A Fistful of Talons (1983, HK)

Starring: Billy Chong, Whang Ing-Sik, Liu Hao-yi, Pai Ying. Directed by: Sun Chung

This movie is perhaps one of Billy Chong's most popular movies, and a very good early 1980s independent production from Shaw Bros. director Sun Chung.

"A Fist Full...." takes place in the early 20th century, just after the overthrow of the Qing Dynasty and the establishment of the Republic of China in 1912. A group of Qing loyalists are in a small Chinese town plotting to overthrow the Republic and restore the Qing to power.

Billy plays Ching I Ming, a young man who works at a tavern run by his uncle and spends his free time harassing the Qing loyalists and cutting their ponytails (a sign of loyalty to the Qing Dynasty) off. Pai Ying plays Ding Wei Chung, a mysterious stranger staying at the tavern who turns out to be a high-ranking Qing defector and one who is highly wanted by the Qings because he has in his possession a number of valuable documents and the Imperial seal, which is the symbol of authority.

After giving the Qings a good butt-kicking in his own town, I Ming gets a little restless and decides to go to a neighboring town, where he catches some more Qings and turns them in. He gets a job with the local constabulary...and is "encouraged" by the local constable to marry his daughter (Liu), who he claims can't get married because "she is too fierce."

Very soon I Ming and Ding cross paths again purely by accident, and trouble soon follows....both in terms of the Qing and the soon-to-be bride who is hunting for I Ming!

Can Ching I Ming and Ding Wei Chung get the documents and seal to Sun Yat-sen's government? Also, can they take on the head of the Qing loyalists Nai Sin (Whang), who is a very skilled kung fu master with a powerful kick?

All in all this is a good kung fu movie from the early '80s that has a very coherent storyline (that's even more understandable if you know a little about Chinese history), good directing, and very good production qualities. The actors and actresses in this movie do a very good job and Billy Chong's performance is sort of a combination of Jackie Chan and Alexander Fu Sheng rolled into one. His kung fu skills are amazing and they really show off in this movie. Pai Ying does a good job as Ding Wei Chung and Liu Hao-yi not only has her own fight scenes but is an eagle trainer in this movie. And of course, Whang Ing-Sik does a very good job as Nai Sin.

A word of warning to animal lovers though: You may not like the very last scene of this movie.

Don't miss this movie if you're a fan of Billy Chong or just want to see a good Jackie Chan-style kung fu movie!

Also known as: 風林火山/Foo ying (original Cantonese title-HK), Guo lu ke (original Mandarin title-HK; original script title), Feng lin huo shan (Taiwanese Mandarin title), Wind, Forest, Fire, Mountain (literal English title-Taiwan), A Fist Full of Talons (original English title-HK), A Fistful of Talons (English title-HK)