REVIEW:
A Shaw Brothers classic directed by the great Chang Cheh re-teams actors from the FIVE DEADLY VENOMS for a terrific kung fu tale of heroes defending a gold shipment from bandits. Cheh (SUPER NINJAS) produced some of the most entertaining martial arts films at Shaw Brothers during their kung fu bonanza years in the 1970's and early 1980's. Known for his graphic yet cartoon-like violence and memorable characters, Cheh's follow-up to the outrageous FIVE DEADLY VENOMS (1978) is a non-stop kung fu ride filled with just about everything a fan could want.

As the story goes, the Chi Sah gang has carved a challenge to an escort service on the back of one of its members that the gold they will be escorting will be stolen. The heroes, swordsman Li, his girlfriend Miss Ling, Long Axe, and Short Axe are called to help defend the gold from a gang led by Golden Arm. His associates include the Silver Spear, Iron Robe, and Brass Head, all specializing in different kung fu styles. If that isn't enough, a mysterious government agent named Hai To keeps thwarting the gang's efforts with his drunken kung fu. The kung fu experts on both sides seem fairly evenly matched except for Golden Arm whose arms deflect blades with ease and Hai To whose mastery of kung fu is matched only by his thirst for wine. Cheh puts in a nice twist at the end where a villain called Iron Feet is introduced. It ends up a three way match between Golden Arm, Hai To and Iron Feet.

But still, the real brilliance of this film is the careful balance of campy drama, action and humor that generally make old school kung fu movies great. Wei Pai plays the heavy role of Li Chin Ming whose struggle to prove himself to be a great and noble swordsman creates a rift between himself and his love, Miss Ling and sours his relationship with the drunken official, Hai To who is trying to help him. Looking past the silly costumes and campy dialogue the film does make an effort to speak about the universal themes of corruption. In fact, many of the characters in the film are undone by selfishness. When two guards escorting the gold decide to steal it and run away, they are unwittingly killed by poison on the gold itself. Swordsman Li is overcome, not by greed but by pride as he goes to prove his swordsmanship against Golden Arm, spurning the advice of Hai To. Hai To sums it up himself when he says, "With some its money. With others, fame. Its man's nature."

The humor is more subtle but runs throughout. The drunk, Hai To played by Phillip Kwok takes a stab at emulating the characteristics already made famous by Jackie Chan in DRUNKEN MASTER. He sloshes wine around, bemoaning the loss of a broken jar while men try to kill him. The result is not as humorous but counterbalances the more austere Li and Miss Ling. The two axe men, Long Axe and Short Axe keep a friendly rivalry going as to how many bandits each one can kill. Less successful is the stock soundtrack that frequently plays the right music at the wrong time, evoking conflicting emotions.

Aside from a number of missing frames that chop up the dialogue, and the fact that Cheh doesn't break any new ground, KID WITH THE GOLDEN ARM remains a superior effort and this version is highly recommended.

KID WITH THE GOLDEN ARMS reunites the actors who portrayed the Five Venoms in all-new roles. Meng (BRAVE ARCHER) Lo toplines as the title character whose arms are impervious to injury. The legendary Phil (CRAZY SHAOLIN DISCIPLES) Kwok stars as the drunken fighter, Hai To. The late Chiang (SPEARMAN OF DEATH) Sheng (who died of a heart attack in 1991) plays the protagonist, Short Ax. Lung Wei (RETURN OF THE MASTER KILLER) Wang portrays Iron Robe, a member of the Chi Sah Gang. Sun (DESTROYERS OF THE FIVE DEADLY VENOMS) Shien is the traitorous Iron Feet. Lu (CHINESE SUPER NINJAS) Feng plays the outlaw Silver Spear; also a member of the Chi Sah Gang. Wei (LAST HURRAH FRO CHIVALRY) Pai essays the role of Li Chin Ming, a swordsman with a martyr complex. His woman, Ms. Ling, is played by Pan-Ping Chi.

KID WITH THE GOLDEN ARMS begins with a memorable title sequence that introduces the four members of the vicious Chi Sah Gang. Golden Arm (Meng Lo) is the leader of the feared gang, whose main weapons are his unyielding arms. Iron Robe (Lung Wei Wang) wears an impervious coat of armor, and wields a razor-sharp steel fan. Silver Spear (Lu Feng) is a master swordsman who totes a deadly pole made entirely of silver. And finally, the muscular Brass Head uses a brass crown to head butt his opponents into submission. A government official (Sun Shien) is in charge of transporting a cache of gold to a remote colony that is suffering from the effects of famine. The notorious Chi Sah Gang want the gold shipment for themselves and will kill any of the government soldiers who try to defend the gold. So the government official forms a small coalition of fighters to protect the gold shipment. They enlist the aid of master swordsman Li Chin Ming (Wei Pai), his lover Ms. Ling (Pan-Ping Chi), the drunken fighter Hai To (Phil Kwok). The official also requests the presence of his two loyalists, Short Ax and Long Ax.

