18 Fatal Strikes (1978) |
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Director: | Chan Yeung Jing |
Writers: | Chih-hung Hsieh and Sung Pe Liu |
Starring: | Wei Tung, Dean Shek, Wen Chiang-lung, and Lung Sze-Ma |
The Review |
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Both of the leads, despite the way they look, come across as being very athletic and acrobatic. This is a bit of a surprise for me, as I’ve never noticed Dean Shek in a role like this. While I can not pretend to be an expert on his filmography, I know that he is best known for his goofy roles in older kung fu films. Gone is his hunchback and mole for this movie, and instead he plays the wackier of the two brothers. Wacky as he may be, this is a very physical role, and Shek truly steps up to the plate. He walks on his hands, does flips, and is involved in some very skullful looking fight choreography. Wei Tung is the other lead, and readers may remember him as the kid in Enter the Dragon who Bruce Lee slaps on the head for “thinking” instead of “feeling.” The choreography within the film is just ridiculous. This is handled by veteran Yuen clan member, Yuen Cheung Yan. For those of you who aren’t away, Yuen Cheung Yan is the brother of Yuen Woo-ping (choreographer behind The Matrix, Fist of Legend, and a million other productions). Yuen Cheung Yan mixes up a variety of styles within the film, most noticeably using a cat style for the main villain (who is dubbed with the most atrocious “cat noises” you could imagine) and using various other techniques for our heroes.




The Conclusion |
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