La révolte du dragon

This movie blew Me away. Literally. Out of my seat. I've recently been harbouring an interest in the movies of Tan Tao Liang (aka Dorian Tan, Delon Tam etc.) in my opinion one of the top kickers in kung fu movies ever, who stands alongside Donnie Yen, Ken Lo, Hwang Jang Lee etc. I noticed this title for 3 Scottish pounds, and then realised it was choreographed by Yuen Woo Ping, a man who needs no introduction. I immediately snapped it up, not knowing the quality.

The movie begins with Tan as a rebel, and it appears the period is the usual Ming/Ching timeline favoured of old skool Kung fu films. He is injured in a fight and attempts to stop the baddie generals in their mission to rid the poverty stricken people of their food and water. Tan encounters friends and other masters in his quest to clear his name. The plot is packed with incident, and has a morality play above the level of most old skoolers.

So. The action. Despite the fact that this DVD is a poor quality VHS reproduction in full screen, meaning important blows etc. are cut off screen, this movie contains simply some of the best, high impact intricate fight scenes ever filmed. Yuen Woo Ping really outdoes himself, and as for Tan the man, this is definitely his best action, and I've seen most of his movies. His kick combinations and flash of legs are here at there most legendary. There are countless fight scenes, but none go under the bar of pure excellence. The cast contains some regulars such as the great Chen Sing in a cameo role and some relative unknowns, but all perform the fight scenes with requisite brilliance. In short if you love Kung Fu on screen, BUY THIS NOW. NOT TOMORROW. NOW.

Watch out for the shock ending!

REVENGE OF THE SHAOLIN MASTER is an action-packed Taiwanese kung fu flick with an ordinary story bolstered by an absolute ton of fight scenes. Unfortunately in a film like this the quality of the action makes or breaks the production and I found it a bit lacklustre here. There's so much of it that none of it really stands out despite the presence of Yuen Woo-ping working on the fight choreography. Perhaps he was learning the ropes here because it's not one of the better productions he's worked on.

The tale is about a gang of robbers who have been stealing food and supplies meant for an area stricken by famine. Dorian Tan is the heroic lead, an upstanding constable tasked with bringing the criminals to book, and a wealth of low-rent fight action follows. Tan was one of the better fighters from the period with a natural skill that shines through, but his acting always seems very wooden which is not helped by the fact that pretty much all of his films are dubbed in the west. Chen Sing plays in support.

Dorian Tan stars as an escort who is framed for robbery. This basically leads to fight after fight. All with good choreography from Yuen Woo Ping and Yuen Cheung Yan. There are way too many fights to go over, but one of the highlights is when Choi Wang takes on Dorian Tan at the 50 minute mark. Dorian Tan is without a doubt one of the top 10 kickers in kung fu cinema history. Only guys like Hwang Jang Lee, Bruce Leung and Cassanova Wong are on his level. With the Yuen brothers chroeography mixed with Dorian Tan's kicks, it's a beautiful thing to watch. Chen Sing and Lung Fei also star, and they have a good fight against each other towards the end.

Picture quality on the Crash DVD is decent.

Dorian Tan stars as an escort who is framed for robbery. This basically leads to fight after fight. All with good choreography from Yuen Woo Ping and Yuen Cheung Yan. There are way too many fights to go over, but one of the highlights is when Choi Wang takes on Dorian Tan at the 50 minute mark. Dorian Tan is without a doubt one of the top 10 kickers in kung fu cinema history. Only guys like Hwang Jang Lee, Bruce Leung and Cassanova Wong are on his level. With the Yuen brothers choreography mixed with Dorian Tan's kicks, it's a beautiful thing to watch. Chen Sing and Lung Fei also star, and they have a good fight against each other towards the end.

Picture quality on the Crash DVD is decent.