I saw this movie as part of a 4-movie boxed set called "Invincible Warriors", of which "Rage of the Tiger" was the fourth movie. In this boxed-set, "Rage of the Tiger" is erroneously labelled as "Rage of the Master", which is actually a completely different martial arts film, that also incidentally stars Jimmy Wang Yu.
Admittedly (apart from a pretty brutal opening fight scene that first introduces the villain and several of the supporting protagonists), the film takes a while to get off the ground, choosing wisely to spend time on decent character development and storyline.
During this "down time" we are helped to appreciate how truly evil the villain is, how inherently good and noble the villain's main targets are, and how desperately they need the help of the hero, who is himself torn between what he knows to be the right thing, and a son's duty to his widowed mother.
Although the acting itself isn't Oscar worthy, it is safe to say that any emotional investment put into this film by us, the audience, is returned with interest by the film's climax, which is brilliantly staged in a trio of bloody showdowns.
What makes this particular film a great watch is the second of these showdowns, where the hero, hellbent on vengeance, marches into a gambling house teeming with the villain's henchmen with only a pair of daggers in his hands. The hero then proceeds to murder the ENTIRE syndicate, single-handedly. This scene MUST have been one of the inspirations for the bloody fight scene at the House of Blue Leaves, between the Bride and the Crazy 88, in Quentin Tarantino's "Kill Bill, Vol. 1".
Definitely worth checking out!
Admittedly (apart from a pretty brutal opening fight scene that first introduces the villain and several of the supporting protagonists), the film takes a while to get off the ground, choosing wisely to spend time on decent character development and storyline.
During this "down time" we are helped to appreciate how truly evil the villain is, how inherently good and noble the villain's main targets are, and how desperately they need the help of the hero, who is himself torn between what he knows to be the right thing, and a son's duty to his widowed mother.
Although the acting itself isn't Oscar worthy, it is safe to say that any emotional investment put into this film by us, the audience, is returned with interest by the film's climax, which is brilliantly staged in a trio of bloody showdowns.
What makes this particular film a great watch is the second of these showdowns, where the hero, hellbent on vengeance, marches into a gambling house teeming with the villain's henchmen with only a pair of daggers in his hands. The hero then proceeds to murder the ENTIRE syndicate, single-handedly. This scene MUST have been one of the inspirations for the bloody fight scene at the House of Blue Leaves, between the Bride and the Crazy 88, in Quentin Tarantino's "Kill Bill, Vol. 1".
Definitely worth checking out!