Opération Scorpio

Operation Scorpio (AKAThe Scorpion King) doesn't slip into top gear until the last 25 minutes or so, but when the action does hit top speed, it delivers some truly amazing martial arts scenes that demand the viewer's attention. That is not to say that the first hour is worthless— just that compared to the final fight-fest, it seems a bit underwhelming.

The plot revolves around Yuk-Su, a talented comic artist who dreams of being a hero—just like those he depicts in his drawings. When Yuk-Su rescues a young maid, Siu-Yu, who is being sold into prostitution, he incurs the wrath of her evil boss, Wa. Led by Sonny, master of scorpion style kung fu, Wa's henchmen give chase to Yuk-Su and the maid. Yuk-Su's father intervenes but he is injured. After being rescued by some friendly bodybuilders, the three eventually hide out at a noodle restaurant, owned by their friend, Master Yat.

Yuk-Su learns to cooks noodles, but also regularly sneaks out in order to secretly build his strength and learn kung fu under the tutelage of Jean, the teacher of the musclebound hulks who rescued them. When Master Yat must leave on business, Yuk-Su is left in charge of the kitchen; however, he pops out to practise his skills with Jean, leaving Siu-Yu to serve the customers. Sonny and his men visit the restaurant and, disgusted by the noodles they are served, trash the restaurant.

When Master Yat learns that Yuk-Su has been sneaking out, he tells him that he should have learnt kung fu from him; it transpires that Master Yat used to be a top Triad assassin, until he decided to try and change his ways. Under the guidance of Master Yat, Yuk-Su improves his skills, even learning the art of the shadowless kick! Yuk-Su eventually gets a chance to try and become a real hero when his friend, Fatty, announces that his maid has also been sold into prostitution. With Jean, they visit Wa posing as French brothel keepers looking for new women. When Fatty's maid is presented to them, she accidentally blows their ruse and at last the action kicks off big style. Despite his best efforts, Jean is badly beaten by Sonny and he and Yuk-Su are forced to flee. On returning to the restaurant, Yuk-Su finds it ablaze; and worst of all, the bad guys have found Siu-Yu! Yuk Su, accompanied by Master Yat, returns to Wa's place to try and rescue Siu-Yu...

Despite some fairly entertaining training scenes, the slow build up to the final action at Wa's house is rather too drawn out and devoid of any serious fight scenes. It is a shame that the tedium wasn't broken up by a decent scrap midway, rather than saving all of the juicy stuff until the end.

The last fight, however, is worth the wait in the end; Won Jin gives a jaw dropping performance as the high kicking Sonny who scuttles, flips and spins with amazing skill and dexterity, and Chin Kar-Lok gives a solid performance as Yuk-Su, the artist-turned-fighter. Also particularly good is old-school kung fu star Lau Kar-Leung (AKA Liu Chia Liang) as Master Yat, proving that this old-timer has still got what it takes to kick ass! Although not a perfect film, Operation Scorpio has enough standout action in its finale to definitely warrant a viewing.

NB. I may have got some of the names wrong. My DVD calls characters by different names than those listed on IMDb.

The Scorpion King discussed here, which should not be confused with Chuck Russell's recent blockbuster release, is most notable for two things: a later screen appearance of martial arts legend Chia-Liang Liu, as well as its memorable portrayal of leg fighting techniques.

Liu, who has also the screen name of Lau Kar-Leung, made a name for himself with such classic martial arts epics as Shao Lin San Shih Liu Fang (aka: 36th Chamber Of Shaolin, 1978) and, a personal favourite, Wu Lang Ba Gua Gun (aka: Eight Diagram Pole Fighter, 1983). Jung Yuen, who here made his screen debut with his portrayal of the eponymous supervillain Sonny the Scorpion, provides the astonishing leg fighting.

The Scorpion King relates a tale common in martial arts cinema. Kok Lar Chin plays Yu Shu, a dreamy student and talented artist of manga, who yearns to become a hero and worldly success. He falls in love with Mei (May Lo Mei-Mei), a coy servant girl lusted after, and menaced by, the villainous Mr Wong (also called Mr Wang in the subtitling). Wong's plan to sell her into prostitution is aided by Inspector Hua (Shun-Yee Yuen). Yu Shu's activities cause his expulsion from school and he enters the service of noodle chef Master Lo (Chia-Liang Liu), where Mei also finds refuge. The bulk of the film is taken up with Yu Shu's clumsiness, his rather gauche romancing of Mei, then his semi-humorous attempts at physical improvement at a training college run by one Bull (Jean Pull). Finally he acquires respect in his own eyes and those of the patiently despairing Master Lo during improvised martial training, then a long-telegraphed final bout with Scorpion.

