DUEL OF FISTS is a contemporary Shaw Brothers thriller that once again teams the 'iron triangle' of director Chang Cheh with stars Ti Lung and David Chiang. The two actors play estranged brothers; Chiang comes to Thailand to discover his long lost brother only to find him making a living in the ring as a Thai boxer. The plot is complicated by the interventions of various corrupt characters who are willing to commit murder both in and outside of the ring in order to make themselves very rich.
This is very much a lesser Chang Cheh film but not without merit. The running time is a little overlong and padded out with a bit too much travelogue footage while the likes of Ching Li are wasted in the obligatory romantic sub-plots. Ti Lung convinces as the Thai boxer but doesn't have a great deal to do, although a super-skinny David Chiang lights up the screen with his powerful kicks and punches. The villains are well-ranged and include the typically snarling Chen Sing, Ku Feng as a rival Thai boxer, and various bit-parting future greats including Yuen Woo-ping, Phillip Ko, and Fung Hark-on. The story continues in a sequel called THE ANGRY GUEST, which is very much on par with this film.
This is very much a lesser Chang Cheh film but not without merit. The running time is a little overlong and padded out with a bit too much travelogue footage while the likes of Ching Li are wasted in the obligatory romantic sub-plots. Ti Lung convinces as the Thai boxer but doesn't have a great deal to do, although a super-skinny David Chiang lights up the screen with his powerful kicks and punches. The villains are well-ranged and include the typically snarling Chen Sing, Ku Feng as a rival Thai boxer, and various bit-parting future greats including Yuen Woo-ping, Phillip Ko, and Fung Hark-on. The story continues in a sequel called THE ANGRY GUEST, which is very much on par with this film.