Jackie Chan's first leading role and, unsurprisingly, it isn't one of his best (it's miles better than the execrable YOUNG TIGER, though). This is an ultra-cheap, poorly made movie, with boring fight sequences played out to total silence. The choreography is rubbish, the dubbing terrible, the acting not much better. Although Jackie is athletic and invigorating in the various fights and training sequences, he's hopeless as an actor here (as to be expected from his first role, I guess). He doesn't even get any of his trademark comedy – that instead comes from Yuen Siu Tien, playing to type as an old/drunk/mad instructor. Yuen is even weirder than usual in this film, wearing beggar clothes and the worst wig I've ever seen. Still, he proves to be a highlight as usual.
The plot is nonsensical rubbish, with the old staple "you killed my dad" revenge story tacked on at the beginning and end. The middle of the film takes place in one of those cheap fishing villages with Jackie fighting a gang of thugs over and over again without much excitement. Yuen – here called "The Man Who Isn't There" (something lost in the translation, I fear ) sits on a seat in the forest and watches Jackie fight. Dean Shek stops by as a homosexual landlord with a terrible dubbed British accent, plus there's an irritating fat guy in for supposed comic relief. Things suddenly become serious at the finale, where Jackie's pickpocket friend is slaughtered and he takes his shirt off to get Bruce Lee-style scratches on his chest. He then proceeds to kick the bad guy's ass. All of the violence is cut out in the choppy DVD version I saw, which didn't impress me too much. Too crazy (in a bad way), poorly edited, and lacking in basic principles to offer much entertainment other than for curiosity seekers.
The plot is nonsensical rubbish, with the old staple "you killed my dad" revenge story tacked on at the beginning and end. The middle of the film takes place in one of those cheap fishing villages with Jackie fighting a gang of thugs over and over again without much excitement. Yuen – here called "The Man Who Isn't There" (something lost in the translation, I fear ) sits on a seat in the forest and watches Jackie fight. Dean Shek stops by as a homosexual landlord with a terrible dubbed British accent, plus there's an irritating fat guy in for supposed comic relief. Things suddenly become serious at the finale, where Jackie's pickpocket friend is slaughtered and he takes his shirt off to get Bruce Lee-style scratches on his chest. He then proceeds to kick the bad guy's ass. All of the violence is cut out in the choppy DVD version I saw, which didn't impress me too much. Too crazy (in a bad way), poorly edited, and lacking in basic principles to offer much entertainment other than for curiosity seekers.