Monkey Kung Fu (1979)

To me, this movie is perfection.

Just perfect...

Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

MONKEY KUNG FU is a typical Hong Kong outing in the Jackie Chan mould, heavily derived from the success of Jackie Chan's incredibly influential double bill, SNAKE IN THE EAGLE'S SHADOW and DRUNKEN MASTER. Now, there were literally hundreds of Chan imitations being churned out in the years between 1979 and 1984, so films of this ilk have to have something really special about them in order for them to stand out.Thankfully, MONKEY KUNG FU does have something: it was made by Shaw Brothers, so the production values are much better than expected for this sub-genre. This is a fine looking film with all of the action taking place outside in a mixture of location shooting and the famous Shaw sets so beloved by fans. The plot is extremely slight and characters come and go according to plot contrivance; the bad guys, for example, helpfully disappear for a while to give our hero the chance to train up his skills. In addition, there's a real lack of momentum so that this isn't a particularly exciting picture in terms of narrative drive.However, the good news is that the action choreography is strong and the fights are fast-paced and wacky. The opening prison brawl between the hero and the old master is very well portrayed and then there's plenty of mileage in a brief chained-together plot. I loved the bit with the Bolo-alike blacksmith and his sledgehammer. Later, things get bogged down in the hunt for an old manuscript, but pick up again for some great training sequences that have a really vicious streak. The final fight boasts a beautiful backdrop and some typically skilled and furious fighting styles. Overall, this is far from the best that Shaw made, but as a light action comedy with decent choreography, it's difficult to dislike.

Ching is an cocky, under-achieving crook that ends up in prison, where he meets an old man who schools him in a prison kung fu duel. However the old man is sufficiently impressed with Ching as to give him half of a wooden amulet. The other half is possessed by a fellow inmate, and the two go off on a rollicking kung fu adventure to find an ancient scroll.Monkey Kung Fu delivers fast paced action in a variety of backdrops - courtyards, mountain meadows, and tea houses where the furniture is predictably, and satisfyingly, reduced to firewood. And the brothel full of kung fu prostitutes was pretty fun. While most of the comedy is cheesy, there are so good one-liners ("Are you tired yet"? "No, I have a date with your sister tonight!"), and it keeps the movie light and entertaining.The fight choreography starts off not too good in my opinion - moves kind of choppy and slow - but by the 38 minute mark, during the fight in a courtyard, it improves vastly. By the end, with a frenetic fight to the death in the mountains with a skilled bo (staff) master, it is some of the best in the genre. Very much recommended.

Are you ready for endless action with the thinnest of plots? No? OK that's warning enough. You want to see extremely talented martial artists and acrobats fight each other? Yes? This is the right film. Sloppily directed by second tier Shaw Bros. director Lo Mar, this film is carried by the fight choreographer and the actors.The plot? Imprisoned brash young martial artist and fellow prisoner, who is a student of a "Gibbon Fist" master just executed, escape and search for the lost Gibbon Fist Kung Fu manual while being chased by the son of the deceased master's greatest enemy, a pole fighting master. That's it, no dramatic filler, no lengthy explanations, just fighting.The martial arts are truly impressive. The people involved really made an effort for the most part. The story is really a series of set pieces that barely relate to each other. Two big scenes are completely pointless except for the martial art and acrobatic skills on display. This film is one of the few places to see action choreographer Siu-Tung Ching on camera showing what he knows. Not the most photogenic guy but he can move. Director Lo Mar seems to have quit the business soon after this film and it's a good thing. His sense of editing is some of the worst I've seen in HK films. If not for the talents of the actors and to a lesser degree the cameraman, this film would have been trash.Recommended for fight fans. Need a story and some character interaction? Not here.

Lo Mar's "Monkey Kung Fu" does not have much of a story but the action and performance by martial arts choreographer Tony Ching Siu-Tung ("House of Flying Daggers", "Chinese Ghost Story") is absolutely amazing. His athletic stunts, wireless jumps and kicks are a joy to behold. The new Shaw Brothers DVD is the best deal to watch this incredible action.However, it seems there is a little mix-up in the names and the user comments of the film. The time I'm writing this, the IMDb picture shows "Monkey Kung Fu" aka. "Monkey Fist, Floating Snake", a vastly inferior movie. But the cast refers to the Shaw film, which is also listed as "Stroke of Death" (1980) - its alternative title."Monkey Kung Fu" by Lo Mars starring Ching Siu-Tung tells of a small time crook who gets sentenced to prison. He meets a one-eyed master in the cell who gives him a mysterious object. Ching breaks out of prison with another guy and searches for the answer to the riddle which will lead him to "Gibbon Fist Clan"'s kung-fu technique.