A year before Liu Chia Hui's name would be forever linked with his portrayal of San Te in Liu Chia Liang's masterpiece '36th Chamber Of Shaolin', he starred in this enjoyable independent kung fu comedy. The first thing that fans will notice is his thick mop of black hair; it's still unusual to see considering how many times he played a monk or priest. The film also features an intriguing, pre-'Dirty Ho' teaming of Liu Chia Hui and Yung Wang Yu and utilizes the same interplay that the two actors enjoyed, albeit slightly rougher around the edges. The main strength of 'He Has Nothing But Kung Fu' is this partnership and its central placing in the narrative, though this does mean that other plot elements are less interesting as a result. Thankfully, director Liu Chia Yung keeps the film's pace moving along fairly briskly and, although there are the usual comic sequences, he doesn't let things get too bogged down in the way a lesser director would have done.

The major disappointment, though, is some surprisingly lackluster fight action. Considering that the choreography was orchestrated by the Liu brothers, the actual confrontations prove a little too mundane by their illustrious standards. 'He Has Nothing But Kung Fu' doesn't feature any stand-out moments that are likely to be remembered beyond an initial viewing; it is, quite simply, a watchable diversion that doesn't rank as one of the great independent kung fu films (as Ric Meyers claims on the cover) - in my opinion. Liu Chia Yung's 'Odd Couple' and 'Fists And Guts' are far stronger examples of a successful fusion between action and comedy. Nonetheless, this provides solid viewing for fans while the veterans will no doubt enjoy spotting the endless array of familiar faces in the background (including Chien Yuet San, Lam Ching Ying and Karl Maka).

The brothers managed to produce a fast moving, action packed kung fu showcase and although production values may not be as high as a Shaw's film, it more than makes up for it with the fighting.

Gordon Liu plays Hoi, the son of a general who loses his memory after an attempt on his life. Down on his luck conman Wong Yue takes care of him but also sees an opportunity to make some money when he realises the extent of Hoi's kung fu skill. However the conman's actions soon attract the attention of the local triad, run by Wang who on the surface appears to be a respected businessman. Hoi and his new found friend are forced to become fugitives. Matters become complicated when Hoi's father, the general, arrives in town to find his son and employs the help of Wang's men, the very people who are trying to kill Hoi.

Another excellent performance from Gordon Liu in a role that makes a nice change from the usual shaolin monk character with which he is always typecast. Wong Yue provides the comic light relief and while he's not as capable as his co-star he still gets some good scenes. One example is where he demonstrates his pick pocketing style to Gordon Liu. The moves in this scene, extremely intricate, are typical of Liu Chia Liang's style and demonstrate the Pop's skill and originality in choreographing a fight sequence.

The fight choreography throughout is excellent and is certainly up to the standard of any Shaw's movie. Gordon Liu faces a number of competent adversaries such as Wilson Tong, in the film's first proper fight, a knife wielding Lee Hoi San and, best of all, Liu Chia Yung in a real showstopper. And this is all before the excellent finale.

In this film, Chia-yung's first as a director, he packs in a ton of the best choreography you're likely to see. There is really not a bad thing that can be said about this completely incredible film. Liu Chia-hui plays a young hero who is attacked by some thugs and loses his memory of everything but one thing -- his ability to righteously kick some ass, kungfu style.

He teams up with a petty thief (Young Wang Yu, not to be confused with old Wang Yu, as in Jimmy Wang Yu) who plans on exploiting his amnesiac friend's kungfu prowess to make a quick buck.

Along the way, of course, pieces of the puzzle present themselves, and before the end credits, Liu Chia-hui is showing us why we loved him, and Young Wang Yu has become a reluctant hero himself. Stunning kungfu fights, great pacing, a good story, top notch production -- hell, what more could you want but to be able to make this kind of film yourself? A classic of the genre!