Shaolin Red Master
Director:
Sung Ting-mei
Year: 1978
Rating: 5.5
Aka - Shaolin Tough Kid
Dubbed
I was in the mood for a traditional kung
fu film and I found it. It was a little bit more complicated than I wanted
with lots of characters who I never clearly understood who they were. But
I wasn't here for the plot but just for old-fashioned kung fu without a lot
of wires - just skill and whacking each other. There is plenty of that. It
begins as your typical revenge for the murder of the parents but then it
gets caught up in some intrigue. Su (Chi Kuan-chun) was brought up in a Buddhist
Temple after his parents were murdered by killers unknown. I am not all that
familiar with Chi but I should be as he appeared in a number of Shaw Brothers
films until he left Shaw in 1976 and went off to Taiwan where this film was
shot. He came out of retirement to appear in Drunken Monkey (2003) and Seven
Swords (2005). He is very impressive here.
To graduate from the Yellow Lama Buddhist
temple, he has to defeat three opponents - the first one with the shaven
head is Phillp Ko. He defeats them and then is told by an old servant
of his family that Flying Tiger (Lung Fei) is getting out of jail and knows
something about who killed his parents. But Red Lama monks are trying to
kill him and Su has to save him. Su follows him to an inn that is run by
the widow of the recent dead owner. But she keeps visiting the morgue at
night for some reason. She is played by Shaw actress Hu Chin, so you know
she can't be on the up and up. She never is. Her trademark mole on her chin
is the giveaway.
All these people keep showing up trying
to kill Flying Tiger, Su keeps saving him, there seems to be an ancient Ginseng
around with powers and a Jade Buddha that everyone wants. The evil head of
the Red Lama sect (Gam Ming - who also choreographs the film) is behind most
of the skullduggery. Su doesn't know who killed his parents and he can't
get revenge until he does. Su's only friend is the waiter at the inn - the
very rotund Ah Tso played by the very rotund Ko Hsiao-pao who was in over
300 films. Mostly I think in small parts as a waiter at in inn. He has a
large part here. A good amount of well-done kung fu and in one scene against
a bunch of fake hopping vampires. It scratched my itch but not much more.
