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LEGEND
OF A FIGHTER
AKA:
Huo Yuen Chia ||
Secret Master || Fok Yuen Gap
Year:
1982 Reviewer: Phil
Mills
The
Huo family have a strict code of conduct when it comes to the
training of their martial arts style. Huo Yuan Chia
(Leung Kar Yan) is the youngest son and is forbidden to study
as his father perceives him as being too weak. The
family plaque clearly states that they will not teach the
weak, cheats or strangers so he must find other ways in which
to learn. A mysterious Teacher by the name of Chiang Ho
San appears one day to take up the position of school master
in the household. He claims that he is unable to fight
but takes more than a passing interest in the Huo style.
When he reveals to his pupil that he is a champion fighter
Yuan Chia begs to be taught. He gives him a few tips and
then departs. In the following 12 years Yuan Chia
studies the Huo style in secret before rescuing his father and
displaying his true talent. He becomes the major heir
and a well known face in the town. When a Japanese
challenger starts closing all the kung fu schools it is up to
Yuan Chia to defeat him for his family and the honour of the
Chinese people.
'Legend
Of A Fighter' is originally based around the myth that
inspired the Bruce Lee film 'Fist
of Fury' so it comes as no surprise that it bares more
than a passing resemblance to what was arguably Lee's finest
hour. For this incarnation though, Yuen Woo Ping takes
the reigns and is keen to attempt to make the project his own
by using the stronger (and more patriotic) elements of the
source material as a springboard for his uniquely classy
action and training sequences. This typified kung fu
formula allows 'Legend Of A Fighter' to emerge as a quality
film in it's own right with Leung Kar Yan acting as a capable
hero (despite far too many attempts to mimic Bruce Lee's
gestures for my liking) and the action coming thick and fast
enough to keep even the most shallow viewer amused.
However, throughout it's running time it is always difficult
to avoid drawing comparisons and despite my best attempts to
remain neutral, I still came away feeling it was something of
a pale
imitation that lacked the real passion or charismatic leading
performance that made Lee's film such a landmark.
The
action presented in 'Legend Of A Fighter' is of the usual high
Yuen Woo Ping standard and is probably best described as a mixture
between Bruce Lee's clean cut technique and Woo Ping's
affinity for the classic animal styles. You can also see
the influences of Woo Ping's past box office successes ('Snake
In The Eagle's Shadow' and 'Drunken
Master') as he once again inserts a degree of comedy into
several of the confrontations although it is far less frequent
here and doesn't deviate too
much from serious tone of the piece. Leung Kar Yan,
although not a classically trained martial artist, does
himself relatively proud as the leading fighter, combining his
Wing Chun based style with numerous references to Lee's
choreography that constantly keep it interesting. Alongside him is the often overlooked
Yasuaki Kurata who is disappointingly aided by some
rather obvious undercranking but he is still an impressive
sight, particularly during his final duel.
Regardless
of how hard you try, it's inevitable that one will watch
this movie and see the similarities it shares with 'Fist Of
Fury' which will forever prevent it from attaining the
classic status that other Woo Ping works have. No matter
though as it is still a consistently enjoyable classic kung fu
film and whichever way you view it, it is still bound
to entertain far more than the majority of other Bruce Lee
cash-in movies.
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