Reviews:The Kung Fu Cult Master
All Content Used With Permission.
ALTERNATE SYNOPSIS:
"The Kung Fu Cult Master" is adapted from one of the famous novels written by the famed kung fu novel writer Louis Cha. Director Wong King makes it as a movie added with large amounts of kung fu sequences and profound portraits of affections, which vividly bring the character to life on the silver screen.
The story is about Kay, the son of Shan and So, becomes one of the top kung fu masters by learning a superb kung fu by chance. However, also because of this, he is dragged in the struggle among the good and evil in the fight of two precious swords, Yee Tin and Tao Lung.
Kung fu stars Jet Li and Sammo Hung have shown their marvelous and stunning martial arts techniques in the movie, together with the fantastic original story, this is a martial arts movie that one should not miss.
-Mei Ah
| Set in ancient China, the story is told against a backdrop of warring clans. Jet Li plays Mo-kei, a young man caught in the middle of the troubles seeking revenge for the death of his parents at the hands of two clan leaders. Mo-kei himself was seriously injured in his youth by the same clan leaders which has left him unable to learn martial arts. When forced to leave the protective confines of the Wu Tang's headquarters Mo-kei meets a strange monk, embedded in a boulder, who teaches him kung fu. From this point he becomes virtually unbeatable and takes on the clans in numerous wonderfully choreographed battles.
If wire-fu's not your thing then you'd do well to avoid this movie, however I've always loved this particular genre due to the fast editing, inventive camera work and spectacular acrobatics. Although a little slow to begin with (Jet doesn't do much for the first half of the film as his character doesn't know kung fu) it is more than made up for in the second half with some terrific fight scenes. The best of these is when Mo-kei squares up to a Shaolin monk in a sequence where the wires enhance the action without taking over too much. Samo Hung, playing the leader of the Wu Tang clan, is also given opportunity to show his stuff although nowhere near as much as I would have liked. My only other complaint with the action, as is often the case with new wave kung fu, is the use of speeded up sequences. These are completely unnecessary as Jet Li and Samo Hung look fantastic without it. Despite this though there are still plenty of fight scenes that let the actors' natural talents show. |
http://www.wastedlife.co.uk/
ALTERNATE SYNOPSIS:
He carries the cross of his parents' rebel, but he must clear his family name. He is Zhang (Jet Li), the grandson of the Great Tai Chi Master. Destined for glory but fate has its own designs. Zhang becomes the target of the Six Great Schools.
Young Zhang escapes narrow death by poison and goes on the road to seek a cure, accompanied by his grandfather.
On their adventurous journey, young Zhang is trained by great masters to become a true warrior. He clears his family name and thus, a hero is born.
-Prism Leisure
| SYNOPSIS: With his parents having been forced to commit suicide, Chang Mo-kei grows up suffering the effects of the "Jinx Palm" which doesn't allow him to learn kung fu. Although favored by Wu Tang's leader, Chang is cast out by a rival. He is cured by a crazy monk who is tricked into teaching Chang the "Great Solar Stance," a powerful martial arts technique with magical properties. Chang then seeks revenge on the various clan leaders responsible for his parents deaths while trying to keep the clans from destroying each other.
