Quality can quite vary among martial arts flicks, and the choices that some make can place distinct upper limits on one's engagement. Even as many pictures share common stylistic approaches, sometimes the deciding factor comes down to how heavy-handed and forthright a production is, versus how nuanced and tactful the hands were that shaped it. It's no outright criticism to say that 'Eight strikes of the wildcat' tends toward the former more than the latter, just as it's not the fault of the filmmakers that the widely available version with dialogue dubbed in English kind of reflects the type of dubbing that gives dubbing a bad name. Still, there's a club-footed gawkiness in many facets that gives this feature an odd tone and rather betrays the artifice of the cinematic presentation. Inasmuch as we sit for such titles for the stunts, action sequences, and kung fu artistry, we get what we came for, but in other regards this is perhaps much less steady on its feet than many of its brethren.
To wit: the direction often feels loose and maybe even a little feeble, weakening the pacing; as the acting is impacted in turn, performances tend to contribute to the flimsy feeling of the construction, nevermind the dubbing which is pretty much just awful. None of this is helped by writing that's all too variable; even if we generously assume that the tacky, blunt dubbed dialogue is in no way a reflection of the original Mandarin script, there are some scenes that feel needless, excessive, or just ill-fitting. This includes the romantic subplot that's played for comedy as the kung fu master's assistant repeatedly tries to woo the protagonist; most scenes with the assistant, in fact, are less than great. The cinematography ranges from weak-kneed, to just right, to overblown, and the editing sometimes is all too overzealous as it chops up a scene, to say nothing of exuberant use of freeze frame pauses. And even by the standards of a genre where pronounced Foley work is used to almost cartoonishly accentuate movements and strikes, the sound effects here seem at times to take the notion to a new extreme, not least with audio samples of animals.
All this is unfortunate, because at its core 'Eight strikes of the wildcat' can boast of commendable strengths. The story is simple, but sufficient. The scene writing, direction, and cinematography, at their best, zero in on details of protagonist Shao Wa's training, and of combat sequences, including blows, blocks, evasion, and footwork. In no small part we truly see some of the "art" in "martial arts," for the stunts, effects, and choreography claim a fluidity of movement and preternatural grace that's quite entertaining. With that that said, there's nothing inherently wrong with a bit of a playful edge to such films, for such mirth somewhat goes hand in hand with the spirited nature of the art forms of liberation through discipline. All except the most hardline movies among this one's kin share that slant in some measure. The problem is that this one picture works so hard to exaggerate almost every element of the production that the playfulness sort of becomes a defining trait, except without the comedy that would make it meaningful. Illustrating the point: various techniques of kung fu have been developed in real life based to some degree on animal behavior; here, between the sound effects and the choreography that are both so heavily embellished, that characteristic is made to seem almost farcical.
To be clear, I do actually like this. There's just enough value here, primarily in the action, to outweigh the faults and shortcomings. When you get down to it, however, it's not a title that especially requires or inspires major attention; more than not, it's something one can "watch" rather passively. It's still worthwhile on its own merits, only, would that the filmmakers had put as much care and consideration into the rest of the production as they did into the stunts and fight scenes. More than that, would that the self-indulgent impulses, wantonly garnishing the proceedings and diminishing the earnestness it could have employed to far greater effect, had been substantially reined in. It's worth checking out if you happen to come across it, but definitely don't go out of your way for 'Eight strikes of the wildcat.' This is something to put on to pass a quiet, lazy afternoon, and that's probably the best circumstance in which to enjoy it.
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