Kung Fu: The Invincible Fist (1972, HK)

Starring: Chen Sing, Yasuaki Kurata, Irene Ryder, Wong Yuen-San (as Huang Yuan-sheng), Hon Kwok-Choi. Directed by: Ng See-Yuen

"In Japan, they call me the 'Hungry Tiger'. Oh really? Is that so? Well in China, they call me the 'Crazy Dragon'." With a quote like that, you know the movie has to be good! This one is a martial arts classic.

"Kung Fu: The Invincible Fist" stars early kung fu star Chen Sing in one of his best and most memorable movies as Chinese soldier/policeman Cpt. Li Chang, who is sent to Shanghai to infiltrate a smuggling ring in the days prior to Japan's invasion of China in 1933. Accompaning him is his lieutenant Su Tung (Wong). Yasuaki Kurata plays Cpt. Jai Tai, a Japanese military officer who is sent as Japan's liaison to the "shipping company" to help smuggle the cargo (which includes drugs and women). Unofficially he is in China to rendezvous with some spies to pass on secret information about Chinese military installations to Tokyo. Information that will be extremely vital to Japan's imminent invasion of China.

Unfortunately for Jai Tai, a shoeshine man/pickpocket (Hon) just happens to steal the wallet of one of the spies containing one of the maps of the Chinese military installations. He passes this info on to Li Chang and Su Tung. Can they stop the two Japanese agents before they return to Japan with the vital information? Furthermore, can they stop the smuggling syndicate?

This movie is worth watching for the final fight scene alone, which is an electrifying half-hour duel between Chen Sing and Yasuaki Kurata, or the Japanese Tiger vs. the Chinese Dragon. This fight scene is just plain amazing!

There are also some recognizable faces from other old-school kung fu movies in "Kung Fu...", including Chan Wai-Man as one of the syndicate boss's subordinates. Chiang Nan played the boss himself, and Bruce Leung played a soldier who is defeated by Li in a demonstration fight at the beginning of the movie. Irene Ryder, who was a pop star in Hong Kong at the time this movie was made, played a Russian orphan who is trying to dodge the syndicate and falls for Su Tung. Hon Kwok-Choi (the shoeshine man) went on to play in a few more kung fu movies besides this one, including "Master With Cracked Fingers" starring Jackie Chan.

The only low points of this movie are the film and sound quality, which seem to have greatly deteriorated over time.

In the duel between the Tiger and the Dragon, kung fu vs. karate, and China vs. Japan, who will win? Watch and find out!

Also known as: E hu kuang long (original Mandarin title-HK), Ngo fu wong lung (original Cantonese title-HK), Tiger vs. Dragon (original English title-HK), The Good and the Bad (alternate HK English title), Kung Fu: The Invisible Fist (unknown English title), Dragon and Tiger Ways (Phillippines English title), Der Schlaghammer aus Shanghai (West Germany)