This 1972 made-for-TV Western was the pilot for the "Kung Fu" TV series. At a mere 74 minutes, it's short and sweet, kinda the way I wish more movies would be! It's definitely a Western, as it takes place out West in the late 19th century, but it's unique for this genre in that it incorporates Eastern wisdom and martial arts -- sorry, no quick-draw shootouts here.
A great scene appears near the beginning where Caine walks into a saloon after walking across a desert (!!) to get some water. Naturally some bigot wants to start a fight with him 'cause he's one of them "slant-eyes." Three times the guy attempts to attack Caine and three times Caine swiftly and decisively repels the attacks. The guy wisely decides not to attack again as Caine finishes his water and humbly walks out of the saloon leaving the patrons in astonishment.
There's more martial arts action toward the end, but, it should be noted, this is by no means a standard martial arts flick. The movie teaches humility and respect for elders & all fellow human beings. Despite the fact that they have very little dialogue, Caine develops a father/son relationship with blind Master Po.
Some scenes have such a reverent and touching quality to them that they actually brought tears to my eyes.
In Brian Garfield's "Western Films" guide he criticized this movie pilot as "Juvenile tripe." With all due respect to the brilliant Mr. Garfield, this film is neither juvenile nor tripe! As far as Westerns go, it's quite mature and original. Good Eastern-style music too.
Although this pilot movie is included with the First Season and Complete Series DVD sets, it's also available as a stand-alone movie on both DVD and VHS, which is good because it's definitely worth having in your Western library, even if you're not interested in owning the whole series.
The film was shot at Burbank Studios and Vasquez Rocks, California.
GRADE: A
A great scene appears near the beginning where Caine walks into a saloon after walking across a desert (!!) to get some water. Naturally some bigot wants to start a fight with him 'cause he's one of them "slant-eyes." Three times the guy attempts to attack Caine and three times Caine swiftly and decisively repels the attacks. The guy wisely decides not to attack again as Caine finishes his water and humbly walks out of the saloon leaving the patrons in astonishment.
There's more martial arts action toward the end, but, it should be noted, this is by no means a standard martial arts flick. The movie teaches humility and respect for elders & all fellow human beings. Despite the fact that they have very little dialogue, Caine develops a father/son relationship with blind Master Po.
Some scenes have such a reverent and touching quality to them that they actually brought tears to my eyes.
In Brian Garfield's "Western Films" guide he criticized this movie pilot as "Juvenile tripe." With all due respect to the brilliant Mr. Garfield, this film is neither juvenile nor tripe! As far as Westerns go, it's quite mature and original. Good Eastern-style music too.
Although this pilot movie is included with the First Season and Complete Series DVD sets, it's also available as a stand-alone movie on both DVD and VHS, which is good because it's definitely worth having in your Western library, even if you're not interested in owning the whole series.
The film was shot at Burbank Studios and Vasquez Rocks, California.
GRADE: A