This Weekend’s Film Festival - Kung Fu Fighting!

With Miramax releasing wonderful collection of martial arts films titled the Force of Four on Blu-ray this week, This Weekend's Film Festival is getting into the mood with five kung fu flicks. The Force of Four swings in with a blind assassin, drunken boxer, Robin Hood of China and heroes. As an added bonus, the Festival kicks off with a wuxia classic. You know everyone wants kung fu fighting!

King Hu's A TOUCH OF ZEN is considered by many as a landmark of the genre. As I said in my original review, "This isn’t your typical kung-fu flick; Hu works Zen Buddhism into the corners of the entire story." Surprisingly, the lead character Ku Chen Chai (Chun Shih) isn't a martial arts master, but a clumsy scholar who is disinterested in power and fortune. His future becomes entwined with female fugitive Yang Hui-Ching (Hsu Feng), whose father was tortured to death for blowing the whistle on a corrupt eunuch. She, along with the rest of her family, has been sentenced to death as well. Abbot Hui Yuan (Roy Chiao), a kind, wise and kung fu skilled monk, has been sheltering her, but when the eunuch starts sending his best fighters, she and her loyal men must go on the run. The story mixes magical kung fu with a ghost story and a little romance, but overall the story is a battle between good and evil, or better yet the enlightened versus the worldly. Hu paces the story so well that the three-hour-plus film flies to its enigmatic ending, which is far more interested in theme than plot. The Cannes award-winning film lifted the genre up and proved that it could be more than just chop socky entertainment.

Zatoichi is a blind masseur who is also a highly skilled sword master. The character, originated by Shintaro Katsu, has appeared in 27 films in Japan. Following Katsu's death, famed actor/director Takeshi “Beat” Kitano decided to put his own stamp on the franchise, thus was born 2004's THE BLIND SWORDSMAN: ZATOICHI. As I said in my original review, "Kitano boils down the series to its essence and creates a pulp samurai/yakuza flick that fans of Quentin Tarantino will love." In this story, Zatoichi (Kitano) finds himself in a fight for justice, helping geishas O-Sei (Daigoro Tachibana) and O-Kinu (Yuuko Daike) gain revenge against the gang that killed their parents. But the gang leader has hired top assassin Hattori Genosuke (Tadanobu Asano) to kill Zatoichi, a job he only takes so he can help his ailing wife. Kitano's Zatoichi is an unassuming man who kills his opponents with one lightning fast move. Woven between the unique fight sequences, Kitano creates humorous and poetic moments often synchronizing the sounds of people working with drum beats. With its stylized violence and hip looking hero, this is a Zatoichi for the 21 century.

When it comes to modern martial arts films the most famous star would have to be Jackie Chan. THE LEGEND OF THE DRUNKEN MASTER is vintage Chan, combining daring stunts, amazing fight choreography and slapstick comedy. Chan plays Wong Fei-hung, the impetuous son of pious kung fu teacher Wong Kei-ying (Lung Ti). Wong Fei-hung is a master of the drunken boxing style of kung fu. As I said in my original review, "Against his father’s wishes, Wong-fei finds that getting drunk makes him nearly invincible. It’s a wonderful element, because like the Hulk, we know that his superpowers have a good side and bad." The plot begins with Wong Fei-hung trying to avoid paying duties on a parcel of ginseng, which leads to him getting involved in a British scheme to smuggle Chinese antiquities out of the country. Like any good kung-fu film, Wong Fei-hung is presented with increasingly more skilled opponents until the final battle against the British consul’s aloof right-hand man John (Ken Lo), where the two battle inside a steel plant and Chan is thrust onto a bed of flaming coals. The fight scenes are balanced with Buster Keaton-like comedy. Aided by Anita Mui as his conniving mother-in-law, Chan is as skilled a comedian as he is a fighter.

Woo-Ping Yuen's IRON MONKEY is another kung-fu flick that mixes broad comedy with wonderfully choreographed fight sequences. Rongguang Yu stars as the Robin Hood-like Iron Monkey who steals from the corrupt governor and gives back to the peasants. Once again Chinese folk heroes Wong Kei-Ying (Donnie Yen) and his young son Wong Fei-Hung (Sze-Man Tsang) play a roll in this martial arts story. They come into town and gain the unwanted notice of the governor due to their amazing fighting skills. The corrupt official kidnaps Wong Fei-Hung, forcing his father to hunt down the Iron Monkey, who is really the herbalist Dr. Yang. With the help of Dr. Yang assistant Miss Orchid (Jean Wang), Iron Monkey and Wong Kei-Ying eventually team up to face evil imperial official Hiu Hing (Shi-Kwan Yen). With each fight sequence, the awe factor builds until the final battle on top of burning wooden poles. Following the traditions of the genre, the story mixes historical drama with campy humor and a good does of fantasy. As I said in my original review, "[The Chinese] allow a chance for magic in their history. If you allow for the same in this film then you will be richly rewarded with entertainment.

Closing this week's lineup is Yimou Zhang's breathtaking martial arts epic HERO. Nominated for an Oscar, this lush production mixes kung fu battles and war epic combat. Jet Li plays a nameless warrior who has just killed China's top assassins. Unfolding like RASHOMON, the story takes on new dimension and meaning as different points of view are revealed. Li is joined by an all-star cast, which includes Tony Leung Chiu Wai, Maggie Cheung, Ziyi Zhang, and Donnie Yen. "Then you get the fight scenes, which are as beautiful as ballet. The cinematography is some of the best I’ve seen…," to quote my original review. Zhang's use of a bold color palette pops off the screen in the hands of cinematographer Christopher Boyle. From the reds and yellows of the battle in the orchard to the greens and blues of the flying sword fight over a lake, if there is one thing you will be left with after this film, it will be the powerful imagery.

To train to be a kung fu film master simply head to the video store, update the Netflix queue, visit HelloMovies.com for streaming sites, check out Zap2It.com for TV listings, or help support this site by buying the films on DVD or Blu-ray at the links below.