On their way to rendezvous with the government coalition, Short Ax and Long Ax are attacked by masked bandits known as the Seven Hooks. Using their expertise with their lethal axes, Short Ax and Long Ax make short work of the outlaws. Ms. Ling is likewise jumped by Iron Robe, who proceeds to roughen her up until Hai To arrives to save her. With the odds now against Iron Robe, he wisely retreats. Ms. Ling meets up with her beloved, Li Chin Ming. He is an experienced weapons master and martial artist who is willing to die for a cause, so that he may be remembered as a hero. They head to a nearby tavern, unaware that the place is one big booby trap, with agents of the Chi Sah Gang everywhere. An old man attacks Li Chin Ming, but it is only Silver Spear in disguise. One of the assassins gives Li Chin Ming the "Sand Palm" blow, which infuses poison into his body. After the two fight to a standstill, Silver Spear offers Li Chin Ming a place in the Chi Sah Gang, to which he refuses. Hai To enters the establishment brandishing a jug of wine, which he carries around everywhere to ensure that he is always intoxicated. Silver Spear challenges Hai To to meet his boss, Golden Arm, in mortal combat. Li Chin Ming has his own agenda, and plans to face Golden Arm in place of Hai To. Ms. Ling begs him not to go, because she knows it will be the end of him. Li Chin Ming knows he is dying from poison, and wants to finish Golden Arm before he dies. But Hai To takes the sickly body of the dying swordsman and uses heat to counteract the poison.

Meanwhile, the coalition is preparing to transport the gold, when they are ambushed by the Chi Sah Gang. The villain called Brass Head breaks into the building and attacks the Government soldiers. The coalition members outnumber him though, and quickly kill him through sheer force of numbers. Golden Arm breaks down the door and vows to avenge Brass Head’s demise. Hai To is on the trail of Iron Robe, and forces the Chi Sah Gang member to fight him. Hai To cannot hurt Iron Robe because of the suit of armor that protects him, but the drunken master defeats him through trickery. While Li Chin Ming and Hai To head toward a fateful confrontation with Golden Arm, the coalition carefully treks across the countryside with the gold. But the Chi Sah Gang has planted numerous booby-traps for the soldiers. Poison darts, needles, and gas take their toll. The remaining soldiers panic and flee, leaving Small Ax and Long Ax alone to guard the government official and the gold. Chi Sah Gang member Silver Spear arrives and challenges Small Ax and Long Ax to a duel to the death. Meanwhile, Li Chin Ming has shown up in place of Hai To to challenge Golden Arm. Their fight is fast and furious, and the melancholy swordsman finally gets his wish; he dies a hero—much to the chagrin of Ms. Ling (who naturally vows revenge). Hai To arrives and tells the distraught young woman to come back in two hours. After Ms. Ling leaves, the only remaining member of the coalition, the official himself, shows up to witness the showdown between Golden Arm and Hai To. But all is not as it seems....

FIVE DEADLY VENOMS is considered a masterpiece of the genre, thanks to the emphasis on plot development, characterization, and the masterful direction of Chang Cheh. Quite frankly, KID WITH THE GOLDEN ARM eclipses all expectations and delivers just as much plot and intrigue as FIVE DEADLY VENOMS. The biggest criticism of that breakthrough film was the lack of (and quality of) the fight sequences. Chang Cheh more than makes up for that—there is about 5 times more action than in FIVE DEADLY VENOMS. In that previous film, there was some slight experimentation with wire-fu, but I’m pleased to report that Chang Chen has gone back to traditional acrobatic Kung Fu choreography. The conclusion blew me away with it’s combination of light-speed moves and acrobatic maneuvering and kicking (Phil Kwok and Meng Lo are two truly talented and intimidating martial arts performers). There is also a certain amount of intrigue running through the film, that Chang Cheh ties up neatly in the film’s amazing climax. The whole thing comes off as a Greek tragedy set in historical China.

