Dir. John Woo; Pro. Raymond Chow Man-wai; Scr. John Woo; Action Dir. Sammo Hung Kam-bo; Cast Dorian Tan Tao-liang, Yeng Wei, Paul Chang Chung, James Tien Chun, Sammo Hung Kam-bo, Jackie Chan, John Woo, Yuen Biao.
98 min.
Here’s a formulaic gem from the bygone years – the only movie to ever combine the talents of Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung and Yuen Biao under the auspices of action auteur John Woo in one of his earliest directing roles. This is kung phooey in the traditional sense, set during the Ching Dynasty and involving a group of resistance Shaolin fighters led by Dorian Tan. His turbulent task is to escort a rebel leader (played by a young John Woo) across dangerous terrain to safety overseas. James Tien is the villain, playing a hairy ex-Shaolin renegade now Manchu leader set to destroy the film’s vengeful heroes: a spearman (Jackie Chan), a swordsman (Yeng Wei) and the super kicks of Dorian Tan. The action is choreographed to perfection by Sammo whose bucktooth villain is a pure hoot. Hand of Death is run of the mill but a superior novelty nonetheless.
AKA: Countdown in Kung Fu; Shaolin Men; Strike of Death
