Kung Fu Instructor is a clever play on the Yojimbo/Red Harvest story – this time set in the Martial Arts School subgenre made so famous by the Shaw Brothers. New to Blu-ray from 88 Films.
The Film
Director Sun Chueng’s clever play on Yojimbo, Kung Fu Instructor, is adroit enough to be a Xerox of the Kurosawa classic. Rather setting it in the milieu of the Martial arts school genre and the heightened Chows vs Mongs clan wars give the film its own distinct spin on the oft-told tale.
Wong Yang (Ti Lung) is the best kung fu instructor in all of the prefecture. Wong teaches with the balanced and good-natured transparency that all should. Though his way incurs the wrath of corrupt Teachers of the prefecture – so much so that they set Wong up forcing him to flee his town. Wong ends up in the good graces of Ho Si a small town where he quickly learns that the Chows and Mongs are so divided they have literal lines neither can cross. It is only a matter of time until Wong – along with a promising young student Chow Ping (Wang Yu) – must face the leaders of the warring clans if peace is to be made.
No matter how many Martial Arts School films you see there will always be one that far exceeds your expectations. Kung Fu Instructor is that sort of film. The film is not just adroitly written but stylishly directed and performed. There isn’t a moment wasted in the lead 104-minute runtime with shifting allegiances and fists of fury flying at almost every turn. Like Yojimbo, the film is grounded in an almost noirish tone with corruption being not even the undercurrent but the rising tide throughout.
Though Yojimbo was never as altruistic as Wong Yang is in Kung Fu Instructor – which is one of the benefits of the shifting dynamics of this adaptation. Ti Lung is more Gary Cooper in his earnestness as Wong who only wants to share his wealth of knowledge to those up to the challenge of his hard tutelage. In fact, Kung Fu Instructor makes its second half a sort of Team Up/Buddy film rather than the Lone Avenging Wolf troupe that Yojimbo’s second half tells. It works to the benefit of both performers giving us a great final third and a truly excellent final action set piece.
Kung Fu Instructor as with the best of the Shaw Brothers films ends right when it needs to and not a second more. Another truly fun discovery that martial arts fans will revel in.
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The transfer provided is one of the Majestic Film transfers, so the original coloring and titles have been replaced by newer cleaner ones.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. Much like the recently reviewed Facets of Love, much of the film was a stage-bound production – with a few shots on location scenes – and the perfection of the stage lighting and photography is gorgeously reproduced here in high definition. 88 Films continues its vital work of curating Asian Genre films both popular and obscure.
The Extras
They include the following;
Still Gallery
Trailer
Trailer (1:23)
Still gallery (1:50) – the gallery consists of 22 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.
The Final Thought
88 Films has given Kung Fu Instructor an excellent transfer. Recommended!
Kung Fu Instructor is a clever play on the Yojimbo/Red Harvest story – this time set in the Martial Arts School subgenre made so famous by the Shaw Brothers. New to Blu-ray from 88 Films.
The Film
Director Sun Chueng’s clever play on Yojimbo, Kung Fu Instructor, is adroit enough to be a Xerox of the Kurosawa classic. Rather setting it in the milieu of the Martial arts school genre and the heightened Chows vs Mongs clan wars give the film its own distinct spin on the oft-told tale.
Wong Yang (Ti Lung) is the best kung fu instructor in all of the prefecture. Wong teaches with the balanced and good-natured transparency that all should. Though his way incurs the wrath of corrupt Teachers of the prefecture – so much so that they set Wong up forcing him to flee his town. Wong ends up in the good graces of Ho Si a small town where he quickly learns that the Chows and Mongs are so divided they have literal lines neither can cross. It is only a matter of time until Wong – along with a promising young student Chow Ping (Wang Yu) – must face the leaders of the warring clans if peace is to be made.
No matter how many Martial Arts School films you see there will always be one that far exceeds your expectations. Kung Fu Instructor is that sort of film. The film is not just adroitly written but stylishly directed and performed. There isn’t a moment wasted in the lead 104-minute runtime with shifting allegiances and fists of fury flying at almost every turn. Like Yojimbo, the film is grounded in an almost noirish tone with corruption being not even the undercurrent but the rising tide throughout.
Though Yojimbo was never as altruistic as Wong Yang is in Kung Fu Instructor – which is one of the benefits of the shifting dynamics of this adaptation. Ti Lung is more Gary Cooper in his earnestness as Wong who only wants to share his wealth of knowledge to those up to the challenge of his hard tutelage. In fact, Kung Fu Instructor makes its second half a sort of Team Up/Buddy film rather than the Lone Avenging Wolf troupe that Yojimbo’s second half tells. It works to the benefit of both performers giving us a great final third and a truly excellent final action set piece.
Kung Fu Instructor as with the best of the Shaw Brothers films ends right when it needs to and not a second more. Another truly fun discovery that martial arts fans will revel in.
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. Much like the recently reviewed Facets of Love, much of the film was a stage-bound production – with a few shots on location scenes – and the perfection of the stage lighting and photography is gorgeously reproduced here in high definition. 88 Films continues its vital work of curating Asian Genre films both popular and obscure.
The Extras
They include the following;
Trailer (1:23)
Still gallery (1:50) – the gallery consists of 22 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.
The Final Thought
88 Films has given Kung Fu Instructor an excellent transfer. Recommended!
88 Films Blu-Ray edition of Kung Fu Instructor is out now
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