Eventually the young fighter feels he is good enough to face the tyrants and agrees to fight them in an open battle, but due to the poor health of his mother he is forced to miss the fight and when the evil masters find him at home he is again humiliated in front of his mother. This only motivates the young fighter further and as his mother's condition improves he readies himself for a final showdown with his viscous opponents.

Featuring Japanese star Yasuaki Kurata, the fight scenes are superb, culminating in a bloody finale which is sure to please kung fu fans.

A lot of people have called this film a classic, but it didn't really flip my switch. Maybe it was due to the poor dubbing in the version I watched, but I really didn't care at all for Meng Fei. He comes off as too whiny to be a hero, and frankly he's so scrawny, I didn't buy him as someone able to beat a lot of ass either.

But I will give credit where it's due -- the fights in here are very good for the most part, especially the finale, which leads to inventive and bloody ends for the villains. It's good stuff, but not that great as to forget the crud along the way. Prodigal Boxer is recommended for old school fans -- but don't hurt yourself running to the video store to get it.

REVIEW:
This is an extremely well-crafted film centering on the popular Chinese folk hero, Fong Sai Yuk. Unusually good acting, great cinematography, and plenty of quality action mark the "Prodigal Boxer" as a cut above many of the other early seventies kung fu films.

Much like the celebrated historical figure Wong Fei Hung, Fong Sai Yuk has been a popular historical figure in Hong Kong cinema. In the "Prodigal Boxer," the youthful actor, Meng Fei takes on the role with just as much gusto as Jet Li did in the 1993 film, "Fong Sai Yuk." Also prominent in the legend is Sai Yuk's mother who has trained her son in martial arts. Her role is toned down here but she is still a vital aspect to the story's development. Unlike the 1993 film, the story shuns humor to focus on Fong's fiery temper and desire for revenge. Meng who appeared in a number of films with co-star Maggie Lee is perfect for the role as he stomps around in frustration, while his leading lady exhibits a delicate yet determined manner. Shockingly, there is actually some genuine onscreen chemistry between the two as the director takes an usual and welcome turn at several places throughout the film to develop their relationship. You actually start to care about these characters which is a phenomenal feature to this film.

Japanese sensation, Yasuaki Kurota is in top form as the lead villain although for once he isn't cast as being "Japanese." His partner in crime, Wang Ching who plays his brother doesn't hold a candle to Kurota in the charisma department. Thankfully, the filmmakers give Kurita and his famous steely stare plenty of screen time. The film centers around Fong's several encounters with the two brothers. In a reverse on the "Rocky" theme, Fong is beat into a bloody pulp twice before he finally learns patience enough to prepare for a rematch where its the brothers' turn to bleed. There are some compelling issues involved. Most prominent is Fong's desire to kill his opponents when in fact, its his own impatience that bests him. His growing love for Siu Ping is pushed aside for revenge but ultimately, its his devotion to his mother that tempers his wild spirit, allowing him to finally confront his adversaries on his own terms.

This film is unusual in other respects, including production values. Chow Yung Sin's camera work is impressively executed with extra effort taken to enhance the film's look. Three-way split screens, a slightly surreal dream sequence, and clever angles scattered throughout add a fresh touch of originality. The whole film is well lit, enhancing the details (classic kung fu movies are notorious for having poor lighting). The sets are not exactly memorable but easily match the quality of any of the Shaw Brothers' sets.

What really earns "Prodigal Boxer" so many points isn't the fact that its about Fong Sai Yuk, or that it contains some excellent fights, or even its production values. At its core, the film has a heart. Fong Sai Yuk is a classic model of the ideal Chinese male who passionately fights to uphold the honor of his family and without their support, he will fail every time. Even with an awkward ending of poorly executed flashbacks, "Prodigal Boxer" is a near flawless effort and is highly recommended...

Mang Fei plays Fong Sai Yuk, an idealistic young Chinese kung fu prodigy who makes a habit of defending people who have been wronged. The film starts out with a cricket fight--no, not cricket the sport, cricket the insect--which Fong Sai Yuk's cricket wins. His opponents are quick to object, claiming that FSY's cricket...cheated? Yeah. Anyway, a fight breaks out and FSY accidentally kills one of the men, a member of a rival martial arts school. FSY's father is soon murdered for revenge, and thus begins the story: FSY must defeat the rival school masters to avenge his father's death. Only problem? He's not good enough.

From here, the film follows a formula similar to "Fist Of The White Lotus", where FSY trains, gets impatient, tries to fight his enemy, and gets his butt kicked several times. It sounds like a pretty standard revenge flick, but where this film loses us is in the martial arts execution. Others may enjoy Mang Fei as a serious martial arts actor, but we find him to be severly lacking talent and style in both his fighting and his acting. His fights with his mother during training, in particular, are laughable. The two of them both cannot fight, but mother (well-played by Lee Lam Lam) fights like a drunken 300-pound man in an American movie bar room brawl--every punch she throws looks as if her fist were made of lead and she couldn't stop it from lunging forward and dragging her body behind it. Mang Fei is slow to act and slow to react, and thus his "improvement" during his grueling training is unbelievable and silly.

