Tiger Over Wall (1980)

Thanks for the memories!

A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

Not often will you see a kung fu movie this well directed. Almost a perfect movie. This is the same director who made masterpieces for the Shaw Brothers like Secret Service of the Imperial Court and Bastard Swordsman. Though director TOny Liu has absolutely zero budget here, he doesn't let that stop him. He gets amazing performances from all of his actors. It is a dark movie. The cops are crooked, the heroes are poor, and bad things happen to all of them. The one flaw about this movie is that the story is about a missing dog. The cops want a retarded man to confess, but he doesn't know anything about the dog. I just don't see how I'm supposed to believe that all this fuss is over a dog. But if you can get past that, everything in this movie is perfect. The final fight is spectacular. The villain from Drunken Master, HWang Jang Lee, gives IMO his finest kicking performance in this movie. There's a raw energy in the final fight that will force any action/fight fan to watch in amazement. Just remember to breathe.

According to my Vengeance video case this story is based on actual events that took place in Shanghai 1919. And that is the key to this film. 90% of the film is a drama about several Chinese being framed by the local police (led by Hwang Jang Lee) over the loss of a gwailo's Boxer dog. For the period the photography and direction are rather good with the help of authentic buildings and locations and only limited use of sets. The bad news is that the subtitles are almost unreadable and the film doesn't seem to have been restored and is grainy at times with fluctuating light and colour levels. But the story is gripping and when Philip Ko does fight they are very good indeed. In fact the final fight between Ko and Hwang is very evenly matched and both seem to be on superb form producing an outstanding bout with a clever ending. I must mention Lau Hok Nin's acting and the old mother Lam Jing who give very good dramatic performances not even seen in this sort of film. This is not your usual hit everything / everyone film but a good drama with one of the best climax fights ever filmed.

Like no other, Mr. Silver Fox himself, Hwang Jang Lee, has done it again. With Philip Ko as the protagonist and Mr. Silver Fox with his usual villainous on screen presence. Basically, revenge is the motive in this octane action flick. Of course, I admit that the story is flat except for the simplicity of the plot. Plot Breakdown:-Someone has a missing dog-Hwang Jang Lee plays a corrupt official who tries to gain power and territory-Lee locks up one of Ko's family members for pure torture-Ko handles his business like a man and beats down everyone affiliated with Lee-Long climatic battle between hero and villain (y'all know which is which)It is stated that Hwang Jang Lee choreographed the fight scenes. All I have to say is that I'm very impressed with this man's work. Whether he's acting, producing, or choreographing, he's one of the best at what he does. The action scenes throughout the movie were pretty good. Philip Ko puts on a serious "kick a**" face when he's exploding on enemies. Lee does the same thing, but with more emphasis on legs. Both are brutal and hard-to-the-core. Remember though, there is no character development or emphasis on plot. Who cares!! The producers and the director of this film knew what they were doing. Wicked martial arts action is what I crave, and Hwang Jang Lee along with Philip Ko are just the ones to deliver it.The last fight scene, in my opinion, should go down in cinematic martial arts history. As an avid viewer and aficionado of HK cinema, I would expect a board or big review of this movie. The reviewer before me is right though. Buy the movie for action only. You won't regret it. There is a second movie on the DVD version. The DVD version is a double feature. It is called Goose Boxer. Philip Ko is the villain. Not a very good edition to the DVD. Stick with TIGER OVER WALL!!Final Judgement: ***1/2/****

Tiger Over Wall has another senseless plot about someone's missing dog and a corrupt official (Hwang Jang Lee) who is sought out by the main character (Philipp Ko). But what matters here is the action. All the fights are good(especially Ko's ones)and they keep getting better and better. Which leads us to the final showdown between Hwang Jang Lee and Philipp Ko. This fight is awesome: its starts up with staffs and then they go hand-to-hand. This bout is like 10 minutes long too with blazing fast choreography and footwork, courtesy of Bootmaster Hwang Jang Lee. I also think this is Philipp Ko's best overall martial arts performance. Buy this DVD just for this fight alone, it is worth it and you'll get another movie as a bonus: Goose Boxer....................8/10