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Knockabout
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List Price: $9.98
Our Price: $9.98
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
Starring: Billy Chan, Lung Chan, Fat Chung, Ching-Ying Lam, Hoi San Lee
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Average Customer Rating:  
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Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Audience Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Binding: DVD
Brand: HUNG,YUEN BIAO
EAN: 0024543120483
Format: Closed-captioned
Label: 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
Number Of Items: 1
Publisher: 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
Region Code: 1
Release Date: 2004-09-07
Running Time: 104
Studio: 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
Theatrical Release Date: 1979
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Editorial Reviews:
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No Description Available.
Genre: Feature Film-Action/Adventure
Rating: R
Release Date: 7-SEP-2004
Media Type: DVD
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Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating: 
Summary: Hackneyed story can't deter Sammo & Biao
Comment: Yuen Biao gets his first starring role in this well-directed and even better choreographed Sammo Hung film. Biao and Leung Kar Yan play Little and Big John, con men who aren't really very good at their craft. Strapped for cash, they end up getting the crap kicked out of them by Koo Wu Tai (Lau Kar Wing) who eventually takes them both as students. Their kung fu improves, just in time to take on some enemies of their master. With the new students' help, the foes are all defeated. All is well until Little John witnesses his master in some morally objectionable activities. After a brawl with their master that leaves Big John in a compost heap, Little John comes to train with the Fat Beggar (Sammo) to take revenge.
The plot is by the numbers and the humor silly and rarely funny yet this movie still rocks. All 4 leads are excellent athletes, though Biao steps up nicely as numero uno. The fights start pretty well, and get better and better as the film goes on. By the time Biao starts training with Sammo the movie is in full-on overdrive. The training scenes are UNBELIEVABLE. Throw in Garbage Boxing and some of the best Monkey Style ever put to film and this is a no-brainer.
This is another of the Sammo classics released by 20th Century Fox. All of which are remastered, widescreened, and have multiple language and subtitle options. Now if only they'd tackle "The Victim". Yuen Biao is said to be the most underrated martial arts talent out there. I would have to lean a little more toward Hsiao Hou, only because Biao has had a lot more starring roles. Both of their versions of Monkey Style are amazing and for different reasons. Though if there was a visual debate, the jump rope scene in this one may sway the undecided in Biao's favor. Many a critic has mentioned it and for good reason. Eat your popcorn early because you can't chew with your lower jaw repeatedly smashing to the floor. This flick is definitely RECOMMENDED. If you have no problems with the lame humor and plot, then highly so.
1979
Customer Rating:
Summary: "There's no power like old power!" -- Jia Wu Dao
Comment: Yuen Biao never got the acclaim that his Peking Opera brothers Sammo Hung and Jackie Chan obtained (all part of the Seven Little Fortunes), but for martial art movie fans he is still widely appreciated. His breakout in the Hong Kong film industry was his first starring role in Knockabout in 1979. Of course, it helped that the director was Sammo Hung Kam-Bo, but Yuen's reputation was solid for his years of stunt work, being an extra and doubling actors for dangerous or acrobatic scenes (he would continue to do that after this film). This film is full of underappreciated martial artists and performers though.
Knockabout is the fourth film directed by Sammo Hung and is one of the many hybrid Kung Fu comedies (Mo Lai Tau style) produced by Golden Harvest that were popular in the late 70's Hong Kong like Drunken Master (1978) and Hung's earlier film Enter the Fat Dragon (1978). While it was not the resounding success that Drunken Master was, it has had a resurgence in popularity the past few years.
Biao stars as Hei Yu (also called Little John in the subtitles) as a congenial con-artist with his brother Big John (Leung Kar-Yan: Warriors Two, The Postman Strikes Back) who have to cheat or steal to stay fed. After a successful scam on a cheating gold exchange cashier (working off the old adage that the best people to con are the ones who think they are conning you), they decide to gamble their profit at the local casino. They are quite unsuccessful at it and get beat up when unbeknownst to them they try to fool a gambling house with fake money. But like the consummate con-men they are, if they fail once, they will look for another mark. The new rube is an elderly man (the not-so-elderly and underrated Lau Kar-Wing who is mostly known for being the brother of Lau Kar-Leung, though he is an excellent martial artist who has appeared in many supporting roles) who is eating at the local teahouse. Their set-up fails miserably and so they set to take revenge on Jia Wu-Dao by ambushing him. Of course, he just happens to be a Kung Fu master. After they get beat up they ask him to be their sifu. He eventually acquiesces, but there seems to be something mysterious and sinister about him.
