- Opium and the Kung Fu Master DVD - copyright 2010 FUNimation
Mention The Shaw Brothers to any kung fu fan and you'll immediately get bowing and murmurs of "We're not worthy." From 1951 to 2002, the studio cranked out a ton of martial arts classics like Come Drink With Me (the first kung fu flick with a female protagonist), The Five Deadly Venoms, The 14 Amazons, Brave Archer and The One-Armed Swordsman.
Opium and the Kung Fu Master (also known as Hung kuen dai see or The Flying Fists of Shaolin) is one of their lesser-known classics; released in 1983 when the studio was beginning its slow decline. Featuring Ti Lung – one of martial arts cinema's most charismatic leading men and best actors – in the surprising story of a kung fu hero who falls prey to opium addiction, this film was also the last directing effort from acclaimed stunt choreographer Tong Gaai.
FUNimation Distributes The Shaw Bros.' Opium and the Kung Fu Master, Starring Ti Lung
Tie Qiao San (Ti Lung) – one of the formidable Ten Tigers of Guangdong – is the staunch defender of his sleepy little town, famed for upholding the law and honoured for his humility. However, this young hero has a fatal flaw: he is slowly becoming addicted to opium.
Even worse, a rival gang has decided to flood this town with the drug, making everyone into addicts, slacking off work and ignoring their families. Crippled by his own addiction, Tie can no longer defend his students or the townspeople. Only a hot-headed student (Robert Mak Tak-Law) has avoided becoming ensnared, but his skills are no match for the ruthless gangsters who are tightening their grip.
Opium and the Kung Fu Master starts off as your typical breezy Shaw Bros. film: full of playful dialogue, broad comedy and stunning kung fu action. Director Tong (who also cast himself as the blind Master who first notices Tie's problem) is one of the greatest martial arts choreographers of all time, and he's at the height of his powers here. Whether it's the opening battle on a rooftop, or a comedic conflict between two fighters who are dangling from ceiling-mounted garlands, there are no shortage of beautifully choreographed sequences to delight martial arts fans.
But what sets this film apart from other chop-socky flicks is not just the way it handles drugs (usually it's more of a MacGuffin to get the hero on the rampage), but how it suddenly shifts tones midway through the film. It becomes darker, highlighted by a shocking revelation that results in a grisly suicide. At the same time, the bumbling villains become more menacing, more of a danger to our hero.
This could have been extremely disjointed, but it's a testament to Tong's skill behind the camera that he somehow makes it work. It's a shame he never directed another film after this one: he could become as revered as Yuen Woo-Ping (Iron Monkey, The Matrix).
Kudos also go to Ti Lung, who delivers a nuanced performance as the hero whose flaw nearly destroys him and those he swore to defend. After leaving The Shaw Bros', Ti struggled to find work before John Woo cast him opposite Chow Yun-Fat in A Better Tomorrow. After seeing his performance here, it's not surprising that Woo cast him in the role of a doomed gangster, or that he earned Best Actor Awards at the Golden Horseshoe and Hong Kong Film ceremonies.
The Shaw Brothers' Opium and the Kung Fu Hero: Worth Checking Out
Kung fu films can be an acquired taste but if you're a fan looking for a (ahem) gateway drug to get a friend or significant other hooked on chop-socky, you could do a lot worse than Opium and the Kung Fu Hero. It gets a 4/5.
Dominic von Riedemann - Dominic is the Animated Film Feature Writer, and winner of 11 Suite 101 Editors' Choice Awards.
