Hwang Jang Lee (Silver Fox) here showcases not only his entire kicking repertoire but also his ability in staff; boxing; chopsticks and of course the eagles claw. If you like your action fast hard and violent then this is for you!

Review: There are three good reasons to watch the kung fu classic Hit Man in the Hand of Buddha. One, it stars the king of screen kickers Hwang Jang-lee in a heroic role where he still kicks butt. Two, for the chopsticks scene. Three, for the staff fights. That accounts for about thirty-percent of the film and the rest is mediocre filler.

Hwang Jang-lee blasted onto the kung fu movie scene after starring as the lead villain in Ng See-yuen's Secret Rivals I and II. He immediately became typecast as a fan favorite screen villain and went on to greater popularity playing opposite Jackie Chan in both Snake in the Eagle's Shadow and Drunken Master. Before returning to his native Korea to fade away in a series of lost low budget actioners, he made a few more Hong Kong films, perhaps most notably Hit Man in the Hand of Buddha. If not for the previously-mentioned three reasons to watch, this film would simply be one of hundreds of average old school brawlers. But Hwang stepped up to direct and produce the film, thus giving himself a rare opportunity to try on a different pair of kung fu shoes and offer fans a chance to see him turn his powerful leg-fighting skills on the bad guys for once.

The film is divided into three segments with the last being the shortest, but completely made up of superb action. The first part follows Hwang as he arrives in a rural village looking for his sister and brother-in-law, who is played by the perpetually cross-eyed character actor To Siu-ming. He also crosses paths with a portly, but agile beggar (Fan Mei-sheng) and his band of thieving children. In order to retrieve stolen money, Hwang playfully spars with the beggar before moving on in a scene that establishes that he's a competent fighter, but still has more to learn. His first real fight comes after his idiot brother-in-law, who works at a rice stall, stirs up trouble with his main competitor. Hwang steps in to save him and a fighter named Shen (Tino Wong) is hired to kill him. Hwang teaches him a lesson in a memorable tea house duel, but the defeated man's master, Tiger (Eddy Ko), returns the favor.

Having been schooled by Tiger, Hwang is sent away by the beggar to Shaolin Temple for more training in segment two of the movie. This is the weakest part as the training pales in comparison to the kind of inventiveness Lau Kar-leung cooked up in films like The 36th Chamber of Shaolin. The one highlight is the inclusion of staff fighting. A brief flashback to a duel between the Abbot and Tiger and Hwang's sparring are both excellent, but are only appetizers for the main course waiting in segment three.

It become clear that there is another reason for Hwang's training at Shaolin beyond his own desire to get back at Tiger. The Abbot and the beggar have essentially trained Hwang as a "Hit Man" to kill Tiger. They don't have any trouble convincing him after he finds out that his sister killed herself after being asaulted. This leads into the final fifteen minutes of the film which is pure martial bliss.

The action choreography for the whole film is incredible. Most of the scenes unfold in real-time, without the aid of undercranking. The sparring is precise and methodical with some stunt double-powered acrobatics thrown in, but very few trick shots or campy edits. The camera dynamically mixes up close-ups and wide shots without missing any of the complex routines the stunt actors unleash. Hwang Jang-lee holds back his best moves for the better part of the movie. He gives up a sneak peek during the opening credits and finally goes all out in the end. It's some of his finest work, that doesn't just rely on kicking, but also incorporates excellent staff work and Tiger Claw kung fu. He puts in some super cool gems here and there like flipping chopsticks into Tino Wong's face with a parlor trick just to add insult to his defeat. (I actually was inspired to try and replicate this trick at home. I nearly got it to work once until I broke one of the flimsy chopsticks I had picked up from Nasai Teriyaki. Don't try it kids. You might lose an eye or worse, have to eat teriyaki with one chopstick.) Another slick moment happens in their rematch when in a close-up, Hwang belts Tino in the head with his foot which comes out of nowhere and immediately follows with a punch to the face. Poor Tino ultimately pays for his evil ways in a fashion befitting a Sergio Leone film.

Hwang's character is pretty generic until the final reel and the film drags when he isn't onscreen. Fan Mei-sheng is doubled at least half of the time and Siu-ming is just obnoxious. My initial disappointment over seeing Eddy Ko, who is better known for his swordplay roles, play the lead villain opposite a kung fu star of Hwang's stature slipped away as the film progressed and he proved to be a competent and intimidating fighter. His staff handling was impressive and I tip my hat to anyone who is willing to take the brunt of even mock kicks from Hwang, a real-life brawler rumored to have once killed a man with a single kick to the head. This is definitely one of Ko's better action roles.

The production is low-grade, but acceptable with suitable, yet unremarkable settings and costumes. As is the norm with these independent Hong Kong flicks, the soundtrack is lifted from several sources, thankfully decent ones and they are put to good use. Viewers will hear "A Silhouette of Doom" by Ennio Morricone, also heard on the soundtrack for Kill Bill: Vol. 2. There is also a mix of classical riffs and movie soundtracks, one of them sounding like less-familiar bits from StarTrek: The Motion Picture.

With Hwang Jang-lee in charge and in the lead, Hit Man in the Hand of Buddha (for once a very appropriate English title) is a must-see for genre fans, but could have been better. Hwang certainly makes portions of the film worthwhile, but the rest is weighed down by genre fluff and weak attempts to capitalize on trends of the day. It's fascinating to see him as a good guy, but in the attempt he loses some of his charisma and distinctiveness. But he gets it back in spades by the end and what a spectacular end it is.

Hwang Jan Lee plays Wong who comes from the country to live with his sister and brother in law. Unfortunately he steps right into the middle of a feud between rival rice companies (one of which his brother in law works for). Plotwise this is pretty formulaic with the hero being beaten by the villain and then, driven by a need for revenge, trains to become strong enough to triumph.

Things turn nasty when the owner of the rival company hires a killer to deal with Wong. This provides the film with one of its best fight sequences as Tino Wong uses his snake fist in a fight that takes place in a restaurant. This fight relies more on acrobatics and intricate fist choreography than it does on kicking techniques and shows a different side to Hwang Jan Lee's capabilities.

Even though Wong beats the hired killer he is forced to flee when Tino Wong's senior Uncle 33 (Eddie Ko), so called because he has killed 33 men, makes an appearance. Wong then spends several months a Shaolin Temple (this is the flat patch I was talking about) perfecting his kung fu before returning to face his enemies again.

The film opens with a stunning scene where Hwang Jan Lee fights off numerous attackers with a beautiful display of kicking that is truly breathtaking. While none of the other fight sequences manage to quite hit the high mark set by this opener, they are all impressive and very nearly take the film into the realms of classic.