He qi dao

Man, this one had me hooked from start to finish. The characters really shine through here make you really want to root for the good guys. This film shows a lot of formidable throw techniques; very effective against multiple attackers. Feng (Sammo) is the brash, arrogant fighter and is played well by the Fat Dragon (WARNING: Shirtless Sammo sighting!!) Carter Wong is okay and thankfully isn't featured that much. OW, that arm!

Finally there's Angela. Her character is really interesting because she's a pacifist torn between her belief in non-aggression and righting her enemy's wrongdoings. Can she compromise and how will she resolve the conflict? Don't get me wrong; there is a story to this, but Ms. Mao is the epitome of Hopkido here. She displays her fighting skills in several scenes and I can't get enough of her flipping guys like rag dolls. Even dubbed, she acts really well especially with her facial expressions. Angela's the main star here and proves it beyond a doubt.

This film takes place during the Japanese occupation of Korea with three young Chinese adults by the names of "Kao Yu Ying" (Angelo Mao), "Kao Chang" (Carter Wong) and "Fan Wei" (Sammo Kam-Bo Hung) having a picnic and enjoying nature. All of a sudden some Japanese men arrive and begin harassing them. What these Japanese men do not realize, however, is that all three of these people have come to Korea to study the martial art known as hapkido and happen to be among the best students in the school. As a result, the Japanese are thoroughly beaten and depart quite humiliated. Not long afterward, cognizant of the political situation, their teacher "Shih Kung-chan" (Han Jae Ji) instructs them to go back to China to start a new school there. Unfortunately, there just happens to be a Japanese martial arts school already in the city they set up in and this creates all kinds of problems for them. Now, rather than reveal any more I will just say that this was a good "old-style" kung fu film which covered the familiar "Chinese vs. Japanese" theme quite well. It also featured several actors who had previously performed with Bruce Lee in other films most notably Ping-Ou Wei (as the Japanese thug "Chang Pu-tse"), the affable Ti Chin ("Hsiao Lao-fu") and Ing-Sik Whang (as the elder student "Whang In Sik"). Be that as it may, while certainly not a great martial arts film by any means, I still enjoyed it for the most part and I have rated it accordingly.

Grandmaster gave me a copy of "Hapkido" to watch. Unfortunately, it was the only copy he had, and it was kinda in poor condition. But what I saw of it was extraordinary. He could kick like nobody could. The throws, joint locks, simply incredible. To be honest, he still looks just as good today.

Pretty standard fare as far as 70s martial arts flicks go. However, notable for the role of 'Teacher' played by Hapkido founder Grandmaster Ji Han Jae. Some great fight scenes (watch Grandmaster pulverise his students ;]). Also good to watch Angela Mao and Samo Hung in some decent fight scenes. A very interesting 'must-see' for all Hapkido (and other martial arts) students.

Korea, 1934. During the Japanese occupation, there is open warfare between rival martial arts schools. There is a fight in the marketplace, and three Chinese students cannot stand the unfair way of students that side up with the invaders, when they gang assault one of the fighting men. Between the three, they send the aggressors away. Retaliation is heavy: their school is destroyed, and they are banished.

This film may be best known for an uncredited cameo from Jackie Chan before he became an international star, but it is a decent film in its own right. While not quite as action-packed as "Lady Whirlwind" (which came out the same year from the same director), there is a better plot here, and the production value from Golden Harvest is noticeably higher.

A decent copy has been released from Shout Factory. While it is not pristine (this may not even be possible) and does not have much for special features, this is a film worth checking out.