Much of this is filmed in a casual knockabout way, with much of the plot eminently forgettable, even though the malicious Mr Wong with his gold teeth, oriental cackle, furs and wheelchair, provides all the attributes of a memorable villain. When he is not responding to his father's call for aid (a necessary prologue to most of the action) Sonny the Scorpion sports a curious quaff and drainpipe suit, reminiscent of Burt Kwouk's Cato in the Pink Panther films. The lightweight matter of the film, especially the almost obligatory 'training' sequence, as the eager Yu Shu uses gigantic woks and melons to practice fighting techniques, recall some of the early films of Jackie Chan. Sadly, Kar Lok Chin has less of that actor's grace and charisma. His wooing of the girl, and their scenes coming together over the rice grinder, is pleasant but such romance is really just padding between the real drama of confrontation elsewhere.

Bull's fitness academy, into which Yu Shu blunders and later discovers help and friendship against adversity, is full of rippling biceps, mighty thighs and close ups of sweaty pectorals. Some of this display will be familiar to those who remember the outright narcissism of some of Bruce Lee's work. In fact, to Western eyes the latent homosexual atmosphere of this group of butch men, working out together (unostentatiously looked after by chunky blondes), is so obvious that an occidental audience might expect it to be further developed. The conservatism of martial arts cinema excludes this possibility. Bull and his buddies are there purely as fall guys, the eventual humbling of such a massive physique only emphasising the lithe Scorpion's effectiveness as a fighter.

As Scorpion, Jung Yuen is blessed with immense kung fu skills, if not with convincing dialogue. In fact (if seen in this format) the whole DVD is best enjoyed in the original language with subtitles, a situation familiar to those who have watched much in this genre. The variable English dubbing, while pleasingly colloquial, is a distraction. Sonny gets to mouth such sentiments as "However hurts my father will pay - with his left foot!" This, with his aforementioned hair style, means it is only his memorable fighting style that redeems him as a creditable character.

Scorpion style is Sonny's preferred combat technique (Yu Shu develops his own based on the writhing of a snake, involving flapping on the belly like a flounder). Sonny's astounding method is to confront opponents dropped down on two arms and one leg, his other limb arching up over his back to strike out like the creature he imitates. This physically unlikely, but impressive, technique is worth the price of admission alone and its employment brings the house down each time. Many of his stunts appear to be done without props or wires, which makes them all the more impressive.

At the climax, Yu Shu and Master Lo confront the Scorpion in an extended fight, which, as one might expect, is the best thing in the film. Clearly choreographed by the older star, the combat between Lo and Scorpion is so exciting it makes one wish that that which had preceded it was on the same level. Martial arts film fans - and leg lovers - ought to see this, given the calibre of the participants, the novelty of the action and relatively high production values. Others can be directed elsewhere where the entertainment is more even.

"Operation Scorpio" is not one of the best HK action flicks you can find. The story is only mildly engaging, and at times utterly confusing. The martial arts choreography is unique and fascinating (in one of the fights, superhuman strength is pitted against superhuman agility; in another one, we have "scorpio-style" kung fu vs. "eel-style" kung fu!), but a bit too "exaggerated" for my tastes. I'd say there is about 40% wirework and 60% physical skill involved, but even that percentage is still to be admired. One other thing the film lacks is star power: Chin Kar Lok is likable, but not strong enough to carry the entire film as a lead (but that girl he rescues is incredibly lovely). Overall, if you just skip to the last 20 minutes and the three main fights, you won't have missed much. (**)

When I saw OPERATION SCORPIO, I never thought I would see such a fantastic villain in Yuen Jeung. His kicking abilities are the best I've seen since Hwang Jang-lee in the 70's classics. There was wire use in the film, but Yuen didn't really use wires in his fights as his acrobatics and kicks were superb. Sadly, it is a tragedy that Yuen died a while later.

SCORPION KING (which I saw under the title OPERATION SCORPIO) boasts some of the finest production values you're ever likely to come across in a martial arts movie. (When one grew up watching the Poverty Row kung fu movies that played theaters in this country during the 1970s, the A picture production values of more recent fare is striking, indeed, by comparison.) There are several things in SCORPION KING that lend it distinction: the hero draws his own manga (which ties in nicely with the notion of the illustrated kung fu manuals everybody's after in many of these movies) and he prepares himself for his eventual kung fu training by first joining a bodybuilding group. (This could've come right out of Bruce Lee's TAO OF JEET KUNE DO.) The late (and truly great) Liu Chia-Liang plays the hero's "Noodles Kung Fu" instructor.