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Starring
:
John
Liu
Ko
Fei
Stephen
Tung Wai
Suen
Yuet
Wong
Chi Sang
Tong
Bo Wan
Action
:
Stephen
Tung Wai
Chan
Chia Kai
Producer
:
Ting
Chung
Director
:
Ting
Chung
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WU
TANG MAGIC KICK (1979)
A.K.A.
- Mar's Villa
Reviewed
by Phil Mills
Mar
Tien Liang (Liu) and his wife are two of the richest people in
the local province thanks to several successful businesses
they have built up. Amongst these is a kung fu school in
which Mar teaches his infamous Magic Kick that has
given him notoriety throughout the land. Sadly, with
success comes jealousy and he is constantly hounded by
challengers to his superiority in the martial arts. When
things go horribly wrong and he accidentally kills one of his
opponents the relatives of his victim come seeking revenge.
Vastly outnumbered, Mar and his wife are taken captive and Mar
is driven to the brink of insanity by constant torture.
Will Mar recover his senses in time to save his wife from
certain doom and exact punishment on his tormentors?
In
terms of plot, 'Wu Tang Magic Kick' is certainly a traditional
kung fu movie in every sense of the word. Littered with
all the attributes we have come to expect from a movie in this
genre (Martial Arts school rivalry, training sequences and a
revenge scenario) this could easily have been marked down as
just another cliché-ridden old school flick if it weren't for
the fights. Riddled with examples of why Hong Kong is
truly the maestro of kung fu action sequences, John Liu et al
take the viewer on a rollercoaster ride of high kicking,
intricately choreographed fights that remind you exactly why
you enjoyed martial arts movies in the first place.
Forget
the suspect dialogue and over-familiar plot, this is a no
holds barred fight-fest from start to finish and offers
another chance to catch a glimpse of the mesmerising skills of
one of the greatest kickers of all time - Mr. John Liu.
Rating:
 
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