There are a few problems with the film. Karl Maka's role as the bald inspector reminds me too much of a clone of Dean Shek. The composition of the film is unbalanced. It starts mostly with comedy for the first 50 minutes and then ends heavily with action. I liked both elements, but the cohesion of the two did not quite work as a whole. The plot's biggest weakness is the inevitable turn of Jia Wu-Dao against his pupils. You knew it was going to happen, but it felt forced. And the prolific use of lifting copyrighted material for music continues with the cue for the Fat Beggar lifted from Ennio Morricone's score in The Good, The Bad and The Ugly (1966).
Luckily, there is so much to like with this movie. Biao and Leung work well together as brothers and would continue to work with Hung on later films. The portrayal of Jia Wu-Dao by Lau Kar-Wing is interesting because he is not a one-dimensional character. He cares for his adopted pupils and trains them well in martial arts (every good teacher always hides something from his students though). This makes the character change more shocking, but also makes it feel less real. I enjoyed the comedic touches like the overly flexible Yuen Biao (that is not his leg) and the ordinary men they look to beat up.
However, the best parts of the film are the training and martial art sequences in the last half of the movie. These segments are so strong that you tend to forget the somewhat meandering and mostly comedic nature of the previous scenes. The training involves some of the more masochistic devices to help, and I will not spoil them here. I will state that you get to see Biao show off his abilities with his excellent forms and most awesome somersaulting ability. The fighting scenes include an excellent team match between Seven Dwarfs (Lee Hoi-Sang: bald as usual), Snow White (Wang Kuang-Yu: The Water Margin (1972)) versus Little John and Big John. Also, I think you might enjoy the "finishing move" of Jia Wu-Dao. I am not sure I've seen much use of this professional wrestling move in Hong Kong cinema, but I have seen The Rock use it many times. Also, in the tradition of saving the best for last, you get a 12 minute fight sequence at the end that is sublime in its intestinal fortitude.
Sammo Hung was not only the director and a supporting actor in this film; he is also the action director (fans of the auteur theory should take note). His knowledge and presence help make this one of the underrated classics in martial art cinema. The competition between him and Jackie Chan during this time period helped create more intricate and daring martial art scenes for there movies. With Knockabout there is one of the best martial art movie sequences of the 70s. Knockabout is a must watch for devotees of this genre and should be a good case study for future action directors on how to choreograph. Knockabout also shows you the skill of Yuen Biao and why he should be regarded as one of the best martial art actors of the 1970s/80s.
The Fox/Fortune Star R1 release is a very good basic release. There are no dubtitles and the film is uncut. There is an English dub, a genuine Cantonese mono track and it is presented in a beautifully looking widescreen transfer. Unfortunately, like most of the Fox/Fortune Star releases you only get trailers as extras. Here is another example where the best release is the R2 Hong Kong Legends version (like so many of the Hong Kong martial art films on the Fox/Fortune releases).
Customer Rating:
Summary: Great introduction to YUEN BIAO!
Comment: Not his first movie but his first starring role, there is no better film to witness Yuen Biao's incredible talent then right here in 1979's Knockabout. Yuen and Leung Kar Yan star as a couple swindleing brothers known as Little John and Big John. When they meet their match at the hands of the Silver Fox (played by Lau Kar Wing, Lau Kar Leung's lesser known brother) they decide to seek his tutlege and learn his Kung Fu skills. During all this you get glimpses of Sammo Hung's character, a pauper who appears to live in the same scheming fashion as the aforementioned brothers. I don't want to say much more beyond that because there are several solid twists and turns along the way that make things a little more interesting. This is your basic Kung Fu comedy (a la Magnificient Butcher and The Drunken Master)so the dramatic scenes (scene really) are only there to help motivate the characters and are quickly swept under the carpet for another slapstick comedy routine or fight (or a mix of both). What this movie really acts as is a showcase for Yuen Biao and his incredible acrobatic feats... wait until you see the jump rope training sequence WOW! A great cast help round everything out and make this one of Sammo Hung's best directorial efforts filld with his usual top notch choreography. Oh and keep an ear out for the ridiculously funny monkey sound effects that they filter in whenever someone uses that style of Kung Fu... priceless!
