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KICKBOXER |
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An insight into the early life of Clubfoot Seven before he became a student of Wong Fei Hung. In the film, Yuen Biao plays Lau Chat, a rich kid with a talent for martial arts, with a lifelong ambition to become a student of Wong Fei Hung. When he is framed for bringing in opium to Po Chi Lam, Chat must find the means to clear his name, and he decides to go undercover and join the bad guys, headed by Boss Wah (Yuen Wah). Ever since the revival of the kung fu genre in 1991 (thanks to Tsui Hark's Wong Fei Hung epic), there have been endless spinoffs to cash in on the bandwagon. Some are really good, but most are cheap budget affairs that are uninspiring to say the least. Unfortunately, Kickboxer is only merely average in a market already flooded with mediocre flicks. The problem lies with Yuen Biao himself. He may have excelled in Once Upon a Time in China with his great performance as Leung Foon, but he seems out of place here, and fails to carry the film with his lack of a good on-screen charisma. Sadly, in my opinion, I don't think Yuen Biao is suited to period drama / action, and would be better off making modern day action flicks that really made his name in the first place. Kickboxer does have an array of excellent fight scenes, especially those between Yuen Biao and Yuen Wah, and since they have accomplished acrobatic skills, there is minimal wire work involved in the fight scenes. The plot is fairly predictable stuff and is forgettable, as is most of the supporting actors, who all fail to shine. And worse of all, there is no Wong Fei Hung. Overall, Kickboxer is worth watching for the fight
scenes alone, but don't compare it to the Once films, and Yuen Biao is
not in top form here, so don't expect excellent acrobatics and mind-boggling
footwork. |
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RATING 5 / 10 |