Kid From Kwangtung is the kind of curated martial arts title that 88 Films is best at; wild, odd, random, funny, violent and most of all entertaining. New to Blu-ray.
The Film
I’m always delighted when a title surprises and deftly defies the stereotypes and cliches of the genre. Kid from Kwangtung is that kind of film. One that goes just deeply enough into the oddities and different subgenres to make it a fascinating entry into the martial arts school genre.
Two rival students (Wang Yu and Chiang Kam) are always at each other’s throats. That is until their master (Yen Shi-Kwan) is killed by a rival evil master (Hwang Jang-Li). With no other choice, the duo must work together, along with a capable female rebel fighter (Yuen Pan Pan) in order to defeat the evil master and his gang of thugs.
Director Hsu Hsia’s film is one that’s so strange and particular but adroitly aware of the story conventions it’s playing with. The result is a film that shifts tonally from genre to genre without as much of a care or worry. The film uses a costumed chicken and centipede fight, hopping vampires, monkey style, cat style, and other seemingly random kitchen-sink cobbled-together story points without breaking a sweat and with little to no explanation. This all should not work but Hsia’s film is held together by some truly stunning action set pieces. These two contrasting dynamics somehow benefit each other.
That isn’t to say Kid from Kwangtung is a perfect film, far from it. It’s bullying and fat shaming is beyond inappropriate. Is it an entertaining film? Definitely. Once those troupes are thrown out and the film becomes essentially a Hope and Crosby on the run film with the two students fighting each other and eventually teaming up – the film soars. Coupled with those truly inventive and entertaining fights choreographed by Hsia, Tsui Fat, and Tak Yuen make this one that’s as irresistible and it is truly funny.
Kid from Kwangtung also understands how to not unstay its welcome at a brisk sub-100-minute runtime. It ends on the perfect freeze frame. One that probably made Quentin Tarantino stand up and cheer!!!
The Transfer
The transfer provided is one of the Majestic Film transfers, so the original coloring and titles have been replaced by newer cleaner ones. The handsome sharp image is as clean and flawless as the day it was produced. Many will critique the grading on the transfers but what we get in return and the fidelity of the image is just too good in a way that any of the Shaw Bros Studio films have looked. So clear is this transfer that one can see the false breakaways in the sets and the wire from the amazing wire work. 88 Films continues its vital work of curating Asian Genre films both popular and obscure.
The Extras
They include the following;
Still Gallery
Trailer
Still gallery (2:40) – the gallery consists of 20 still images from the production that play automatically with the score from the film playing in the background. The gallery can be navigated by using your next and back chapter stop buttons on your remote.
Trailer (1:13)
The Final Thought
Any martial arts fan will be happy with this edition of Kid From Kwang Tung. 88 Films has furnished this edition with a beautiful transfer. Recommended!
Kid From Kwangtung is the kind of curated martial arts title that 88 Films is best at; wild, odd, random, funny, violent and most of all entertaining. New to Blu-ray.
The Film
I’m always delighted when a title surprises and deftly defies the stereotypes and cliches of the genre. Kid from Kwangtung is that kind of film. One that goes just deeply enough into the oddities and different subgenres to make it a fascinating entry into the martial arts school genre.
Two rival students (Wang Yu and Chiang Kam) are always at each other’s throats. That is until their master (Yen Shi-Kwan) is killed by a rival evil master (Hwang Jang-Li). With no other choice, the duo must work together, along with a capable female rebel fighter (Yuen Pan Pan) in order to defeat the evil master and his gang of thugs.
Director Hsu Hsia’s film is one that’s so strange and particular but adroitly aware of the story conventions it’s playing with. The result is a film that shifts tonally from genre to genre without as much of a care or worry. The film uses a costumed chicken and centipede fight, hopping vampires, monkey style, cat style, and other seemingly random kitchen-sink cobbled-together story points without breaking a sweat and with little to no explanation. This all should not work but Hsia’s film is held together by some truly stunning action set pieces. These two contrasting dynamics somehow benefit each other.
That isn’t to say Kid from Kwangtung is a perfect film, far from it. It’s bullying and fat shaming is beyond inappropriate. Is it an entertaining film? Definitely. Once those troupes are thrown out and the film becomes essentially a Hope and Crosby on the run film with the two students fighting each other and eventually teaming up – the film soars. Coupled with those truly inventive and entertaining fights choreographed by Hsia, Tsui Fat, and Tak Yuen make this one that’s as irresistible and it is truly funny.
Kid from Kwangtung also understands how to not unstay its welcome at a brisk sub-100-minute runtime. It ends on the perfect freeze frame. One that probably made Quentin Tarantino stand up and cheer!!!
The Transfer
The transfer provided is one of the Majestic Film transfers, so the original coloring and titles have been replaced by newer cleaner ones. The handsome sharp image is as clean and flawless as the day it was produced. Many will critique the grading on the transfers but what we get in return and the fidelity of the image is just too good in a way that any of the Shaw Bros Studio films have looked. So clear is this transfer that one can see the false breakaways in the sets and the wire from the amazing wire work. 88 Films continues its vital work of curating Asian Genre films both popular and obscure.
The Extras
They include the following;
Still gallery (2:40) – the gallery consists of 20 still images from the production that play automatically with the score from the film playing in the background. The gallery can be navigated by using your next and back chapter stop buttons on your remote.
Trailer (1:13)
The Final Thought
Any martial arts fan will be happy with this edition of Kid From Kwang Tung. 88 Films has furnished this edition with a beautiful transfer. Recommended!
88 Films Blu-Ray edition of Kid From Kwangtung is out now
Share this:
Like this:
Discover more from The Movie Isle
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.