Bo ming chan dao duo ming qiang (1979)

User Rating:

7.7/10   

Director:

Chia Yung Liu

Genre:

Action | Adventure

Cast

Sammo Hung Kam-Bo	...	King of the Sword / Yao, The King of the Spear's Pupil
Ka-Yan Leung		(as Kar Yan Leung)
Chia Yung Liu	...	King of the Spear / King of the Sword's Pupil (as Kar-Wing Lau)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Lung Chan	...	Chuang
Fat Chung	...	Ti
Ching-Ying Lam	...	Hsia
Hoi San Lee	...	Bald Thug with Knives
Karl Maka	...	Challenger
Mars	...	Potato
Dean Shek	...	Mr. Rocking

Also Known As:

Bok meng daan diy duet meng cheung (Hong Kong: Cantonese title)
Eternal Conflict (Europe: English title)
Odd Couple (Hong Kong: English title)

Runtime:

90 min | 97 min (DVD)

Country:

Hong Kong

Language:

Cantonese

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:M | Canada:G (Quebec) | Canada:PG (Ontario) | Hong Kong:IIA | UK:12

"Odd Couple" - Among the best kung fu weapon fight scenes ever

The combo of a youthful Sammo Hung and the legendary Liu Chia Liang's brother Liu Chia Yung is a perfect match here. While not as elaborate as the Liang's classic "Legendary Weapons of Kung Fu" the fights between Sammo Hung and director Yung are absolutely incredible.

The plot is simply this: Two old kung fu masters, the King of Swords and the King of Spears can't defeat each other after 15 years of annual fights to the death. They are also known as the Naughty Old Man and the Dirty Old Man. They decide to see who can train the best student and make them fight each other in ten years. Cut to ten years later, the students are sent out to find the other and fight but suddenly an old enemy of the two old masters reappears and captures the students. The old men must now rescue their students.

There's a lot of Chinese humor, some visual and some spoken which doesn't translate well. Many of the secondary characters are classic Chinese comedy characters and the humor is broad and exaggerated. There's a guy named "Potato" who's got buck teeth and the strangest hairdo or hairy moles on his head. Sammo and Yung are in great acting form here and both seem to be really enjoying their dual roles. They play the old men and the two students! Breezy and fun, the film should be very enjoyable for kung fu movie fans. Unusual for this type of movie the film doesn't immediately end after the bad guy is dealt with, it keeps going. Sammo and Yung have lots more energy to show.

A film that is here for unabashed kung fu talents to show themselves. Very well done and recommend for those who enjoy watching real physical talent on screen. And there's actually a moral to the story!