Viewer Comments:Operation Scorpio
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This is another one of these films I saw in the early 90's that I was amazed by.
What can I say about this film that others haven't?
It's has muscle men fighting martial arts and a guy learning kung fu by cooking and another guy who fights using a scorpion style (yes, I know it sounds crazy but this is fu, and if there's one thing HK cinema can do, it's make something that sounds crazy amazing).
This film is all about the villain of the piece (the scorpion of the title ). He has the most amazing kicking style I've ever seen on film.
You can only describe him as half man, half amazing.
This is a must-have for fu lovers.
| What's that you say? You like seeing people kicked in the head but you don't own this movie? Sounds like a problem. I'd get on that. It's hard to say something about this flick that hasn't been said before so I'll do my best not to get too cliche or generic. For me this is more of a root for the bad guy kind of flick. Don't get me wrong I love Lau Kar Leung and he was good in it but no matter how much I tried I just didn't like the hero character. He was kind of sad and almost as big a tool as Mike Lee. Kim Won Jin as the bad guy's son steals the damn show with his funky scorpion style and a kicking arsenal that puts almost everyone you have ever seen to shame. I got to level with you I kick like the devil but when I watch Kim Won Jin do his thing it makes me feel like I need to carry my ass back to gym and try a lot harder because that man stands on top of the kicking food chain and we are all gonna need better goodies to keep up. This movie is just plain fun and full of good reasons to enjoy despite minor cheese deposits. I probably would have gave it a slightly higher rating but like I said the main character was kind of a chump. Get it for the bad guy. Collection Status: Mandatory. |
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-Kung Fu Classic Viewer (see my profile)
Novel scorpion style and fantastic kicking. However, too much of the film is wasted on boring comedy and amateurish acting. Good 10-minute fight sequence at the end.
Re-watchability: annually.
Collection: Toss out.
A very enjoyable martial arts comedy. Excellent fight choreogrphy, skilled actors, very good stunts, a great story... The wirework was jerky at two points, but who cares, the film made up for that.
-EG1009 (see my profile)
http://www.evolutionarygrafix.com
It's just me, but I didn't find anything interesting about this movie.
Okay maybe, just maybe, Scorpion Style isn't the most effective martial art ever. It is probably one of the most fun though.
The plot offers tweaks on the themes of "no good deed goes unpunished" and "young pupil seeks master\training."
Kim Won Jin is a blast to watch (even with his "period" hair style). Lau Kar Leung, as always, is fantastic as well. As the callow youth, Chin Kar Lok, does a good job.
Overall it's a stylized, over-the-top, and all-around fun flick!
A perfect blend of mind blowing martial arts choreography, drama and comedy. Totally underrated. This is the kind of movie that Jackie Chan wishes he could make.
-Johnnie Freeze (see my profile)
Real funny movie. The last time I saw it was ten years ago on television. It is good to have it now in better quality than ten years back.
This was one first films I ordered based on the HK Flix staff recommendations, and I was not disappointed.
The scorpion style-fu used by the villian is hightly innovative and entertaining to watch. Get this one if you want to see something different from the usual punches and spin kicks, as you likely won't see it anywhere else.
Great action from the master himself, Liu Chia Liang. A little use of wire, but still based on real kung fu. The lead villain/Scorpion King steals the show!! Kinda of a dark storyline but the humor does help lighten things up a bit.
An amazing of action and comedy with wonderful and light-hearted storytelling and character development, emotionally captivating performances, and incredible martial arts choreography and execution! Operation Scorpio is truly a film that will definitely get you cheering for the good guy!
-The 8th Sword (see my profile)
http://sourceofthefist.freehostia.com/wordpress/
| Life is unfair! Why, easy! In a fair world, Kim Won Jin would have been a household name around the world by now, starring in movies with Jet Li, Jackie Chan and in movies like Crouching Tiger and The Matrix and Star Wars. In a perfect world, this guy would have been a millionaire, a legend, an idol...