Of course, one of the great points about this film is Yasuaki Kurata, the Japanese actor and martial artist who has played "The Bad Japanese Guy" in countless Chinese films from the '70s up through the '90s. While he plays a Chinese in this film, he still gets to be "The Bad Guy", and he still gets to unintentionally show up every other fighter in the film. It seems an unwise choice to have Mang Fei fight against Kurata, as there couldn't be a better comparison of weak and strong martial arts skills. But even Kurata--whose talents shone so brightly in films like "The Rage Of Wind" in fights against Chan Sing--is slowed down by the deficient Mang Fei in this film. Nonetheless, Kurata's kicks are a joy to watch here, as is his signature "Bad Guy" character. He knows just the right combination of menacing glares, mocking grins, and condescending smiles to pull this character off.

Now, the film itself, independent of any one actor or fight scene, is quite interesting to watch. The director, Chai Ying Min--from whom we've never since heard--obviously took an active interest in the film's look and style. His camera moves and effects are at times a bit distracting, but it is refreshing to see a director who wasn't satisfied just doing things by the book, especially given the formulaic material. Many other classic martial arts film directors are endlessly heralded as geniuses--and we concede that they were--but those directors often left things up to their actors and stunt coordinators. Surely, when you've got Gordon Liu in your relatively high budget movie with great fight choreography, you're going to and up with a good film no matter what you do. This director, however, didn't have all that much going for him in terms of on-screen talent; and so we commend him for expressing himself so creatively through his camera moves, scene transitions, and shot compositions. Take a look, this was truly a fresh approach to making a martial arts film during this period.

In conclusion, we give this film due credit for Kurata's performance and for director Chai Ying Min's creativity and care for his creation. The story was formulaic but otherwise enjoyable, and it's always interesting to see someone else's take on the legend of Fong Sai Yuk (and his relationship with his mother). The film's real weak points, unfortunately, are its two lead actors' martial arts abilities. Mang Fei seems to have been a pretty popular fighter in his day, having made more than a few films as the lead protagonist, but exactly what his appeal is or was eludes us. His "boyish charm" isn't charming, just boyish--as is his fighting style. Lee Lam Lam gave an excellent performance as FSY's mother, though the filmmakers should have opted not to show her training with FSY. Her fighting skills make Mang Fei look like Kurata. Another thing we should note is that she is the same actress who played the blackmail-sex-for-hire girl in "Young Tiger", though she looked absolutely transsexual in that film and quite attractive in this one. Amazing what a little makeup can do... So, see this film for its direction, for Kurata, and for Lee Lam Lam's emotive acting; but be prepared for plenty of Mang Fei's whininess and sloppy fighting.

KUNG FU: THE PUNCH OF DEATH opens with young martial arts student Fong Sai Yuk, who enters his trained insect in a cricket fighting competition. He is joined by fellow students from his parent’s Kung Fu school. The other clan (who have money on the fights) in attendance are not happy that their cricket is losing to the young kid’s cricket. Tempers flare and a fight breaks out between the Kung Fu students and the gamblers. In the struggle, Fong Sai Yuk accidentally injures an opponent, who is the son of Mr. Mei (his father’s sworn enemy). The students fight off their aggressors and return to their school, where Fong Sai Yuk’s mother (Lee Lam Lam) continues their training. She chastises her son, because he gets into fights too easily. Meanwhile, Mr. Mei’s son dies from injuries sustained in the fracas, and he enlists the aide of two champion fighters (who also happen to be brothers) to get back at Fong Sai Yuk. The intelligent brother Iron Hand Tan (Yasuaki Kurata) and his dumber sibling intrude into the school and begin to beat the students. The entire building erupts into violence, and Fong Sai Yuk’s father gets killed by Kurata. When his mother finally tells Fong Sai Yuk that his father is dead, the young boy swears revenge. But, she knows that he is not ready to challenge Kurata so she does not reveal the identity of the killers. Instead, she insists that he continue training and in a year’s time she will the names of the murderers. Then Fong Sai Yuk shall be fully trained and prepared to seek revenge.

When Fong Sai Yuk discovers that a lady has hung herself, he invites her grief stricken daughter, Su Pin, to move into his mother’s school. Kurata and his brother return to the school of Mr. Mei with news of the death of Fong Sai Yuk’s father. Mr. Mei demands that they bring him the body of Fong Sai Yuk. Fong Sai Yuk goes around beating up the older citizens, until they tell him the identities of his father killers. Then he goes to Mr. Mei’s school to face them. Iron Hand Tan is not there, so instead Fong Sai Yuk takes out his aggressions on some of the rival students. The battered students reveal that the brothers are at a restaurant. Fong Sai Yuk dashes over there and finds them selling stolen goods. Iron Hand Tan and his brother head outside to fight their angry opponent. Su Pin watches as Fong Sai Yuk gets his butt kicked, and runs to tell his mother. She rushes down to the river and saves him from getting beaten to death. She leads her son to a hideaway in the hills, where she and Su Pin tend to his wounds. Once he is up and around, Fong Sai Yuk undergoes rigorous training, including stuff that borders on torture (his mother is a harsh mistress).

