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Starring
:
Ching
Siu Tung
Hau
Chiu Sing
Lam
Fai Wong
Fong
Ping
Kwan
Fung
Shum
Lo
Action
:
Hau
Chiu Sing
Ching
Siu Tung
Hsiung
Kuang
Producer
:
Mona
Fong
Run
Run Shaw
Director
:
Lo
Mar
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STROKE
OF DEATH (1979)
A.K.A.
- Monkey Kung Fu
Reviewed
by Andrew Saroch
Ching
Siu Tung rightfully deserves commendation for his major
contribution to Hong Kong cinema. His significant work as a
director has provided Eastern film-making with some of its
most popular works while his choreographic skills continue to
inspire today. As with the equally important Yuen Tak, Ching
Siu Tung also had a very brief opportunity as a leading man.
Yuen Tak proved that he was equally adept in front of the
camera with '3
Evil Masters' whereas Ching showed his talents in the
enjoyable Casanova Wong vehicle 'Master Strikes' and in this
Shaw Brothers' production.
Following
a fight that he sees him administer 'justice', an arrogant and
self-righteous young man is captured by the police and sent to
prison. This new environment does little to temper his cocky
self-confidence and he quickly throws his weight around the
cells. When he oversteps the mark and sits on a chair
exclusively owned by a fearsome prisoner, the youngster is
given a thorough beating and left nursing his wounds. The
victor of the fight, however, is about to be executed and
decides to trust the stubborn newcomer with his most valuable
possession: one half of a medallion that, when reunited with
the missing part, directs its owner to a hidden secret. After
the execution a new inmate arrives in the prison and takes an
interest in this unusual inheritance. During a dispute with
the guards, both the egotistical fighter and the prison's
latest arrival team up to fend them off and manage to escape
in the process. The two agree to go their separate ways and
never meet again, though this understanding is broken when the
medallion-owner needs help in a fight. As their paths
constantly cross, both men learn more and more about each
other. This mutual respect comes in useful when a quartet of
formidable combatants come looking for the half-medallion and
aim to crush anyone who gets in their way.
There
have been a few superb films that have featured the monkey
kung fu style, most notably Liu Chia Liang classic 'Mad
Monkey Kung Fu' and the excellent Yuen Biao tour-de-force
'Knockabout'.
'Stroke Of Death' deserves a place among such illustrious
company and proves to be another nugget of gold from the Shaw
Brothers' archives. The most intriguing element of the film is
Ching Siu Tung's role as the leading man and thankfully this
injects 'Stroke Of Death' with far more than just novelty
value. Physically impressive, acrobatic and comfortable as the
main 'hero', Ching Siu Tung shines throughout this minor
classic. The many fight scenes are ample evidence of his
exceptional abilities and his performance provides a
potentially unpleasant character with a small amount of
sympathy. Director Lo Mar uses most of the talented cast that
featured in 'Five
Superfighters' and if anything this is even more
spectacular in the action department. From the chair fight in
the opening ten minutes to the battle between the two monkey
kung fu heroes and the main antagonist, 'Stroke Of Death' is
packed with invention and excitement. Two minor niggles are
present within the film though, but they hardly erode such a
polished effort. Firstly, Ching Siu Tung's role is often
cowardly and quite hard to warm to even if the actor does
everything in his power to change this. Incredibly, 'Stroke Of
Death' also suffers from having too much action - not a
complaint normally levelled at the genre. However, this is a
production that prides itself on quality rather than quantity
and so some of the fights are somewhat pointless; Ching Siu
Tung's clash with a kung fu school and a few others are
needlessly shoe-horned in when Lo Mar would have been better
advised using the time to develop the characters. Aside from
these, the bottom line is that 'Stroke Of Death' is a highly
recommended gem with a cast that doesn't feature the genres
big names, but still outshines many better known films.
Rating:
 
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