|
Cast:
Kuo
Chui
Lo
Meng
Sun
Chien
Lu
Feng
Chiang
Sheng
Wei
Pei
Action:
Lu
Feng
Chiang
Sheng
Producer:
Mona
Fong
Run
Run Shaw
Director:
Chang
Cheh
Score:
 
|
KID
WITH THE GOLDEN ARM
AKA:
N/A
Year:
1979 Reviewer: Andrew
Saroch
It
is with a degree of hesitation that I review this film having
only seen the badly cut DVD print. Therefore, all comments
that follow are directed towards the version that I've seen;
the fully uncut print is likely to be a far more
comprehensible prospect.
After
he's given the task of transporting a highly sought after
cargo of gold to a famine struck area of China, Yang Yu Heng
(Sun Chien) gathers together a powerful team to ensure that
the mission is successful. Among the hired hands are laconic
swordsman Li (Wei Pei) and his devoted girlfriend,
wise-cracking axemen Yen and Feng, and the mellow drunken
master Hai To (Kuo Chui). As the journey begins, the main
threat to the gold becomes apparent in the shape of the the notorious
Chi Sah bandit gang. Within this opposing band are formidable
foes such as Brass Head, Silver Spear and the renowned Kid
With The Golden Arm (Lo Meng). During the numerous encounters
between the two sides, sizeable numbers of both sides are
waylaid and the heroes in particular find themselves under
severe threat. Nonetheless, Hai To continues to support his
associates in his own inimitable way, downing large jars of
wine as he does so. However, a new threat is rumoured in the
shape of the mysterious Iron Feet who is also known to be
interested in the cargo. The question on everyone's lips,
though, is who is Iron Feet? It's left to Hai To to find the
answer to this perplexing mystery.
One
of the best loved of the Venoms films, 'Kid With The Golden
Arm' is firmly lodged in the minds of many kung fu film fans.
Re-uniting the talents of all five Venoms with Wei Pei (who
was one of the Venoms in the original film), this is a
production that relies much on the confidence of its ensemble
play. Not as plot driven or character based as 'Five Venoms',
'Kid With The Golden Arm' concentrates on the stylish action
that dominates its running time. Bouts between the wonderfully
varied characters are frequent, though not always consistent
in quality. The main highlights in this department are when
Kuo Chui is given centre stage, such is his physical ability
and immense charm. While there's no doubt that Chiang Sheng
and Lo Meng add their superior imprint on proceedings, Kuo
Chui's role as Hai To is the kind of hero that always stands
out in quality genre films. Once again Chang Cheh fashions
engaging characters from very humble beginnings, something
which few kung fu films can boast. 'Kid With The Golden Arm'
is also packed with intriguing villains, not least of which
the eponymous Kid played expertly by Lo Meng.
This
is the cut version and, as such, suffers from a definite lack
of composition. Whatever the aforementioned qualities are,
this is still dependent on action scenes without anything to
successfully link them. One of the many things that lifts
Chang Cheh's far above the genre norm is his exquisite use of
non-action sequences and their gradual shaping of the
narrative. By doing this, Cheh always created an anticipation
for the next set-piece while the viewer enjoyed some subtle
character moulding. 'Kid With The Golden Arm' - perhaps due to
the nature of the version reviewed - lacks these classic Chang
Cheh touches. Therefore this is not comparable to 'Killer
Army' or even 'Five Venoms' itself. It's possible that the
full print would rectify this problematic weakness. Even in
this hackneyed format, 'Kid With The Golden Arm' still has
enough to push it into the four star category.
|
