Yi shan wu hu (1974) User Reviews

Lots of action but little imagination

[ckormos1 · 6/10 · 13 August 2019]

It opens with two guys chained together and on the run. The chain is broken and one guy murders the other. Next I am quickly confused if there is a third escapee. Anyway, the scene changes to coolies unloading a ship. Michael Chan gets into a fight there. Cut to the big bosses discuss their dirty deals. Back to Michael helping the ladies get medicine.

Michael Chan Wai-Man plays the good guy in this early movie of his prolific career. He has played many more roles as the bad guy. I have read, but cannot confirm, that he was a triad member in real life in the Tsim ShaTsui area of Hong Kong. It is a fact that he practiced martial arts beginning in childhood so on screen in 1974 he was definitely the real deal.

My copy is a digital file that plays as wide screen on a HDTV but it is not true wide screen. It is English dubbed.

This movie seems to be about 50% action. There is little to hold my attention as far as character and story. The action is all hand to hand. I rate it only average because though the fights were good there was nothing creative such as using props or weapons or interesting sets.

The other reviewer mentions Carter Wong but he is mistaking the actor for someone else as Carter Wong is not in this movie.

Kinetic Kung Fu...

[poe-48833 · 10/10 · 9 February 2016]

THE BRAVEST FIST has a nice stark (and clearly Low Budget) look to it that I couldn't help but like. It begins with a trio of escapees on the run. We don't see from whence they've escaped, but two of the three are manacled together; the third is alone afoot. Lu, the bigger of the two linked by chains, manages to break the bonds binding him and his companion, then proceeds to fight the man to the death. Meanwhile, the third escapee enters a house and is driven off by the tenant (this apparently being a VERY tough neighborhood). While all of this is going on, the village fishermen are being harassed by a local gang. Chang intervenes and sends the thugs on their way. He then rescues a gambler, Wu Hai, who finds solace in the nearness of his savior (he's invariably nearby whenever anything happens). Lu, the brutal escapee who murdered his traveling companion, begins to grow his criminal empire. When Chang whips Lu and sends him off with his tail between his legs, Lu brings in a pair of "Kung Fu killers" (one of whom is Carter Wong) to set things aright. Lu also kills his wife's lover- and her brother, who tries to defend her. Chang's mother is beaten and his sister kidnapped, which sets the stage for The Final Showdown. Wu Hai, the "gambler," turns out to be an undercover cop and he throws in with Chang vs. the gang. An outstanding little movie, THE BRAVEST FIST is one of those almost non-stop action flicks in which every scene turns into a fight scene. If you like your action fast and furious (with some small touches that make the fight choreography really interesting), check it out.