Un coup de boule dans les valseuses

The late Wu Ma was one of the most unpredictable actor-filmmakers in HK, a kind of genius you can see everywhere as character actor and/or director: from Shaw's classic swordplay like Return of one-armed swordsman, 1969, to police actioners like The golden triangle, 1975, to the Jackie Chan-Sammo Hung Gongfu comedies like Wheels on meals, 1984, or Heart of the dragon, 1985. His funny Elf-type face popped-up in five decades of Hong Kong cinema. Here he's the director and co-star (alongwith Henry Yue Young) of an action comedy about two thieves going into a heist bigger than they can handle, eventually battling against the legendary HK villain Shih Kien of Enter the Dragon fame. The budget and tech-values are low, but not the rythm, the ideas and the action (courtesy by coreographer Yuen Wo Ping). Inspired by Sergio Leone's Duck you sucker! (Giù la testa), this Wits to wits was a b.o. failure in HK where it lasted 3 days only (from May 22 to May 25 1974), but it was rediscovered later as a pioneer in that kind of martial arts farce that we learned to know so well from Jackie Chan on. By the way Jackie's comrades Yuen Bun, Yuen Tak, Yuen Biao and Corey Yuen Kwai served in this as stuntmen. Also known as Con Man and the Kung Fu Kid, Duel of the Dragons, Dirty Partners. A little gem from the good old days of indie martial craze.

I was actually enjoying the movie in the start, but I found the story kept running in circles and the same fight too many times for it to be interesting. Cast is good enough though but story and character development should have been a bit more in focus.

I did not find the martial arts in the movie exceptional. It was fine and ok but nothing I have not seen more interesting. I cannot say too much about the camera work and so on as the copy I saw was quite poor.

So if the movie is on a tv screen in front of you then give it a chance. Otherwise it is not a movie I would spend time looking for.

Whichever title this film goes under, if you're an old-school chop-sockey fan...you've got to see it! An intelligent 'Basher' from the days when the protagonists would start fighting for no apparent reason. Henry Yu Young is a sharp travelling con-man adept at mah-jong (cheating) and Kung fu who runs into womanising petty thief Wu Ma. They conspire to steal a bullion shipment from a crooked banker and under the nose of local crime boss Shek Kin (of Enter the Dragon fame). What follows is an amusing little film that's high on action and laughs courtesy of Director Wu Ma and choreographer Yuen Woo Ping. Note: the two versions (1:From China with Death/2:Duel of Dragons) available on DVD in the U.S. are crap quality (2 is also cut for nudity, mild sexual laughs).

Where's the sequel? Henry Yu Yung and Wu Ma team up (and I believe one of the Yuen brothers is the fight choreographer) and create a kung fu buddy comedy that was ahead of its time for 1974. It starts with Wu Ma escaping from his love nest butt-naked and chased by Chinese babes. That's how you grab the audience's attention! Though the two are thrown together by circumstances there is still all that wonderful conflict. This script was even written right. The fight choreography is superb. It is stylish and concise when it needs to be, arms flailing and awkward, and has great comedic sequences. I loved every minute of this movie and it left me wishing for a sequel or two but that never happened. How good was it? Sek Kin was upstaged and that never happens. I rate it 9 out of 10.