SYNOPSIS:
Dirty Head Siu's father is buried at the site where, according to a pockmarked-faced Taoist, the direct descendant of the buried dead will become King. Furiously jealous, Siu's master, Chen Yu Ling orders Siu killed and the dirty-haired peasant goes into hiding at a shoalin temple. Siu eventually leaves the temple and is joined by three fellow rebels to the Yan dynasty. After finally defeating Chen, Siu fails to save a rebel leader from an assassin and must take his place, which leads to Siu being crowned the first Ming Emperor.
REVIEW:
This average kung fu yarn gets a boost from starring roles filled by great genre talents, Sammo Hung and Carter Wong. The latter plays the straight villain who is out to kill Hung.
While the credits fail to list a fight choreographer, its safe to say Hung had plenty of influence on set. Although capable of better martial arts choreography, Hung shoots more for laughs, sidelining slick fighting that has appeared in some of his other films of the era.
The silly premise of a lowly peasant whose ever-dirty hair somehow imbues him with kung fu power is not a very appealing trait for a hero. On the other hand, Hung made a name for himself playing odd characters who were often underestimated from a beggar in "Knockabout" to an overweight, wannabe Bruce Lee in "Enter the Fat Dragon." In fact, it is Hung's acknowledgement of his own less-than-leading-man qualities and his ability to overcome it that makes this film work. Hung is just out to have a good time and he can still kick butt anyway. There are also a number of humorous slaps taken at kung fu conventions that genre fans will appreciate.
Average kung fu, a meandering plot that grows weaker as the film progresses and low production values hurt an otherwise decent film. Watching Hung and Wong spar is a treat, but for the most part, only avid fans of Sammo Hung should have any real interest in "Filthy Guy." |
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