Su Pin notices how hard Fong Sai Yuk’s training regimen is, and how it’s affecting him mentally. She convinces him to stop training and accompany her into town for some rest and relaxation. As Fong Sai Yuk enjoys a plate of Chinese cuisine, he notices a disturbance in the streets and leaves the restaurant to investigate (and promises Su Pin he won’t get involved). Mr. Mei’s students bully people in the streets, and Fong Sai Yuk breaks his promise—he brings the ruffians to their knees (literally) and forces them to take him to Mr. Mei’s entourage in the mountains. When he arrives he begins a protracted battle with Iron Hand Tan and his brother. After a long and commendable fight, Fong Sai Yuk once again falls to the combined martial arts experience of his opponents. They leave him for dead, but Su Pin reclaims his prone body and takes him back to his mother for more training. This time he is more determined than ever to take his time and master his mother’s teachings. Finally, one day while sparring furiously with his mother, he beats her. She reminds him that a year has passed since his father was killed, and believes he is ready for their retribution. Conveniently, Iron Hand Tan and his brother are hosting a birthday celebration for Mr. Mei. Fong Sai Yuk crashes the party and challenges Mr. Mei and the brothers to a three-on-one showdown. Thus begins Fong Sai Yuk’s mission of revenge...

In every movie ever made about the Fong Sai Yuk legend, the crux of the story is the relationship between young Fong Sai Yuk and his mother. Each film to explore this territory usually has a revenge motive in place when his mother teaches her son the skills (and wisdom) of their family legacy. In KUNG FU: THE PUNCH OF DEATH, it is the father who suffers an untimely demise at the hands of two renegade champions, hired by Mr. Mei. Two times young Fong Sai Yuk faces his father’s killers, and twice he is left beaten and bruised. Each time he willingly undergoes specialized training (spearheaded by his mother, of course) until a full year goes by. Fong Sai Yuk knows his mother is a phenomenal fighter, and when he finally defeats her, he realizes he is ready to settle the score. The mother/son relationship is fully explored, thanks to the chemistry between actress Lee Lam Lam and lead Meng Fei. Lee Lam Lam kicks total ass and is probably the best fighter in the film, at least until she loses to her son. But my only qualm with Lee Lam Lam in KUNG FU: THE PUNCH OF DEATH is that she appears so young and beautiful herself; it’s hard to imagine her as Meng Fei’s mother (she doesn’t look any older than thirty). On an interesting note, Fong Sai Yuk’s father (who owns the Kung Fu school) is depicted as a total pantywaist. This is something you don’t see too often in the genre—usually only a true Kung Fu master presides over his own school.

KUNG FU: THE PUNCH OF DEATH is an independent effort, yet it retains the epic scope and big budget look of a Shaw Brothers production. Many portions of the movie were filmed on studio soundstages (something the Shaw Brothers did consistently) while many other scenes take place in picturesque wide open spaces, similar to SEVEN BLOWS OF THE DRAGON. Another element that links KUNG FU: THE PUNCH OF DEATH to SEVEN BLOWS OF THE DRAGON is the reliance on a historical Chinese score. The music is mostly pick-driven but very appropriate for the film and adds a layer of authenticity to the proceedings. The fight scenes are masterfully choreographed by future HK director, Chia Liang Liu. In fact, Liu cameos as one of Mr. Mei’s goons who gets beat up by Fong Sai Yuk. Meng Fei is very young here in one of his earliest roles; he doesn’t look any older than eighteen. Despite his young age, he can actually act in addition to having top martial arts skills. The training scenes are rigorous, and Meng Fei endures lots of punishment for such a younger performer.

KUNG FU: THE PUNCH OF DEATH is also a fight showcase for the multi-talented Yasuaki Kurata. He is the man to beat in the film, and his cocky performance perfectly captures the essence of his character. Although his character Iron Hand Tan is a mainland China fighter, you can clearly see the Japanese forms that Kurata fights with (after all he is a genuine Karate champion). Kurata spent more time in the Hong Kong film industry than he ever did in his native Japan. Certainly, that’s their loss, because every picture he made in China benefited from his presence, even though he was usually typecast as a Japanese fighter or Ninja. In KUNG FU: THE PUNCH OF DEATH, Kurata faces off against Meng Fei, Lee Lam Lam, and others in some truly detailed combat sequences. Chia Liang Liu’s choreography is so intricate that there is almost no one-on-one confrontations-- there are always multiple fights going on at the same time with as much action in the background as there is in the foreground. The ending of KUNG FU: THE PUNCH OF DEATH will bring the house down—literally!