To escape danger Yung Chung leaves the royal court and tries to blend in with the common people. Of course he's not too successful and his slightly arrogant nature brings him into trouble with town guards who, after a fantastic battle in a restaurant, throw him into jail. Only when Yung Chung produces his royal seal is he freed but of course his whereabouts then become known and he soon has to evade capture from his brother's men.

While in the outside world he gets help from a couple of street performers, one memorably played by Tan Tao Liang, and a beggar he meets in the town jail. When the emperor finally dies Yung Chung, with his entourage, heads back to the royal court and makes his claim for the thrown.

I've only seen a few of Ti Lung's martial arts films and those that I have seen, such as'Blood Brothers', 'New One Armed Swordsman' and 'Shanghai 13', didn't really require him to do anything special (although those are all excellent films). It surprised me therefore to see just how well Ti Lung could move. I was expecting to see obvious body doubles for the more intricate sequences but no, he displayed far greater athletic ability than I had previously gave him credit for.

Tan Tao Liang is also a welcome addition to the cast but is rather sidelined. He does still get chance to show off his amazing kicks but centre stage is definitely reserved for Ti Lung.

The choreography throughout the film is very good and is complemented by extravagant sets and costumes. The plot mixes intrigue and conspiracy to good effect and is certainly engaging enough for a kung fu film. While probably not a classic movie, its still worth checking out.

Two unidentified men break into the Throne Room of the Emperor. They scale the ceiling and bypass booby traps in their frenzied search, which is cut short by the arrival of the Royal Guards. The two Ninjas engage the guards in mortal combat and even though their skills are great, the two Ninjas cannot overcome the sheer number of guards. One of them is slashed on his right arm, and the other grabs his comrade and they flee from the palace. The head guard reports to Advisor Long (Chen Sing) that the two men escaped but not before wounding one of them. Advisor Long, the Emperor’s right-hand man, orders the guards to interrogate everyone in the castle. Inside a hidden chamber deep within the palace, the two men disrobe revealing their true identities: the Abbot of the Shaolin Temple and Chuen Yun Chin (Ti Lung), the fourth son of the Emperor. The situation is that the sickly Emperor has 14 heirs, and favors his last son above all the others. The Emperor does not realize that the 14th Prince is evil, and this situation brings distrust and jealousy among all the brothers. Chuen Yun Chin is the only true man of peace in the family, and the Abbot has trained him well in the ways of leadership and Kung Fu. Their mission is to find a way to alter the Emperor’s Will, which is under heavy guard. To help cast off suspicion, Chuen Yun Chin must use deception. Specifically, he must appear like a clumsy oaf around the castle so none of his brothers realize that he knows Kung Fu. Soon after the botched attempt at breaking into the Throne Room, the Eighth Prince is assassinated by loyal followers or Advisor Long. The Abbot suggests that Chuen Yun Chin leave the castle to avoid discovery.

He travels to a nearby village and meets two brothers Gan (Bruce Lai) and Bei (Tan Tao Liang). These three men quickly form a bond of respect when the local constables corner them inside a restaurant and force them to explain the situation. Rather than give away his identity, Chuen Yun Chin resorts to self-defense which prompts the lead constable to call in for more back-up. An old man in the restaurant recognizes the Fourth Prince and throws himself in front of a knife meant for Chuen Yun Chin. The old man’s daughter (Shih Szu) witnesses her fathers final moments. The old man’s sacrifice is in vain, however, as the constables take him down and throw him into prison. Inside his cell, Chuen Yun Chin befriends two eccentric prisoners. Gan and Bei discovers that their new-found ally is indeed the Fourth Prince. This revelation is taken to the constable’s attention who release him from the jail cell. Chuen Yun Chin grants the two prisoners freedom and they join his ‘entourage’. Soon as they are back on the streets, General Lai arrives with the Emperor’s troops insisting the Fourth Prince return with them to the palace. Chuen Yun Chin refuses and a massive brawl breaks out between the General’s men and the followers of the Fourth Prince. Despite all his Kung Fu skills, Chuen Yun Chin is mortally wounded and tries to slip away. The daughter of the old man saves him by hiding him in her meager lodgings and tends to his wound. When he is finally back on his feet, the Fourth Prince receives a message from the Abbot stating that the Emperor is on his deathbed and that they must return to the castle and make their move before the Will is read. Chuen Yun Chin, Gan, Bei, and the daughter join up with the Abbot (and the top ranked monks) to discuss the plan to get them inside the Royal Palace. They must get by the guards, find the Will, rewrite it, and escape undetected. But the 14th Prince and Adviser Long are fully aware of their plans, and put countermeasures into place to prevent this important event from occurring.

