Chu long ma liu (1979)

User Rating:

5.1/10   

Director:

Mar Lo

Genre:

Action | Drama

Plot:

A small-time crook goes in search of the other half of a wooden keepsake which will lead him to the legendary kung fu technique of the Gibbon Clan Fist.

Plot Keywords:

Kung Fu | Martial Arts | Chinese

Cast

Hsi Chang
Ling Wei Chen
Mu Chuan Chen
Cheng Chiang
Han Chiang
Yu-lan Chiang
Siu-Tung Ching	...	Wei Chung
Chiu-sing Hau
To-hoi Kong
Feng Kuan
Fai Wong Lam
Wai Lam
Chun Hwa Lee
Ting Gou Meng
Yung-sheng Pan		(as Yun Sang Baan)
Chin Bo Sham
Lao Shen
Oi Sam Tsui
Wei Ho Tu
Tze Tze
Fat Wan
Han Chen Wang
Pedy Wenn	...	Ki dee Filer
Mei-Mei Wong
Paul Wong
Wing Wong

Also Known As:

Stroke of Death (Hong Kong: English title) (International: English title)
Chut lung ma lau (Hong Kong: Cantonese title)
Drunken Monkey
Monkey Fist, Floating Snake (USA) (DVD title)
Monkey Kung Fu

Country:

Hong Kong

Language:

Cantonese

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

USA:R | Canada:AA (Ontario) | Canada:G (Quebec)

Company:

Shaw Brothers

Quotes:

One-eyed Master: Tomorrow I'll be taken to the execution site.
Wei Chung: Really? The execution will take place?
One-eyed Master: Fear not. This will happen sooner or later. I will give you something now.
Wei Chung: What? This is...
One-eyed Master: There's only half a piece of wood here. After you get out of jail, you must find the other half.
Wei Chung: The other half?
One-eyed Master: Yes. Put the two pieces together and you'll understand.

80 minutes of kung fu - 10 minutes of plot

Are you ready for endless action with the thinnest of plots? No? OK that's warning enough. You want to see extremely talented martial artists and acrobats fight each other? Yes? This is the right film. Sloppily directed by second tier Shaw Bros. director Lo Mar, this film is carried by the fight choreographer and the actors.

The plot? Imprisoned brash young martial artist and fellow prisoner, who is a student of a "Gibbon Fist" master just executed, escape and search for the lost Gibbon Fist Kung Fu manual while being chased by the son of the deceased master's greatest enemy, a pole fighting master. That's it, no dramatic filler, no lengthy explanations, just fighting.

The martial arts are truly impressive. The people involved really made an effort for the most part. The story is really a series of set pieces that barely relate to each other. Two big scenes are completely pointless except for the martial art and acrobatic skills on display. This film is one of the few places to see action choreographer Siu-Tung Ching on camera showing what he knows. Not the most photogenic guy but he can move. Director Lo Mar seems to have quit the business soon after this film and it's a good thing. His sense of editing is some of the worst I've seen in HK films. If not for the talents of the actors and to a lesser degree the cameraman, this film would have been trash.

Recommended for fight fans. Need a story and some character interaction? Not here.