Average
Summary
A goofy mishmash of all sorts of martial arts mayhem, ideas, and subgenres thrown together (not altogether successfully, mind you) makes Kid From Kwang Tung a mixed bag of a film from the Shaw Brothers, but it’s not a complete misfire.
Plot: Two martial arts schools go to war when one of the teachers turns out to be an evil schemer.
Review: Two rival martial arts schools are always playfully at war with each other, but things escalate quickly when one of the two main instructors is killed – murdered – by a scheming master with supernatural proclivities, but to what end? The students of the murdered teacher venture out of their bubble and investigate: The evil master has somehow harnessed the ability to reanimate the dead, using the undead soldiers to do his bidding, and so the good students hatch a wild plan that could get them in deep water with the evil master – they infiltrate his hideout, pose as the undead, and try to find the master’s weakness. Zany mishaps, mix-ups, and wild, over-the-top fight scenes ensue.
A goofy mishmash of all sorts of martial arts mayhem, ideas, and subgenres thrown together (not altogether successfully, mind you) makes Kid From Kwang Tung a mixed bag of a film from the Shaw Brothers, but it’s not a complete misfire. There’s a centerpiece sequence where two dragon dancing teams (one team is a dragon, the other a huge centipede) compete in a competition that goes off the rails, but it’s a fun sequence and goes on for quite awhile. This was the best and most inventive sequence in the film and stands apart, but there are plenty of eye opening fight scenes as well, with a climax involving burning the evil master’s face and then a body slamming pile-up to finish the job. Fans of the Shaw Brothers should take notice even if no one else needs to. From director Hsu Hsia.
88 Films brings Kid From Kwang Tung to Blu-ray in sharp high definition, and comes with four collector cards, a still gallery, and a reversible sleeve. The limited edition package comes with a slipcover.