| Korean superkicker of Drunken Master and Snake In The Eagle's Shadow fame, Hwang Jang-Lee knew he wasn't going to be able to escape his villainous screen persona working for others so with his own production company and himself in the directing chair, Hitman In The Hand Of Buddha became one of the rare ventures where he was the hero of the piece. Still a fairly tough sell in actuality but Hwang still knew a thing or two about the selling points of martial arts cinema of the time. Personal vendetta, comedy (with the main inclusion being a Beggar So-esque character essayed by Fan Mei-Sheng from The Magnificent Butcher. A role he inherited from the iconic Simon Yuen who passed away during the production of that film), uneventful middle section and some good ol' Shaolin Temple training makes for a typical template. Hwang Jang-Lee also knew why he was a selling point so the repertoire is firmly on display, starting with the trademark kicking showcase. But the package is a detailed combo of everything from props fighting involving benches and chopsticks to pole work and eagle's claw, all well supervised by action directors Corey Yuen and Mang Hoi. Co-starring Eddy Ko, Tino Wong and To Siu-Ming. |
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