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Cast:
Yip
Fei Yang
John
Liu
Hwang
Jang Lee
Yuen
Yat Chor
Action:
Yuen
Woo Ping
Cheung
Yan
Producer:
Tu
Ching
Director:
Tung
Chin Ho
Score:
 
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THE
INSTANT KUNG FU MAN
AKA:
N/A
Year:
1978 Reviewer: Andrew
Saroch
Ever
since their legendary encounters in Ng See Yuen's classic 'The
Secret Rivals', John Liu and Hwang Jang Lee have commanded
a great deal of interest within a crowded genre. Any film
featuring another clash between the two has also been
cherished by keen followers of the genre, with 'Snuff
Bottle Connection' and 'Invincible Armour' providing two
particularly entertaining examples. This independent feature
from the late 70s is another opportunity to see these
superkickers at the height of their abilities with the added
bonus of choreography by Yuen Woo Ping among others.
Siu
Hu and Siu Fu are two brothers (both played by Yip Fei Yang)
who have chosen different paths in life and choose varying
ways of achieving their goals. Siu Fu - the older of the two -
is a notorious bandit who robs local merchants and
double-crosses his own gang. Siu Hu is far less malicious and,
due to his poor kung-fu skills, is sent away to Shaolin by his
older brother for training. However, Siu Hu is more interested
in an easy life and shirks away from the hard life that
Shaolin offers. After hatching an ingenious plot to beat the
Shaolin Wooden Men - to infest them with woodworm and render
them useless - Siu Hu manages to leave the monk lifestyle
behind and enter the big wide world. Following this trickster
is a Shaolin monk (John Liu) who is given the task of bringing
back the charlatan. While in the outside world, Siu Hu is
constantly mistaken for his older brother who is being hunted
down after a robbery. Unfortunately Siu Hu finds himself
chased by Siu Fu's former partner (Hwang Jang-Lee) and a gang
of greedy bandits. Throughout his misadventures, Siu Hu
manages to convince all around him that he is a kung fu master
and even adopts a pupil (Yuen Yat Chor) along the way. It
isn't long, however, before the various people chasing him
catch up with him and he finally has the chance to re-team
with his older brother.
'The
Instant Kung Fu Man' could almost be described as two
different films fused together: the first 'film' focusing on
Siu Fu's actions and the former ally seeking revenge for the
double-cross he was on the receiving end of; the second
concentrates on Siu Hu's escapades and the unusual episodes
that help him achieve the name 'Instant Kung Fu Man'. This
mixture of the two naturally makes for awkward entertainment
with the viewer getting lost in this very episodic film. The
comic antics of Siu Hu are reasonable enough and do bring into
them some interesting characters and scenarios. However, after
getting a brief taste of John Liu and Hwang Jang Lee early on
in the storyline, the concentration drifts endlessly and the
viewer is constantly waiting for the two stars to come back.
Sadly, the pair have very little to do until the last twenty
minutes when they finally have their moment to shine. Yip Fei
Yang is a fairly watchable action actor, but as the onus is on
the unskilled character, the fight action suffers as a result.
Any production that brings together a cast of this nature is
worth watching, but the fact of the matter is that this isn't
as good as it should have been. Liu and Hwang are always good
to watch - the question is whether you have the patience to
wait for their appearances.
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