Why!? Just watch him in this movie! After sending in a demo-tape showcasing his amazing abilities, he was asked to appear in this movie and what an appearance it is! Without this guy, this movie would have been BAD! It's just another lackluster kung story about a young guy, played by Chin Kar Lok, who wants to learn Kung Fu to protect those who can't protect themselves from evil.Nothing original there, just the typical boy-hood fantasy; become strong to defeat the bullies and make the world a happy happy joy joy place. Too bad for Chin Kar Lok then, but I was rooting for the bad guy in this one. The kicking and athletic stuff Kim Won Jin shows here is simply incredible. This guy kicks like he's in a computer game or something and jumps all over the place. Sure, some of it is wire-assisted, but a lot of it ISN'T! Forget about Ken Lo in Drunken Master 2 and forget about Whang Jan Lee; This is the new 'Boot-master!'. It has to be seen to believe. This movie shows why a talented guy like Chin kar Lok is totally unsuitable to play a leading man. He lacks the screen-presence, the comedy, the charisma, the 'WHOOMP-THERE IT IS!' other stars like Jackie Chan, Jet Li and Sammo DO have. I think his brother, Chin Siu Ho would have made a better leading man in this movie (considering his acting ability and charisma he showcased in Fist of Legend among some other movies). The supporting cast is also a mixed bag. The girl is non-impressive, the bodybuilder IS impressive, because although he's amazingly muscular, he comes across as a confident, smart and bright guy. Lau Kar Leung plays his usual sifu-role with no surprises anywhere, although the fight he has at the end is pretty good against multiple assailants using a 3-sectional staff and a normal staff(especially considering his age; over 50 years old I guess). The story, as I said before, is quite poor and you also shouldn't expect any great cinematography. It's pretty old-fashioned in style actually which is a shame because although Kim Won Jin is extremely talented and it certainly shines through big-time in this movie, the fight scenes could have been even better with some better camera-work. Another downpoint to the fight-scenes is that none of his opponents really look powerful, not even the lead Chin Kar Lok. In Fact, CKL looks like a wimp all the way through this movie, right till the ridiculous ending where he uses some weird crawling Eel-Fu (...yeah... the fish(!)...) to try and defeat Sunny. I like Chin Kar Lok and have a huge respect for the guy and all the stuff he has done, action and stunt-wise, but he doesn't make a good leading man. So what we have here is a mediocre kung fu movie brightened up by the amazing kicking talents of Kim Won Jin. It's a shame about the lack of charisma from the leading man, and a lackluster story, supporting cast and old fashioned cinematography, but it's still enjoyable stuff nonetheless. Could have been much better though and 'Sunny' should have been a major star by now. |
http://www.cityonfire.com
| It starts out badly, indeed, with Kar Lok daydreaming about being able to beat up some guy and rescue a girl. It's all wire assisted BS, but still some of the stuff is ok because they looked as though for some of the stuff they just lifted Kar Lok way up in the air and just dropped him. Short and nothing worthwhile though. But in the next scene we're introduced to Kim Won Jun, the Korean martial artist who was only in 3 movies and is probably the BEST kicker I've EVER seen. Yes that covers Ken Lo, Billy Chow, the guy from The Red Wolf, Yuen Biao, Ngai Sing, Donnie Yen, Hwang Jang Lee, and Ron Smoorenburg... (need a little humor). He starts it off with an awesome double turn kick, and keeps kicking, and that's about it really, I don't think he uses his hands at all. His opponents here are unworthy, so it's his show. Yea there's some wirework, but so what, Won Jun kicks so well it hardly matters. Plus he goes into a scorpion stance, on the ground, and moves around so quickly on his hands and leg (the other leg is in the air, amazing), and I couldn't see wires here. And for the hell of it, he runs at the guy and just does a gaynor (backflip while moving forward) before doing a jump kick. Other things like a frontflip straight into a backbend (never seen it done before), a GIGANTIC flip off a wall, and a reverse jumping roundhouse that gets his butt a good 5 and a half feet in the air make this memorable. Oh the choreography is ok, but there isn't much, it's just his ability that you need to pay attention to here. |
Although this film doesn't really take off action-wise until the end, I'd recommend it for people who want more of the same but a little different. There's enough here to keep action fans happy, but the setting and story are different enough to keep the more jaded viewers from writing it off as just another kung fu flick. Chin Kar-Lok has a very small hand in the action, but that's made up for by the fact that the villain is one of the coolest I've ever seen. Very charming and enjoyable movie.
-MilesC
An old fashioned chop-socky. Unfortunately the film suffers a bit from a weak lead character, but delivers more than it's share of stand out fight scenes. Not since The Five Deadly Venoms has the scorpion stance looked so good!
-hellboy
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