REVIEW: As a filmmaker, Wong Jing is well known for his outrageous films that spoof just about anything and everything. But unlike the cartoonish City Hunter (1993) or High Risk's (1995) carefully constructed parodies, KFCM has a narrative tricked out on speed and greased for maximum velocity. That is to say, you'll have a hard time making sense of this film. A narrator zips through a lengthy bit of back story which eventually brings us to Jet Li as a grown man. Kung fu purists better look the other way. Jet Li's character starts out unable to perform kung fu. But in a scene right out of Tsui Hark's equally trippy Zu: Warriors from the Magic Mountain, a crazy monk who has strapped himself to a giant boulder instructs Li on how to use the "Great Solar Stance," a kung fu technique so powerful as to give its wielder the ability to leap above armies while hurling bolts of explosive energy. Now, that's what I call harnessing your chi! Yet, Li does have several opportunities to show off his real skill. The best of which includes a very dynamic fight against a Shaolin monk within the halls of the Evil Sect. The other is at the end when Li is challenged to fight without using his supernatural power. Since his character never learned traditional martial arts, Sammo Hung instructs him in tai chi as he fights in a cleverly constructed scene. This film's plot involving a mammoth conflict between every sect, clan, or organization ever conceived of outside of the Chinese government is just too much to ask even the most seasoned HK film viewer to digest. And that's not all -- the film ends abruptly with Li and company running off to face the real threat which turns out to be members of the Ching government who purposely set the clans against each other. This second film was never made though and little wonder, considering how convoluted the first one is. I have must confess that I still enjoy this film on a pure visceral level. One of the great aspects of HK cinema is the energy and pace of their films which is something you'll rarely see anywhere else in the world. The film's cinematography and visuals are sumptuous and easily draw you in even if you don't know what's going on. Sammo Hung's choreography is terrific as usual. Only a few action directors could possibly keep up with Wong Jing's insanity and still manage to keep the fights from becoming a mess of motion. A regular of Wong's films, Chingmy Yau, who plays Li's love interest makes a great action heroine and provides Li with one of his better female counterparts. Kung Fu Cult Master came out at the height of HK's fantasy/period epics of the early '90's. Its a perfect example of why more of everything does not make a better movie. Despite having top filmmakers, actors, and ambitious production standards, the film will fly above a lot viewer's heads, unless you're either attention-deficit or like your entertainment set to ludicrous speed. |
http://www.KungFuCinema.com
| A magical sword held by a kung fu master known as the Golden Lion is sought out by all the kung-fu clans in the land. Cheung Man and Francis Ng are followers of Golden Lion and commit suicide before revealing the secret location of their master, leaving their child behind to be taken care of by his uncle (Sammo Hung). Before her death, the kid's mother makes him take a vow that he will get revenge. The kid (who grows into Jet Li) wants to do so, but he was hit by a technique known as the "Jinx Palm," so he can't fight. This leads to ridicule and jealousy from his fellow clan members, and when Sammo decides to leave for a while, Sammo's son decides to whoop Jet's ass and almost succeeds, until he is saved by Chingmy Yau. Eventually, Jet manages to learn a super form of kung-fu from an old monk chained to a rock (?!) and decides to go forth with his quest for revenge. Wait a minute, do you remember that magical sword? Well, it seems now that all the other clans view Jet's as evil because they still have it and so they're willing to do anything to get the sword, including starting an all-out war.
Or something like that. Normally, watching a Wong Jing movie is like watching a car wreck -- it's hideous and doesn't make much sense, but you still have to watch because, for some reason, it's still entertaining and fascinating. Kung Fu Cult Master is like watching an 18-wheeler and a monster truck collide. For many times during the story, I seriously had no idea what the hell what was going on. I must admit, I am normally a little bit lost when watching most wu xia (fantasy swordplay) movies. I think there's just something about the intricacies of this genre that just doesn't translate well to Western audiences, especially with horribly translated subs like "Don't think I am a 100 year old granny, every morning I am still erect!" Not to say that these films aren't fun to watch, even for the most naïve Hong Kong film viewer. Watching the interaction between the characters is still interesting, and when the various elements finally come together, like many other wu xia films, Kung Fu Cult Master is quite a satisfying viewing experience. Some of the action set pieces featured in the movie are some of the best I've ever seen. The huge battle between the clans is phenomenal, occurring above, on and below the ground, with tons of limbs flying about and then Jet coming in like Ryu from "Street Fighter" chucking fireballs at everyone. While Kung Fu Cult Master is most likely one of the most puzzling films you've ever seen, patient viewers will be rewarded with a wire-fu spectacle that few films can rival. |
http://www.hkfilm.net
| This martial arts fantasy film was originally released in 1993 as KEI TIN TIU LUNG GEI JI MOH GAAU GAAU CHU, which translates to THE KUNG FU COLT MASTER. The film features the martial arts skills of the current king of HK cinema, Jet Li. Despite Jet Li’s presence, the film has suffered various indignities (such as cut footage, re-edited sequences, and atrocious dubbing) that have given the film a bad name in fan circles. Thankfully, China’s MEI AH Home Video restores THE KUNG FU COLT MASTER to it’s original cinematic luster. The film is directed by Wong Jing, who also directed countless Hong Kong genre films such as LEGEND OF THE LIQUID SWORD, RAPED BY AN ANGEL 4, and GOD OF GAMBLERS 2.
