreographed, and the subtle style used throughout is impressive, impeccably timed and entertaining to watch. As the movie progressed, I realised a striking similarity to moves later used by Jackie Chan in his movies (not that he copied the moves but there's definitely similarity).