Customer Rating:
Summary: My new favorite Sammo film
Comment: I finally got to see what everybody was talking about with this. A true kung fu classic and one of the best ever for sure.
Made around the same time as 'Drunken Master', this movie has that type of feel. It really feels like Yuen Woo-Ping made this movie with all the comedy and Sammo playing the old beggar who has outstanding kung fu skills, even the outdoor backround shots look the same. Then you have the average fights at the beginning and the way it steadily gets better and better. That is totally Woo-Ping! What sets this movie apart as a Sammo film is the storytelling. Funny and overall a good movie even without the kung fu. There are at least a couple of laugh out loud moments and the movie is just hilarious from beginning to end.
Yuen Biao has his first ever starring role and gets to show off his kung fu skills to the max. Leung Kar-Yan plays his brother and they are con-men who decided to try and con the wrong man. Meet Lau Kar Wing, Lau Kar Leung's brother. Lau Wing beats up the 2 and after they are beaten, they beg him to become his students. He agrees and this is where the movie starts. The action in the first 30 minutes of the movie is good but it really heats up when Lau Wing trains Biao and his brother. Of course after the 2 learn a little they go and show off their skills by getting in fights. I don't want to give away the plot because like I said, the story is very well done. The main plot point is not original(revenge) but Sammo shows up for the final fight and makes it very interesting. The best thing about this movie is that you have probably seen many movies with a bunch of great kung fu stars and then the movie just turns out to be average. This is not one of those. Lau Wing, Yuen Baio, Lee Hoi-San('36th Chamber of Shaolin'), and Sammo Hung are all in top form. Lau Wing uses a long smoking pipe to fight with and combined with the the snake fist this is one of the coolest things I have ever seen in a kung fu movie. Check out 'Deadly Mantis'(aka Shaolin Mantis) if you want to see more of the incedible Hung Gar master Lau Kar Wing in another great fighting performance. Leung Kar-Yan is one of my favorite stars of all time but he just doesn't compare to the other guys in this movie.
I also have to give special mention to Mars who was a co-star in Jackie Chan's 'Dragonlord' and was Jackie's top stuntman who also has a small role in a ton of Golden Harvest and other movies. I have never known Mars as an actual fighter but he has a great one-on-one fight in this.
Overall I can't give this movie enough praise. If you are a kung fu fan then this is one of those movies that you absolutely can't miss. 4.5/5 stars and if I have to choose I EASILY pick the 5 stars.
Also, I know a lot of people are huge fans of animal styles n movies and this does not dissapoint. Yuen Biao's monkey kung fu is right up there with Hsiao Hou in 'Mad Monkey Kung Fu' though it was actually the finale that involved juming rope that did it for me. Brilliant.
The Deltamac version has very good picture quality and is perfectly widescreened but the subtitles have major issues. Around 30% of the subtitles are left out and the movie will not make a while lot of sense if you have the Deltamac version though you will probably still enjoy the movie. I recommend the Fox/Fortune Star version since I have never had a problem with their subtitles. There is also a Hong Kong Legends release of this which has a few good special features.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Old "skool" kunk fu
Comment: This flick is definately amount the top best performance,,Sammo Hung,,,the most impressive monkey style kung fu ever!! The comedy was greatly choreographed,,,,,and interestingly enough it really was funny!! The training alone was enough to give this flick a 4 star. This is the first flick where Leung Kar Yan is really funny,,,I always see him as a serious actor. The final fight scene was amazing,,,there is nothing like the monkey kung fu, only sammo and Yuen Biao could have pulled this one off!! The monkey kung fu is the most impressive, since crazy horse!!
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