The film has a great cast. Besides Jet Li, the film features Sammo Hung as the 100 year-old master, Chang San Fung, Danny (ROYAL TRAMP) Chan as Sung Ching-Su. Man (SEMI-GODS AND SEMI-DEVILS) Cheung has a dual role as Yan So So and Chao Min. The lovely Chingmy (NAKED KILLER) Yau is Jet Li’s love interest, Siu Chiu. Ka Yan (CRYSTAL HUNT) Leung plays Sung Yuen Kin. The hilarious Richard (WINNERS AND SINNERS) Ng portrays the King of Green Bat. And Francis (A MAN CALLED HERO) Ng plays Chan Tsui San. Two swords, the To Lung and the Yee Tin, each contains one-half of an ancient scroll that holds the key to the ultimate secrets of kung-fu. If any person was to obtain the swords and the scroll, they would be the Supreme Master of Martial Arts. Alone, these supernatural swords are still extremely powerful, able to lash out and cut through virtually anything the wielder wishes. As you would guess, the swords are extremely valuable, and because of this have caused wars between the various clans and religious sects over the centuries. Two groups of martial artists (each comprised of different sub-sects) are at war with each other -- the Evil Sect (from Persia) and the Shaolin sect. The Evil Sect is headed by two individuals: King of White Eagle and King of Green Bat. Another master of the Evil Sect, King of Gold Lion, befriends a man from the Shaolin Wu Tong clan. King of Gold Lion's daughter eventually marries this man, and together they have a son named Mo-Kei (Jet Li). In an effort to gain the To Lung sword which King of Gold Lion has, the Chinese (Shaolin, Wu Shih, Master No-Mercy's nuns) band together to hunt him. King of Gold Lion is blind and lives in hiding to protect the sword. When the Chinese cannot find King of Gold Lion, they pressure Mo-Kei’s parents to inform them where King of Gold Lion is hiding. In the process of threatening and intimidating Mo-Kei’s parents, Mo-Kei is permanently wounded and cursed by the Jinx Brothers. To save face, Mo-Kei’s parents kill themselves to avoid betraying King of Gold Lion. Young Mo-Kei swears revenge on those who pressured his parents into taking their lives (the Jinx brothers, Master No-Mercy, and the other sect leaders). Mo-Kei is taken in by his deceased father’s kung-fu mentor, Master Fung (Sammo Hung). But Mo-Kei grows up unable to learn kung-fu because the Jinx brothers have placed a curse on him (whereas he cannot practice any martial arts or he becomes sick). Mo-Kei's cousin is given the task of protecting Mo-Kei, since he is unable to defend himself (he's not too fond of this). When the cousin is given a chance, he tries to beat up and maim Mo-Kei. Luckily for Mo-Kei, a mysterious Evil Sect woman named Siu Chiu (Chingmy Yau) comes to seek out Mo-Kei. Together they escape the Wu Tong encampment by falling off the edge of a cliff. Mo-Kei’s corrupt cousin tells Master Fung that Mo-Kei met his doom when he fell into a ravine, and Master Fung believes him. In the bottom of the ravine, Mo-Kei and Siu Chiu meet up with a monstrous living ball that is occupied by an old wizard. This old wizard is an old enemy of Master Fung, who desires to make Mo-Kei into a worthy martial artist to prove his superiority to Master Fung (who could not teach Mo-Kei kung fu because of the curse). Using mystical powers, the old wizard breaks the Jinx brothers’ spells and teaches Mo-Kei the ancient arts in a matter of minutes. By mastering the old wizard’s Great Solar Stance technique, Mo-Kei is able to learn any form of martial arts just by watching it. Mo-Kei begins his quest to gain revenge for his parents and re-unite the feuding Evil Sect and Shaolin Sects. Through the course of the film, he learns other forms of martial arts including Magic Stance, Dragon Claws Shaolin Kung-Fu, and Tai Chi. By the end of the film he is pretty much unstoppable, and takes on the purveyors of evil. There is a lot of strange and violent images in THE KUNG FU COLT MASTER: Jet Li fans claim that this is their idol’s worst film. I don’t believe that’s true. The problem with THE KUNG FU COLT MASTER is that it features an unbelievably complex storyline culled from ancient Chinese lore. Only the most hard-core historical martial arts fans can truly appreciate (or keep up with) the narrative, without getting lost. The detailed story line is similar to role playing games like Dungeons and Dragons. And there are way more characters to keep track off than in most HK films. Like Dungeons and Dragons, you just don’t play the game the first time and expect to win. The more you practice, the better you get. So obviously, THE KUNG FU COLT MASTER is not your average piece of Asian cinema. It strives to give more than just hyper-action scenes; it lends itself to additional viewings to pick up on the intricacies of the Chinese mythology and philosophy. Another big criticism I’ve heard about THE KUNG FU COLT MASTER is the overused wire-works that