Sunday, July 3, 2011

Rivals of the Silver Fox (1979, HK/South Korea)

Starring: Casanova Wong, Phillip Ko, Chan Siu-Pang, Chin Chi Chu (as Gam Kei Chu). Directed by: Chan Siu-Pang

From the director of "Choy Lee Fat Kung Fu" Chan Siu-Pang (who also co-stars as the Invisible Thief) comes this Hong Kong-South Korean co-production.

In "Rivals...", a kung fu master is out to avenge the death of his wife at the hands of the evil kung fu master Ma Tien Chang, who wants some "secret medicinal documents" that were in the possession of her father. This master must raise his baby alone and take it with him as he searches for the evil master.

Unfortunately for our hero, taking on Ma is no easy task as he is holed up in the formidable Death Valley with an army of Shaolin bronzemen! Fortunately he has some help along the way in the form of the Invisible Thief (who he rescues from the thugs of a local lord he robbed), a woman (Wong) who helps him take care of his baby, another kung fu master who wants to take on Ma, and the priest Wu Kuo (Ko) who teaches him the kung fu skills he will need to take on the army of bronzemen.

This movie was obviously made on a shoestring budget and the storyline is just a little complicated, but it's much more complex and emotional than it seems. This can be an emotionally involving movie if you make the effort to understand our hero's motivations and all the pain he's feeling as he tries to avenge his wife, protect his baby, and ultimately, protect Casanova Wong's character, who he obviously has feelings for. Also, this is a very unusual movie where the storyline involves a baby and all the good guys, despite whatever motivations they may have, take care of and take up for each other. Of course the kung fu scenes are very good, but it's too bad Casanova didn't get as many fighting scenes in this movie!

Also, the Korean countryside used in this movie is gorgeous! It gives this movie a very tranquil atmosphere and blends into the storyline well.

This is a relatively unknown kung fu movie, but one worth checking out if you're into unusual storylines, or are a fan of Phillip Ko, Casanova Wong, or Chan Siu-Pang.

Also known as: 오대관문/Odae Gwan Mun (original Korean title), The Five Barriers (original English title-South Korea), 決戰銀狐/Jue zhan yin hu (original Mandarin title-HK), Mei hua tang lang (Taiwan)

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