A Kid from Tibet

Ever seen a Tibetan monk headbutt a woman in the diddy's? Yuen Biao's directorial debut, is a wonderful treat for any fan of martial arts or Hong Kong films. While it has its flaws, you can't help but fall for the underrated stars epic fight-filled-fantasy!

A Kid From Tibet runs along the same vein as Biao's fantastic The Iceman Cometh (which also stars Yuen Wah as the villain) although his character in this is similar to that of his roles in the Peacock King films, and given the touches of magic and fantasy in this, may have made a great trilogy for the saga.

Yuen Wah chews the screen with his crazy bad guy role (as always), while Nina Li Chi stars as his whip wielding, right-hand woman and for once doesn't suffer as the running joke of the whole film due to her big breasts - nor does she suffer the same amount of abuse she normally does in other roles...

Biao claims that this is his favourite film - the one that best shows off his skills as an actor and martial artist - but I have to disagree! As great as it is, he's acted and fought in much better, but I totally understand that as his only project in which he has had full control, it does mean a lot to him - and yes, he does show some incredible moves here both as a fighter and acrobat! I do enjoy the character he plays here - a naïve, fish-out-of-water Tibetan monk with a skill of kung fu and magic that helps him out when he helps others. Yuen Biao's footwork has always been a highlight in any movie he's been in, and it certainly gets put to good use here!

The story is fairly paced and kept entertaining enough with plenty of comedic moments, exciting and well executed fight scenes that just get better as the show moves along. I'd really love to see a restored version of this rare classic as the DVD quality of most releases isn't great, and a cleaned up HD version would most certainly show the film for what it really is.

A Kid From Tibet is a fairly good to fantastic film and is definitely entertaining enough for repeated viewings. While the scenes set in Tibet are nice and often fun, the best parts really do kick-in once we get to Hong Kong. With a host of familiar faces, the comedy and action are cranked up a notch with Biao back on his own turf - with an end battle clearly inspired by his time on the aforementioned The Iceman Cometh...

Overall: An enjoyable, if somewhat underrated, Yuen Biao vehicle with some fantastic fight action, stunt-work and plenty of laughs!

I had an itch for more martial arts action so I checked out this Yuen Biao action/fantasy film. Biao stars as Wong La, a Tibetan monk who is sent to Hong Kong to recover an ancient vase from a lawyer. Naturally there is an evil sect of Buddhists (led by Yuen Wah) that want to get their hands on it too. The first half of the film depends too heavily on some "fish out of water" and fantasy comedy (like a bit where Biao accidentally makes everyone's clothes disappear). A lot of it is reminiscent of Biao's earlier vehicle THE ICEMAN COMETH. It will turn some viewers off while others may find it funny. Personally, I enjoyed it because Biao has such a funny on screen persona. When it gets down to the action, there are some impressive scenes. Most notable is the final fight between Biao and Wah. This is only the second (and last) film that Biao ever directed. It is too bad because he certainly has a good eye and the Tibetan locations are stunning. Jackie Chan has a quick cameo in the airport scene.

(1992) A Kid From Tibet (In Chinese with English subtitles) ACTION/ COMEDY

Labelled as a small film but entertaining nonetheless which is directed and starred by Yuen Baio as a Tibitean monk who while carrying the cap ordered by his superior to retrieve ancient bottle from the baddies lead by veteran actor Yuen Wah rumored to be in the Hong Kong area, escorting him to find it is a young female lawyer played by Michelle Reis! The dismissal little plot very much inspired from the "Indiana Jones" films particularly "Raiders" is only an excuse to showcase comedy routines and action sequences. The main fight is with his real life brother Yuen Wah, actor of many martial art films! Some of the mild comedy bits work too!

I've commented before on IMDb that I can't understand why Yuen Biao is so underrated compared to Jackie Chan and Jet Li. This film was Yuen's directorial debut and combines stunning shots of Tibet with the 'fish out of water' theme that seems to suit him s well, for instance in The Iceman Cometh. In fact the plot of this film is very similar with modern Hong Kong providing again the main comic misunderstandings. Michelle Reis replaces Maggie Cheung but Yuen Wah plays the evil sorcerer and their fights together are as good as ever. Nina Li Chi (Jet Li's ex) adds spice with some great acting and fighting skills. Special mention should also go to the late and great Roy Chiao. The esoteric Buddhism elements may put some people off and like a lot of HK films their is too much plot but this is a different approach to an action film and for me at least works really well.