Republic of China was in late about bruceploitation, because they knew Bruce Just in the beginning of the 80's, when the communist censorship authorized the coming of Hong Kong movies. Very slowly they understood they can make Money exploiting Bruce as Hong Kong and Taiwan did in the 70's. The result Is this terrible series, most expensive if compared to Bruce li or Bruce le movies, but amateurish and unfaithful as well. Nonetheless It fits perfectly to a young audience that was unfamiliar with the king of Kung fu.
Reviews
5 Reviews
Jonathan degli orsi
(1994)
SPAGHETTI WESTERN TESTAMENT
27 December 2020
They don't make movies like this anymore as they don't make them in the 90's, cuz when this came out the genre was dead and buried 20 years before. So the fact two giants of spaghetti western, director Castellari and actor Franco Nero, returned for a last Hurrà its enough to forgive and forget the many flaws of the movie. Nostalgic.
IT'S KUNG FU FADING IN THE COUNTRYSIDE OF ROME!
29 November 2020
From the same people who made the trash cult Stranger from Canton (Guai ke, US title Karate killer) and executively coproducted by Riccardo billi (also executive for the Roman part in The way of the Dragon, where he played the banker), this terribile Kung fu spaghetti western was made in the Summer 1973 at Elios studios, a western set seen in many macaroni western, in the countryside of Rome. The plot Is confused, the direction Is even worse, so this mess was totally transformed into a silly comedy by reworking the lines in postproduction phase (italian edition courtesy by the italian Z movie king Bruno Mattei). Adding nonsense dialogues citing politic, soccer players, Nixon and the watergate, they released this in Italy 1974 with a title in Bud Spencer style, cuz it was impossible keep it serious considering all the shortcomings (at one point the camera wrongly catch a modern car parked between two buildings in the western village behind cowboy William berger). Outside Italy it was released in his 'serious' way but the result Is the same garage. Sadly two good performers were involved in this: the leading man Jason Pai Piao and the chinese badguy Thompson kao Kang, who died tragically 4 August 1980 killed by a Policeman in Hong Kong. Western vets William berger and Donal O'Brian are the bandits, and the former is clumsy forgotten in the final showdown, when he simply dismiss as the camera moves on the duel between Chinamen. Sadly the assistant director died before leaving Rome because he ate average fish. Not a memorable movie to die for. Co-starred by Joey Chen, a martial artist screen-tested by Bruce Lee for Enter the Dragon (but Sammo Hung took the role instead).
Ku Fu? From Sicily with Fury
(1973)
IT SPOOFED "FIVE FINGERS OF DEATH" AND GROSSED MORE THAN BRUCE...IN ITALY, OF COURSE!
29 November 2020
This italian cult movie was not a Big Boss spoof, It was not made in Sicily (Rome is the setting) and It was not influenced by TV serial Kung fu, so the previous review miss completely the point, since story and personages clearly came from Shaw's King boxer while Carradine's Shaolin monk stayed unseen in Italy until the 80's, and Ku fu was made in the Spring of 1973 and released September of the same year. Incredibly this poorly made comedy outnumbered both Shaw's King boxer and BRUCE's Classics in Italy grossing almost 1 million of italian lira, a huge box office back then. This because his main star Franco Franchi was incredibly popular and because the movie captured the craze for the Kung fu films, theyr stereotypes and childish formula Just like an instant photo could made. By all his many flaws and few merits, Ku Fu stand as a vulgar and vivid testimoniance not only of a Lost Italy and filmgenre (even the poor dressing of the personages resembles the shoestring budgeted costumes of many Kung fu pix), but also as a portrait of the suburban and so called "underdog" audience who went for It, as the ragged and noisy crowd surrounding Franco Franchi in the final tournament, genially staged on a clownesque circus floor almost in Fellini style, shows in a so clever and lovely manner. More THAN a movie, Ku Fu Is a joke from the 70's strictly for Italian fans of Franco Franchi and Kung fu films as they were seen here. A silly movie as well as a guilty pleasure for nostalgia. Still well remembered here.
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