They call him master for a reason.
 

The Flick

When rumors that the warrior king Wang Xi Xiong has obliterated the top ten martial arts academies in the land, he seeks a new drillmaster to train his soldiers  to replace the many lost.  Tan Zong (Yuen Biao, Once upon a Time in China) is rumored to be the best in existence and The Commandants’ highest general Renza is sent to find him.  Determined to discover the validity of the rumors, Tan and his dim-witted sidekick Song Fong journey to the king’s palace.  Once he arrives, his skills as a Kung-Fu Master are put to the test.  Upon succeeding, he is offered the position of drillmaster.  He declines and the king imprisons him and attacks the Shaolin temple where he lives.  Tan must now escape and face the king himself in order to save the temples living disciples.

Right out of the gate we see Tan fight a guy controlling a coffin.  It’s absolutely ridiculous looking but sets the tone for the rest of the film.  Every fight scene is just as over the top as the first with a group of fighters who use umbrellas as weapons, a girl whose shirt sleeves can break concrete, a group who fight with wooden benches and more.  Regardless, the choreography isn’t half bad and it’s entertaining albeit silly to see how each fight plays out.

Audio and Video

Kung-Fu Masteris presented in a standard def 16X9 1.78:1 widescreen format, but even on a standard def TV, this film looks poorly shot.  There’s a lot of grain and a heavy amount of blurring during the fight scenes. It may be used for effect, but it doesn’t look so.  Because the film is presented in its original Cantonese language with either English or Spanish subtitles, you’ll spend most of the time reading the conversations on screen.  Thankfully, there’s not a lot of dialogue throughout.  A kick in the face is the same no matter what language it’s spoken in.  There is an English dialogue option available but I wouldn’t recommend it.

Special Features and Packaging

Kung-Fu Masteron DVD comes as a single-disc collection in a standard recycle case with the following extra:

• Trailer Gallery

Overall

Fans of classic martial arts films will love what King-Fu Master offers but its over the top style may deter the average viewer.  Regardless, it’s worth a rental.   

ComicsOnline gives Kung-Fu Master on DVD 2.5 out of 5 flying coffins.

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