Kid from Kwang Tung (1982)

The Kid from Kwang Tung starred Wong Yu, not exactly a household name even in kung fu circles. The story was a bit of a mess. What it lacked in star power and coherency it tried to make up with fists and kicks. With very little wire-fu the fights came early and often.

He Jia Yu is always getting into fights with brothers Wu De Bao and Wu De Zhi from a rival school. Also in town is Chen Xiaowei and her mother who are fleeing from Luo Yihu and his gang who are taking down schools and fighters. When Yihu comes to town the bodies start dropping. Jia Yu and friends will have to up their skills if they want to stay alive.

The first half of this film was slapstick comedy and pranks that began to wear thin. If not for the promise of hopping vampires I would have dropped it. There was a creative fight competition between a chicken and a centipede. Which eventually led to hopping vampire action on a bet later on. Hwang Jang Lee as Luo Yihu had a black cat and could power up when his eyes glowed green. I love watching Thunderleg in action. He didn’t need wires for his high-flying kicks. Wong Yu was quick and acrobatic, a good foil for the hard kicking baddie. Yen Shi Kwan as Yihu’s mentor was always dependable and had a strong fight with Hwang. Sharon Yeung’s fight choreography made use of her limberness, but she wasn’t believable as a lethal fighter. The final fight between Wong Yu and Hwang Jang Lee was quite creative. I’ve never seen incense used in that manner.

Kid from Kwang Tung was moderately entertaining, perhaps more so if you enjoy slapstick comedy. The comedy didn’t work for me, especially when the good guys kept getting brutally killed. What did work? Hwang Jang Lee was worth the price of admission. That and a half dozen hopping vampires. As always, rated on a curve for old kung fu flicks.

11 October 2024

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