Review: Chang Cheh may be the godfather of kung fu movies, but he can also turn out a decent contemporary drama, at least when the themes are familiar, his favorite stars are accounted for, and a portion of his stylishly-violent action remains. In The Generation Gap, he swaps guzhengs (table harps) for guitars and superhuman swordplay for streetwise karate. It's a well-acted and finely-constructed tale of youthful rebellion that translates well into any language, but viewers may still wrangle over the hippy folk music and limited action in the first half.

The Generation Gap is much like The Delinquent, another Chang Cheh-directed drama released the same year. David Chiang is driven to ruin by pent-up aggression, a woman, and constricting social standards. Branded an outcast, yet gifted at fighting, he reluctantly turns to crime only to discover too late that there is no place to go once he starts down this destructive path. Most of Chang's films in the first half of his directing career employed youthful rebellion against the establishment and it almost always ends in bloodshed. In the latter half of his career, he simply removed the social context and stuck with bloodshed. The Generation Gap is one of his most socially-aware films that also falls near the end of his dabbling with such elements.

The film can be divided into halves with the first portion dealing with a typical '70s-era, counterculture romance. Ling Xi (David Chiang) is a slacker rebel with a cause, his 15 or 16-year old girlfriend Cindy (Agnes Chan), but that presents a problem since he's 21 and disliked by Cindy's conservative father. Against the wishes of both parents and their better judgment, the two decide to move in together while maintaining a platonic relationship. Although his father is a rich business owner, Xi happily finds work as a mechanic while Cindy sings at a local club. All's well until rumors start flying around that Xi is a "Teddy Boy," or mooch living off the wage's of his live-in and underage girlfriend. Xi's more responsible brother (Ti Lung) returns home and promptly returns Cindy to her parents which results in a tussle among siblings. From here on it becomes more familiar territory for Chang Cheh fans as Xi is ostracized by everyone and becomes a powder keg waiting to blow. Enter Kong Do, leader of a petty gang who offers him the opportunity to vent his anger. But things soon get out of hand when Kong steals a police revolver. When Xi tries to get out, it's too late.

Right off the bat, what will likely be most striking is the film's music performed by Chiang's co-star Agnes Chan. She sings through about four songs in English. They each sound like they came right out of an amateur folk festival which is very unusual to hear in a Shaw Brothers movie. I found the songs all rather quaint the first time through, but I doubt I'd care to hear them again. Interestingly, Agnes relocated to Japan shortly after this film to pursue a hugely successful singing career, become a UNICEF committee head, and even earn a Stanford PhD. But a great actress she is not. At one point in the film she starts into an unintentionally hilarious tantrum. Agnes is also not a very good screen pairing for Chiang, but most of the focus remains on him, especially in the second half, so it's not a big problem. Watch for the goofball dancing by extras that accompanies her club performances. Better yet, don't.

Considering the multiple song numbers performed, the counterculture themes, and the karate action, I can only best describe this film as a Hong Kong version of Billy Jack (1971), the once-popular indie film from Tom Laughlin that possesses all these elements in roughly the same amounts. But what action is available in Chang's film is undisputedly superior with Tong Gaai and Lau Kar-leung choreographing. There is little fighting early on apart from Chiang's random run-in with thugs led by Fung Hak-on. Chang slowly cranks up the action 40 or 50 minutes in as Chiang takes on Ti, inanimate objects in a club rampage, and eventually the gangbangers he hooks up with. The style of martial arts is karate, which I would argue Chang specifically used instead of kung fu to show Xi's further break from Chinese tradition. But this loose, karate-style street fighting is common in most of Chang's contemporary films. David Chiang is in good form as he puts opponents into leg locks and belts thugs with wild abandon. The finale is memorable and takes place on and around what looks like a ferry or loading dock. Chang's closing shot is spectacular and really brings the film's theme home.

The Generation Gap is not your typical Chang Cheh film, but should not be overlooked. Chiang's action and dramatic performance is very good and his screen chemistry with Lo Dik, who plays his passively-distraught father is quite convincing. Unfortunately, Fu Sheng makes little more than a cameo and Ti Lung's bespectacled presence as Chiang's brother is brief. Like most of Hollywood's counterculture films, this Hong Kong variation hasn't aged too well aesthetically, yet as a story about a 'generation gap' it holds together and remains tense and engaging.

Generation Gap is definitely a change-of-pace for a Chang Cheh title. Don't expect lots of brawls and blood, because you'll be disappointed. It's more of a drama, which shouldn't come to anyone's surprise considering the film's title (but then again, IVL's box-art seems to market it as a martial arts movie). However, don't let this scare you away from having a good time. It has a fair amount of violence for the harder-nosed viewers. If anything, fans of Chang Cheh's lighter action movies - like Delinquent - should be happy.

The more I see David Chiang perform, the more I think he was the prime candidate for the Tony Leung Chiu-Wai (Chungking Express) of his time. To better say it, Tony Leung Chiu-Wai is the David Chiang of today. In fact, they bare an odd resemblance, both in appearance and mannerisms. Ti Lung, who's just as charismatic, also appears, but only in an extended cameo.

One thing's for sure: Generation Gap is bell-bottom fury at its finest. In fact, this movie feels more like the 70's than the 70's itself. The songs that play in the movie - which are performed by the film's costar (real-life singing sensation, Agnes Chan) - will make any AM Gold hit seem timeless. The wardrobe, props and film sets are colorful, tacky and wickedly surreal. If you're a fan of retro culture in any type of films, then Generation Gap is your visual bible.