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Cast:
Tan
Tao Liang
James
Tien
Jackie
Chan
Sammo
Hung
Yeng
Wei
John
Woo
Action:
Sammo
Hung
Producer:
Raymond
Chow
Director:
John
Woo
Score:
 
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HAND
OF DEATH
AKA:
Countdown In Kung Fu ||
Shaolin Men || Strike Of Death
Year:
1976 Reviewer: Andrew
Saroch
It's
very easy for most new converts to John Woo's films to forget
his earlier classics like 'A
Better Tomorrow' and 'Once
A Thief'. Surprisingly though, some seasoned Woo fans
forget his pre-'A Better Tomorrow' work or very often belittle
its significance. 'Hand Of Death' deserves to be seen however,
and it also marks an interesting moment in the career of one
Jackie Chan.
The
oft-seen storyline will no doubt be very familiar to devotees
of the genre. The film begins with the destruction of the
Shaolin temple by former pupil Shih who has turned to helping
the Manchus. After this cataclysmic event, the surviving
abbots send out the best pupil Yun (Tan Tao Liang) to bring
this heinous villain down. In the dangerous outside world, Yun
learns of the fear that Shih has struck into the hearts of
everyone and begins to plot to bring down his enemy. On his
way he meets a wood-collector (Chan) who seems to be friendly
to the Shaolin cause, but unwilling to get involved. This soon
changes when Yun's plan to get into the domain of Shih
backfires and he is captured, then tortured for information on
the pro-Shaolin movement. The wood-collector shows his true
colours and manages to free Yun, taking him back to his
distant retreat. There Yun returns to health and learns more
about his new friend. Knowing that their numbers are few in
comparison to Shih's army, the pair call on the services of
mysterious swordsman Zorro (Wei) who has his own score to
settle. Increasing this bands number are a few other fighters
and their Shaolin contact who has details of the resistance
movement. Now the brotherhood not only have to make sure that
their contact reaches his destination, but also that Shih can
finally be beaten.
Woo
takes the aforementioned narrative - one seen many times
before - and infuses it with a measure of depth that lifts
this above the norm. Taking a leaf out of his mentor Chang
Cheh's book, Woo fleshes out each of the assorted heroes and
gives them all a certain motivation. Added to this is the
sense of brotherhood and unity that Cheh also championed; the
heroic band become a sympathetic and closely bonded unit for
us to identify with. Performances are all of a good standard
with a very young Jackie Chan and Yeng Wei gaining the acting
honours and James Tien making sure Shih is suitably menacing.
With this is the superb choreography courtesy of the one and
only Sammo Hung. The many fights give each of the talented
cast members a chance to shine with superkicker Tan Tao Liang
in particular showing off some very impressive moves. Tan's
final encounters with Sammo Hung, James Tien and others gives
him every opportunity to dip into his huge repertoire of
kicks. By the end of this well-crafted John Woo production,
even the most ardent kung-fu film fan should be satisfied.
Although not a masterpiece, 'Hand Of Death' is a good example
of how quality quickly shines through and stands out in a
crowded genre.
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