make the martial artists look super-human. While I agree the wire-works are overused, you’ve got to remember the martial artists in this film are indeed supposed to be super-human fighters. THE KUNG FU COLT MASTER is not about "authentic" hand-to-hand combat; it is a mythological, epic adventure/fantasy. Viewers who can only tolerate old-school martial arts will be disappointed, and may want to look elsewhere. Fans who appreciate supernatural elements with their swordplay and martial arts cravings should seek out THE KUNG FU COLT MASTER. Another thing that may leave a bad taste in the fans mouths is the ending. The movie stops abruptly and leaves a lot of threads hanging. Whether this was done purposely, or merely to leave a sequel option open is unclear. Whatever the case may be, the ending leaves you looking for more. No sequel was ever attempted. What the movie wraps, you are still hungry for the great characters, the wonderful interaction, and the over-the-top stunt scenes courtesy of Jet Li. There are a couple problem areas with the movie. The special effects work is inconsistent. While much of the effects are believable (such as the bloodletting and dismemberments), other effects just appear plain cheap (The attacking old wizard in the giant ball). I’ve never seen more people throwing up blood than in this picture. The other problem with the film is the pacing. There are so many stunts, fights, and rapid camera movements, that the movie just goes too fast. You cannot stop to think, or take in any details. It’s just fight after fight after fight. By the time the climax comes around you are supposed to be impressed, but jaded is more like it. The fight choreography is not the best I’ve ever seen, but the stunt work is tremendous. Especially when you consider the sheer number of stunts and battle scenes involving hundreds of extras. There were moments in the film where I was reminded of the battle scenes from Kurosowa’s RAN. One other remarkable aspect of the movie is the rapid-fire photography and angled camera movements. The shooting angles used by the filmmakers would make Sam Raimi proud. The wire-works scenes are used in conjunction with EVIL DEAD-style camera work, making the film one continuous, zany, stunt show. One other big plus to THR KUNG FU COLT MASTER is how it combines a serious struggle with some slapdash humor. Not all the jokes work, but most of the offbeat humor registers thanks to the comedic skills of performers like the riotous Richard Ng.
SIGHT
SOUND
CONCLUSION |
http://www.dvdcult.com/
| Another silly period piece from Wong Jing, but it's full of action, great fighting, good camera work, and beautiful women. Jet Li is the kung fu cult master and he gets to jump around on wires and kick some serious butt throughout the film. A sinister and cunning Cheung Man has never looked more lovely and regal than in this film, but she doesn't get to fight much. Even though she has ridiculous hair, Chingmy Yau is always a welcome sight, and she pulls off some impressive stunt work. And, of course, Sammo shows off his fighting splendor as well. Additionally, there is another fatally pretty swordswoman in the film who kicks ass and whose name I don't know. This film is interesting in the way that the story is told and unfolds. The film ends right before the expected climax, with lots of tension and unanswered questions remaining as the credits roll by. Annoying, yet intriguing, this film improves with multiple viewings. |
http://www.alex-in-wonderland.com
| Opinion on The Kung Fu Cult Master varies widely, with some calling it the greatest film ever made and others calling it junk. I'd put it at somewhere between those two extremes, though the film is an exercise in extremes itself. If you were to take all the stock elements of wuxia films and of HK action films in general, crank them up full throttle, and throw them into one film you would probably end up with something very much like this movie. Vast armies clash over desert plains and sensitive music plays as warriors are decapitated by flying blades and horses are impaled by sharpened stakes which shoot out of the ground. There are more factions, sects, clans, and personalities then you keep track of. Allegiances change and deceptions occur at the drop of a hat, and the film never lets up from the breakneck pace. Eventually, wonderment turns to stupor as you lose track of the plot and the action itself is so relentless that it leaves you numb instead of exhilarated. Still, this movie is a thrill ride that has to be experienced, just don't make it your first HK film. The abrupt ending of this film calls for a sequel which, unfortunately, was never made. Want to know more? Check out the Kung Fu Cult Master Homepage. |
This window is a "pop-up" from The Kung Fu Cult Master at HKFlix.com.
If you've arrived here from somewhere else,
please CLICK HERE for our home page!
