Shen bu you ji

The Victim (1980) starring Ka-Yan Leung (aka Beardy) and Sammo Kam-Bo Hung & also directed by Sammo Kam-Bo Hung

Decent Kung Fu flick elevated by a cool twist ending. Beardy is definitely one of my favorites & Sammo Hung adds his usual humor & fun to the atmosphere. Add to that an emotionally charged family love story / triangle & countless kung fu action sequences & you've got yourself a recipe for a very memorable, classic kung fu flick.

I just watched this movie yesterday and it just might have been the best kung-fu movie i have ever seen!

It was funny and had lots of really great choreography!! Even Jackie and Jet couldn't do any better than this.

What a fantastic film. I really wasn't expecting much, it just seemed like a run of the mill 1970s Kung-fu flicks, but boy was I wrong. Chung Yao (Leung), a martial arts expert, has long been on the run from his step-brother who he caught trying to rape his wife on their wedding night. His brother has never given up the chase however, and Chung Yao lives in constant fear that he and his wife will be murdered by the vengeful step-brother. On one of his visits to the village, Chung meets Fatty (Sammo) who is insistent on becoming his servant. Sammo's attempts at winning Chung's favour takes up the first half hour/ forty five minutes of the film, and it's hilarious. Chung has got no patience for a fool like Fatty, and he tries to dodge and lose him in a number of comical and exciting situations including a hilarious set-up at a sauna.

As the film progresses, a really strong story develops, and even though it may initially seem like one of those typical kung-fu vengance movies of that period, it really isn't. There was not one dull moment throughout, and the last half an hour both fight-wise and plot-wise was just mind-blowing. You really wouldn't expect such an powerful and intelligent ending, but watch it and be bowled over. There are some excellent fight scenes between Fatty and Chung, and Sammo gets to do many of his trademark stunts with all the usual wit and energy. But the real icing on the cake has to be the closing fight between Chung Yao and his step-brother, top-notch stuff. From someone who really isn't a fan of the period Kung-Fu flicks of the 1970s/early 80s all I can say is: See it now. 10/10

Sammo Kam-Bo Hung has crafted a masterpiece of classic martial arts action. Do not miss this.

This film contains some of the best martial arts fight scenes ever shot. Long takes, complex action with large numbers of participants, but most importantly, absolutely stunning choreography and plenty of it. Even in intense action sequences Samo can add a moment of humour before the intensity starts again.

The plot is decent (for a martial arts movie). The comedy is slapstick orientated and thankfully mostly works.

As any fan of Asian action cinema knows, it's the fights that matter and these action sequences deliver in spades.

Samo Hung is a legend amongst fight fans, but sadly largely unrecognised outside Hong Kong aficionados for his absolutely massive contribution to action scenes that Hollywood slowly picked up on. Unfortunately, they still don't grasp many of the concepts Samo and his fellows, like Jackie Chan, created in the 80's Golden years of Hong Kong cinema. Fight editing is dire in Hollywood.

Sadly, every copy I can find is not of the best quality, even the DVD. I really wish someone would do a restoration job on it.

I've watched this more times than I care to think about. Every single time, the action makes my muscles tense and I hit the rewind too often. It really is that good!

A solid 10 for martial arts fans. Do not miss this one. 7/10 for others.

Sammo's remarkable masterpiece is ideally a classic vehicle to showcase Leung Kar Yan's talents (he's simply never looked better), but The Victim seems to work on many other levels: the action scenes are worthy of Sammo's legendary status as a choreographer; the comedy touches are subtle enough and occasionally quite funny; and with it's outpouring of high-octane drama - detailing an ongoing family feud - this is thoroughly more exciting than other run-of-the-mill kung fu pulp. Sammo plays his typical happy-go-lucky who seeks out a new sifu, Leung Kar Yan, a man with clearly problems of his own: his brother (Chang Yi) tried to rape his wife and has therefore been on the run ever since. Will Leung ever face up to his enemy or just continue to run? The Victim is a true late night classic; still fresh and entertaining even after all these years.