Tai quan zhen jiu zhou

I first saw "When Taekwondo Strikes" over twenty years ago via a panned and scanned (and dubbed) VHS copy, and at the time I didn't think too much of it. But recently I got the opportunity to see it again this time with an anamorphic widescreen DVD edition that had the original Mandarin track and English subtitles. This better edition may explain why my feelings about the movie improved. Certainly, the movie is not perfect. It has some of the clichés associated with old school kung fu movies (chortling villains, exaggerated sound effects, etc.) There's not a terrible amount of plot, which results in some lengthy slow spots. And the Japanese villains could have been made into stronger opponents instead of being shown to be (mostly) hopeless. On the other hand, despite the largely one-sided fights, the martial arts scenes aren't too bad, having excitement and coming across as fairly believable. Angela Mao makes for a charismatic protagonist, and there's fun seeing a pre- fame Sammo Hung as one of the villains. I'm generally not a fan of old school Hong Kong marital arts movies, but I have to admit that this one was, despite its flaws, definitely above average.

I won't waste your time by describing the plot for this, the other reviewer already did this quite well. I will however give you my opinion of this movie. This movie is basically anti japanese propoganda. The japanese are portrayed as incredably evil b**tards who have respect for nothing, as well as having very poor martial arts skills (groups of japanese men get there asses kicked by single women on more than one occasion.) The fact that the japanese fighters lose almost every (if not every) fight in the movie kind of takes away the suspense. The plot is actually quite solid and perfect for a kung fu movie though. The problem lies in the fact that there's not much fighting. When there are fights some of the fighting is quite good, but other scenes are choreographed badly. One scene angela mao takes on six japanese in a church and kicks all their asses. The problem is they show her fighting them one by one when they're all supposed to be attacking at the same time. I gather this movie was incredably cheap considering how cheap some of the sets are. They use the same village set for when they are in korea and when they are in china without changing it at all. Some scenes are filmed at real locations though, and they look good. Overall the only real problem with the movie is it's slow moving and uninteresting plot. Since there are few fight scenes we have to rely on the plot for entertainment and, well, I wasn't entertained.

one and a half stars out of four

This movie made after the 1972 classic Hapkido also starring Angela Mao, is almost like a sequel or part 2 of that movie. The premise is almost identical in that in Japanese occupied Korea, Japanese martial arts school causes trouble with the missionaries, and also the locals. Taekwondo experts stand up to fight the tyranny of the Japanese.

Angela Mao and Sammo Hung also stars in this classic as well as real life Tae Kwon Do master Jhoon Rhee.

When I first saw these movies, I felt that they were cheezy after seeing the Enter the Dragon which were made on a budget that was about 50X that these movies are made on. But when I look at it now, I can see how well these movies were made. On little resources, and and made on short shooting schedule, these actors did amazing feats with their action.

Angela Mao always had incredible screen presence with her school girlish good looks. She still looks amazing today at her age of 62. She almost looks the same as when she made this movie. Compared to Hollywood stars who age very rapidly, I always wonder what these Asian actors do to keep their youthful appearances.

If you want to see power packed kung fu action from the '70s, this movie won't disappoint. It's a beautiful movie that's aged well with time, and would satisfy any kung fu action fans.

Set in Korea, the film follows a small band of rebels who are engaged in fighting with occupying Japanese forces. Rhee stars as the leader of the resistance and, together with Chinese Hapkido expert Wan Ling-Ching (Mao), must ensure the safety of his group by seeking the help of their Chinese allies.

Angelo Mao whups some behind once again when helping a resistance leader and consequently running into some Japanese, who are the villains here, and they're painted as nasty individuals. It's a solid picture, has a strong story and some good emotions conveyed by Mao and Rhees. But it's the dazzling display of gritty "school of hard knock" action that beholds you. If you liked Hapkido, this would be up your street.

Jhoon Rhee should have made more martial arts films as he is one of the top practioneers of his style, Tae Kwon Do. He was one of a few people who taught Bruce Lee high kicks. Even so, this Asian movie from 1973 is a solid one. Most of the time in an Asian production, the fight sequences are speeded up and ridiculously so. "When Tae Kwon Do Strikes" is a bit different, as the choreography is executed in real time. In my opinion, this doesn't detract from the film's entertainment. I have been watching martial arts films for about 30 years but I hadn't heard of the above film until 2 years ago. It was worth the wait though.