KUNG FU EMPEROR suffers from a schizophrenic narrative courtesy of the writers I Kuang and China Shu Mei. Although our plot description above does not imply it, the first hour of KUNG FU EMPEROR is loaded with forced humor. Anyone who follows the work of I. Kuang (screenwriter for the Venom films) knows that he is great in crafting drama and intrigue into his works, but not so talented with the humor. It’s apparent that China Shu Mei wrote the first half, and I Kuang wrote the second half; which explains the light tone in the beginning and the dead serious tone in the second half. Even the fighting style changes—fights are playfully Jackie Chan-ish at first, but by the last act things evolve into a Chang Cheh-style carnage. Speaking of the Godfather of Kung Fu, director Pao Hsieh Li is a protégé of his harking back to the likes of THE WATER MARGIN (1976) where Li acted as assistant director. The Chang Cheh influence is clear in Pao Hsieh Li’s best films including BLOODED TREASURY FIGHT (1979), THE EIGHT ESCORTS (1980), and THE REVENGER (1980). China Shu Mei’s part of the movie is also full of plot holes and unexplained events.which are never followed up. The part written by I Kuang is tight in suspense, dialog, and delivery of action. Initially the fight choreography is rather restrained (such as the scenes of Ti Lung clad in black mask fighting the guards), but really picks up in intensity during the climax. When one sees Chen Sing listed in a movie, it’s no secret that he will be one of the baddies involved in the final fight. The Ti Lung Vs. Chen Sing confrontation is a winner. With all the other action going on around them as they duel (including Tan Tao Liang, Bruce Lai. etc.) it makes for a simulated Shaw Brothers battle. Ti Lung’s acting is excellent as usual and it’s great to see him have fun in the lighter moments, such as having to convince his brothers that he’s a complete failure in the martial arts. Tan Tao Liang gives a good performance as well. Shi Szu performs well with her token roll, yet sadly she does not contribute to the action scenes.

SIGHT
Any movie from 1981 suffers from discoloration, blemishes, grain, etc, and KUNG FU EMPEROR is no exception. The source element used for this DVD is a full frame Ocean Shores video master, which has surely seen better days. That being said, this is one of Tai Seng’s better DVD authoring jobs and the inconsistencies can be attributed to the pan n’ scan process. KUNG FU EMPEROR is a movie with high production values and superior costume and set designs. Much of this is lost in the full frame presentation, but thankfully whoever panned and scanned this captured all the Kung Fu action in the center of the frame. KUNG FU EMPEROR was filmed in mostly artificially lighted soundstages, and as a result the movie has a unnatural look to match its tone. There are times when the colors come bursting through, giving us a quick glimpse at the sumptuous visuals KUNG FU EMPEROR has to offer (this would be killer in widescreen). The detail level is hampered by the picture quality, but damn the fight scenes look good, and I’m sure that’s what Kung Fu fans are most concerned with. Film grain is a huge problem, especially in the interior sets.

SOUND
The sound on Tai Seng’s disc is Dolby Digital Mono 2.0. The frequency levels exhibit a broad range of highs and lows, and the sound is crisp and clear. There is no hiss, background noise, or other audio anomalies evident in the soundtrack. KUNG FU EMPEROR is mainly dialog driven with the expected martial arts sound effects (such as kicks, strikes, moans, groans, etc.). The English dialog is clear yet has retained an almost ‘studio’ quality to it. The musical score in KUNG FU EMPEROR is a really strange combination. The first half sounds like synthesizer compositions ala Tangerine Dream, while the second half is of the authentic period variety. The sound elements blend together equally for an overall pleasing acoustic experience that VHS tape cannot match.

FEATURES
The DVD also includes audio commentary with author Ric Meyers and Bobby Samuels. Meyers recites the history of Ti Lung, Chen Sing, and Tan Tao Liang. Meyers does not go into detail on director Pao Hsieh Li, screenwriter I Kuang, Shih Szu, Bruce Lai, or other supporting players. Often Meyers and Samuels go off into a complete tangent, not commenting on the major plot points. Bobby Samuels does get into the various styles of martial arts employed by the cast, and comments on whether a particular style is valid or just used for the movie. There are also English language trailers for these upcoming Tai Seng special edition DVDs (all trailers are widescreen with Dolby Digital Mono sound):