KID WITH THE GOLDEN ARM is a movie about shattered expectations. Here is a important historical Kung Fu flick that is not motivated by revenge. The film also avoids the student/master relationship that fuels most of the classic Kung Fu epics. Chang Cheh imbues KID WITH THE GOLDEN ARM with a sense of urgency that draws the viewer away from any flaws (such as the fact that all the fight scenes take place on a soundstage). Cheh captures the exhilarating fight choreography with wild, tracking shots and zooms which contribute to the high impact thrills of the film. He never over-cranks the photography, something that many modern Kung Fu directors do to attain the illusion of speed (as in any Jackie Chan movie). KID WITH THE GOLDEN ARM is also an extremely violent and bloody film—we are talking SHOGUN ASSASSIN blood-spewage here. Characters are graphically impaled, axed, and mutilated. Despite all the mayhem, KID WITH THE GOLDEN ARM is a representation of the code of ethics and respect in the martial arts world.

Like FIVE DEADLY VENOMS, this is an ensemble piece, with several protagonists and villains. The characters all have agendas or important motivation. The cast all rise to the occasion, proving that they are more than mere martial artists. Lo Meng is great as the evil, overconfident leader of the Chi Sah Gang. His performance actually generates sympathy for his character in the closing moments. Sun Shien masterfully underplays his role as the government official and if you’ve seen KID WITH THE GOLDEN ARM you know why. Wei Pei delivers a perfect performance as a prideful man who would rather die fighting, than live the good life with his beloved. The beautiful-but-deadly Pan Ping-Chi is the only woman in the film. Her performance echoes her character’s feelings for Li Chin Ming and her loathing of the man who killed him. Interestingly enough, there is a subtle triangle between Li Chin Ming, Ms. Ling, and Hai To. And of course, veteran Hong Kong actor Phil Kwok steals the show as the drunken Hai To. Kwok’s natural charisma comes out in every line of dialog. He walks the line between stern hero and confident comedian, since his character is drunk throughout the entire film.

SIGHT
NS Video presents KID WITH THE GOLDEN ARM in the original Shawscope ratio of 2.35.1. There is a very slight matting of the image, as some of the credits creep off the sides of the screen. The source print used runs from very good to moderately worn. There are moments in the film when scratches and blemishes jump about in the image. But considering the age and genre, this is a very pleasing transfer. Grain is also prevalent. The color schemes appear very slightly muted with some soft moments occurring during the interior soundstage shots. The black level is deep. The kinetic camera work is excellent, and this widescreen transfer perfectly preserves Chang Cheh’s visuals. The superior detail level showcases the period production design and costuming. The top-notch fight choreography is colorfully rendered, and the letterboxed presentation keeps the action in scope. Besides the meticulous fight sequences, the gruesome moments of bloodshed are particularly colorful and striking. Though the transfer is not flawless, fans who suffered though the pan’n scan bootleg will drool over this Shawscope presentation.

SOUND
This is a Dolby Digital Mono 2.0 presentation. The soundtrack allows for an impressive frequency range, that recreates the highs and the lows with great accuracy. KID WITH THE GOLDEN ARM has a very active audio effects track that provides the leaps, punches, kicks, and flips with plenty of bite. KID WITH THE GOLDEN ARM also features a large amount of drama and characterization, and the dubbing is equal to the task. The English dialog comes through clearly and without distortion, though at increased volume levels, background noise can be heard. The only area of the film which I found disappointing is the score. Unlike the traditional Chinese music of other Shaw Brothers films, the music is mostly modern synthesizer compositions. Acoustically, the score sounds fine in this two channel mono mix, it just seems to modern, and thus inappropriate for a historical film. The sound effects, dialog, and score are perfectly integrated.

FEATURES
The only extras are the informative talent bios and filmographies (including pictures) for Chang Cheh, Kuo Chi, Lu Feng, Chiang Sheng, and Lo Meng. The DVD also has colorful menus, with easy-to-use navigation.

CONCLUSION
KID WITH THE GOLDEN ARM is a genre classic and a true must for Kung Fu fans. It has everything you could ask for in a martial arts film, including an original, intriguing plot, an ensemble cast with bigger than life heroes and villains, superb production values, bloody violence, and fight choreography that you will never forget. The widescreen presentation is spotty at times, but it was actually better than I expected, and on a par with the widescreen DVDs from Crash Cinema such as RETURN OF THE FIVE DEADLY VENOMS and SHAOLIN MASTER KILLER. The only disappointment is the missing exposition footage, although the narrative structure and fights are fully intact. Despite the greatness of FIVE DEADLY VENOMS, this is the more satisfying film. If you purchase one Kung Fu DVD this year, make it KID WITH THE GOLDEN ARM.