After an evil martial arts master kills their teacher, Wong Yu and Chiang Kam realize that they’re next. But can the squabbling duo put their differences aside long enough to defeat him?
Director Hsu Hsia’s “Kid from Kwangtung” opens with a man practicing martial arts in a courtyard. The movie immediately jumps to a classroom scene, introducing rival students Jiayu (Wong Yu) and Dezhi (Chiang Kam) as they pull pranks on one another. This is met with disapproval from their teacher, Master Zhang (Yen Shi-Kwan). The pair continues their rivalry outside the classroom in a bizarre sequence where Jiayu, dressed as a chicken, fights a group of students dressed as a centipede, led by Dezhi.
Between sequences, there are hints of an evil martial arts master, Luo Yihu (Hwang Jang-li), on the verge of invading the town. Although his acts comprise the bulk of the advertised plot, the character doesn’t get much screen time until the final twenty minutes.
Most of the movie comes across as a string of random fight scenes, each lasting far longer than necessary. The film also has a sporadic slapstick tone; however, the jokes don’t work particularly well, and the humor doesn’t land. The best, most intriguing sequence features Jiangshi (hopping vampires), but even that overstays its welcome.
The film ends where you expect—a brawl between good and evil, with Jiayu and Dezhi forced to unite to defeat Luo Yihu. The movie’s final shot is as absurd as almost everything that comes before it and leaves a bad taste in the mouth.
“Kid from Kwangtung” arrives on Blu-ray™ from 88 Films, featuring an ‘HD transfer from the original camera negative.’ It is a nice-looking transfer with good audio despite the occasional harshness in the dialogue. Note: I watched with the Cantonese mono soundtrack, which is not the disc’s default setting.
This disc doesn’t have many extra features. It contains the film’s trailer and some stills. The limited edition includes a slipcover and lobby cards.
Fans of the film should be happy with its looks and sounds. Those unfamiliar with the title will probably want to rent (if possible) before they buy.
Now available on Blu-ray™ from 88 Films
3.4k
20k
1.5k
1.3k