Search - The Martial Arts Essentials: The Films of Sammo Hung 6 Film Set on DVD

A disappointment compared to the Martial Arts Essentials vol

morgoth | omaha, NE | 04/13/2008

(3 out of 5 stars)

"INCREDIBLE KUNG FU MASTER (1979)- Steve Tung Wei stars as a young man named Kung Fu Chin. He really wants to be a great kung fu fighter and tries to learn as many styles as he can. The 2 teachers he is learning from have become rivals, and he has also found a 3rd teacher. Sammo Hung plays the 3rd teacher and tells Kung Fu Chin that kung fu is like food, eat all that you can as long as it's good. So while Kung Fu Chin is learning all the kung fu he can, Phillip Ko has a plan to kill the 2 rival teachers. He sends in 2 spies and says they are his sons.

Nothing much happens in this movie, it is just your standard kung fu flick where a kid gets picked on, learns kung fu, and then takes revenge. The training sequences are some of the best I have ever seen. Tung Wei can do things with his body that made me cringe. I only wish I was a tenth as flexible as him.

The final 25 minutes is non-stop action. It is missing the intensity, but the choreography is certainly there. It's a shame they didn't put much into the fighting unil the last few fights. At least it was a nice surprise to see so many good fights after so many average ones. Sammo looks brilliant, Phillip Ko looks as good as he always does, and Lee Hoi San and Steve Tung Wei also do great work. Lee Hoi San's performance comes close to matching his work in Magnificent Butcher. Austin Tin Chi Wai has a good cameo where he fights Sammo, but still, the kung fu is just lightweight. Only in Phillip Ko's fight did I get the feeling that someone may actually die. If you are looking for hardcore kung fu action with Tung Wei, then check out Killer Wears White (AKA Shadow Ninja) which can be found in the Martial Arts 50-Pack. Killer Wears White is fast, furious, and downright brutal. Incredible Kung Fu Master is just a walk in the park. This is a kung fu movie that the kids can watch.

I reviewed this movie before on this site, and I gave it a 3/5. But after so many viewings I feel that it should get a 3.5/5. I'm just a sucker for good kung fu fights.

Picture quality is decent and it's partly widescreen. Sound is a bit low.



GAMBLING GHOST (1991)- Sammo has 3 roles in this movie. He plays a parking attendant who loves to gamble. Sammo is known for playing the common man, and it doesn't get much more common than this. Sammo also plays the man's father, and grandfather. His grandfather is dead, but his ghost comes back and wants Sammo to revenge for him. This movie is not very good, but enjoyable. Some decent jokes and some good action at the end. Bobby Samuels and Billy Chow show up, so you know it's worth a watch. 3/5

Picture quality is pretty good, and it's widescreen. Sound is hard to hear at times.



BURGER COP aka DON'T GIVE A DAMN (1995)- Sammo and Yuen Biao star in this buddy cop movie. Takeshi Kaneshiro also stars, but doesn't add much. The story has them tryin to stop a drug trade, and there really isn't much more to it. I found the entire movie pretty bad. None of the fights interested me much, except the finale. The finale has all kinds of fights going on, including a 1 on 1 on 1 fight between Collin Chou, Sammo, and Bobby Samuels. And be sure to look for cameos from Chin Siu Ho, Leung Kar Yan, Lau Kar Wing, and countless other recognizable actors. 2.5/5

Picture quality is decent and it's widescreen. Subititles are easy to read for the most part. Only problem is that there are 2 audio tracks playing at the same time and it's really annoying.



MANDARIN MAGICIAN (1974)- This is a bad movie about Larry Lee going to Thailand to help some old guy. It's really boring, but there is some decent action. The Muay Thai fights in the ring are ok, and the basher action outside of the ring is a little above average, especially the finale. Larry Lee truly is a magician with those nunchukas.

This is the only movie in the 6-pack where Sammo doesn't have much of a role. He plays a thug and has a couple of fights, but they aren't worth talking about. Lam Ching Ying has a decent Thai boxing fight, and you can also spot Mars, Chan Lung, Yuen Wah and Billy Chan in the cast. 2.5/5

Picture is letterboxed and the print is in pretty decent shape. English dubbed.



RETURN OF THE FAT DRAGON aka KING SWINDLER (1993)- Sammo stars as a drunken gamboholic in this kids movie. He goes to jail because of his gambing, and when he comes out he wants to go straight. I guess by going straight you fight in underground boxing matches. The movie is really bad and full of stupid humor, and unfortunately the fights are nothing special. But, there is one fight scene that makes the movie worth watching. Sammo is in a bar and gets in a fight with a bunch of people and uses drunken style. It's not a great fight or anything, but not bad.

So the movie is bad, but I have to admit that the little kid had me cracking up. He does some acting that I didn't think a 3 or a 4 year old was capable of doing. 2/5

Picture quality is decent and it's full screen. It seems to be in its original language and all of the subtitles are easy to read.



HIDDEN ENFORCERS (2002)- This is about as bad as it gets. Sammo raised a group of kids and is their Godfather. He has them kill people for him. So the real heart of the story that were left with is the interractions between this group of 20 year olds. Prepare to be bored out of your mind. I watched this with a friend and we had the sound down at the end and were doing our own dubbed voices. We had to do something, because the movie is unwatchable. Sammo gets some brief action at the beginning and end, but other than that the movie is a complete waste of time. 1/5

Picture quality is very good and it's widescreen. Subtitles are easy to read."