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BOXER'S
ADVENTURE
AKA:
The Boxer Adventure
Year:
1979 Reviewer: Phil
Mills
When
the evil Yun Shi Kai threatens to take control of the local
province, the royal minister realises that he must build an
army to defeat him. He travels to Tiger village where he
enlists the help of three of their finest fighters to aid him
in his quest. They are teamed with Captain Lee (Tan Tao
Liang) and sent out in advance to prepare the villages for the
minister's arrival. Along the way they encounter
ambushes, romantic interludes and devious plots that all
threaten to stop them from completing their duties.
The most memorable films
from this time period were
littered with exciting fights and enigmatic leading
performances that thrilled audiences around the world. Having
heard little or nothing about 'Boxer's
Adventure', I
was pleasantly surprised to see that it is an excellent entry
into the genre that follows almost all of the
criteria required to include it amongst some of the all-time classics.
Tan
Tao Liang was clearly the main draw for me when it came to
picking up this movie, having seen him in action in films such
as 'The Hot, The Cool
And The Vicious' and 'Flash Legs'. Liang's kicking
skills absolutely amaze me as he is somehow able to command his legs like
fists, countering most moves using only his feet which makes
for some truly jaw dropping bouts of combat. Thankfully,
that is the main order of the day for 'Boxer's Adventure' and
we are treated to some
gravity defying bootwork that is practically unrivalled
throughout martial arts movies today. I must also mention that he is ably
accompanied by a few of the lesser known stars (including a
young Blacky Ko) who, despite lacking real screen presence, do
possess natural abilities that enhance each of the battles
they partake in.
The
main faults for 'Boxer's Adventure' are the same as the
problems that plagued all the
productions of this era, mainly thanks to the budget restrictions
imposed upon them. The little money and time available
was invested in the extravagant fight sequences with no real
originality in the plot. This is clearly evident here
when the film noticeably drags, trying too hard to present us with
clever twists or Hollywood style drama that Hong Kong just
wasn't capable of at the time. The editing techniques
are also fairly poor as scenes jump into one another making it
difficult to follow the reasoning behind our heroes actions
but it is all forgivable as long as the gaps are plugged by
top notch martial arts.
Overall,
'Boxer's Adventure' is another entertaining film from the 70s
that contains numerous memorable fights as well as a few
unintentional laughs along the way which definitely make it a
worthwhile purchase.
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