The Prodigal Son (1981)
(AKA: "Pull No Punches")
Director: Sammo Hung
Cast:
Plot: Leung Chang (Yuen Biao) is the son of a wealthy businessman who wishes to master the art of kung fu so he spends all his time practising, and arranging fights with any other kung fu student who he meets. Unknown to him his father worries about his well being so much that he gets Leung’s servant Yee Tong-choi (Peter Chan) to pay all opponents to loose. When a travelling opera troop comes to town, Leung picks a fight with one of the performers, Leung Yee-tai (Lam Ching Ying) and is defeated to his embarrassment. He realises that his martial arts are a sham and begs the opera performer to train him. In the meantime, another wealthy man, a Manchu named Ngai Fai (Frankie Chan) is travelling the country with his two servants/bodyguards (Chung Faat and Dick Wei). He is also looking to prove himself as a master of kung fu. Unknown to him, his bodyguards have been paid to make sure nothing happens to him either, often committing murder to protect their master. After an incident between Leung Yee-tai and Ngai Fai, the opera troop is attacked and most of the members are murdered. Leung Chang and Leung Yee-tai are lucky to escape alive. They go back to Yee-tai’s home where his kung fu brother Wong Wa-po (Sammo Hung) is called upon to help train Leung Chang with his martial arts skills. But there is more tragedy to come that sets up a fight between Leung Chang and Ngai Fai that will prove exactly who is the best kung fu master.
Review: “The Prodigal Son” was directed by Sammo Hung and is based around real characters. Yuen Biao’s character, Leung Chang (or Leung Jan) was also used in Sammo’s film “Warriors Two” where he was played in his later years by Leung Kar Yan, while both Lam Ching Ying and Sammo Hung’s characters were also based on real people who were responsible for developing what would become the Wing Chun fighting style.
I’ll make one thing clear from the start. No matter which way you approach this classic martial arts film there is one thing that is evident. This is Lam Ching Ying’s movie. Yuen Biao really shines in his role, and he is as charming and athletic as ever, giving one of his most loved performances, but it is Lam Ching Ying for me who really shows what an incredible actor he was, and what a true master of kung fu he could be on film. His real life opera school background is utilised to the full, and his use of close quarter Wing Chun moves are near perfect in their execution. He even gets to double for Frankie Chan in some of the more complex moves during the final fight. The film is regarded by many as the best kung fu film ever. I don’t know if I would personally go that far, but the choreography, the stunning cinematography and a wealth of fascinating characters certainly make this a consistently entertaining experience. The action throughout is achieved without the assistance of wires or camera trickery, and this really brings home the fact that this film was made at a time when it was the physicality of the actors, not the cleverness of the film maker that made the action so entertaining.
Sammo called upon his two main stars, Yuen Biao and Lam Ching Ying, plus Billy Chan to assist with the fight choreography, and every fight in this film has something different to offer. We also get some magnificent training sequences where aspects of the fighting style are clearly explained. Sammo Hung, who elected to play what would be regarded as a support role here, mostly plays his character for light relief with scenes between him and Lam Ching Ying among the best moments of the film. There are also some wonderful scenes between him and his daughter “Twiggy” played with some marvellous comic timing by Ho Wai Han.
A true revelation is this film is Frankie Chan. At this time he was known mainly as a film score composer and not as an actor, but his strong performance here put him solidly on the map when it came to action roles. He may be playing the villain of the piece, but the complexities of the plot and his situation make him as much a victim of circumstance as any of the other players. His final fight with Yuen Biao at the end of the film is both magnificent and painful to watch at the same time including some incredible flips and some brutal hits. Chung Faat and Dick Wei provide support as Frankie’s henchmen, carrying out dastardly deeds behind his back that have devastating consequences. Peter Chan, red nosed and in make up that makes him comical just to look at is also simply wonderful here. Playing the servant to Leung Chang, he gets some of the funniest moments in the film, especially during the scenes where he is meant to be attacking his master at every opportunity, reminding me of the “Pink Panther” films where man servant Kato was instructed to attack Inspector Clouseau. Other support roles of note include James Tien as a one armed fighter looking for revenge against Ngai Fai. Cheung Ging Boh plays the ill fated opera troop manager. Wu Ma makes another comic appearance as an exponent of the Iron Palm fighting technique and Lee Hoi San appears as one of Leung Chang’s kung fu teachers.
Without a doubt this is one of Sammo’s finest films as a director. A masterpiece of story telling and superb action. For the most part this is a comedy with realistic well developed characters with human flaws. The fact that there is quite a high body count is something that some viewers may find hard to accept, but then comedy and death often go hand in hand in the world of kung fu action comedies. If this is not the greatest kung fu film ever made, this will certainly sit firmly in many a top ten films amongst fans of this genre. This is highly recommended viewing if just to see Yuen Biao’s exceptionally charismatic performance, and the always reliable Lam Ching Ying in his most memorable role outside of the “Mr Vampire” series of films. The final fight between Yuen Biao and Frankie Chan to me is also one of those defining moments in kung fu cinema. Brilliant and breathtaking.
Rating: 5/5
Director: Sammo Hung
Cast:
Plot: Leung Chang (Yuen Biao) is the son of a wealthy businessman who wishes to master the art of kung fu so he spends all his time practising, and arranging fights with any other kung fu student who he meets. Unknown to him his father worries about his well being so much that he gets Leung’s servant Yee Tong-choi (Peter Chan) to pay all opponents to loose. When a travelling opera troop comes to town, Leung picks a fight with one of the performers, Leung Yee-tai (Lam Ching Ying) and is defeated to his embarrassment. He realises that his martial arts are a sham and begs the opera performer to train him. In the meantime, another wealthy man, a Manchu named Ngai Fai (Frankie Chan) is travelling the country with his two servants/bodyguards (Chung Faat and Dick Wei). He is also looking to prove himself as a master of kung fu. Unknown to him, his bodyguards have been paid to make sure nothing happens to him either, often committing murder to protect their master. After an incident between Leung Yee-tai and Ngai Fai, the opera troop is attacked and most of the members are murdered. Leung Chang and Leung Yee-tai are lucky to escape alive. They go back to Yee-tai’s home where his kung fu brother Wong Wa-po (Sammo Hung) is called upon to help train Leung Chang with his martial arts skills. But there is more tragedy to come that sets up a fight between Leung Chang and Ngai Fai that will prove exactly who is the best kung fu master.
Review: “The Prodigal Son” was directed by Sammo Hung and is based around real characters. Yuen Biao’s character, Leung Chang (or Leung Jan) was also used in Sammo’s film “Warriors Two” where he was played in his later years by Leung Kar Yan, while both Lam Ching Ying and Sammo Hung’s characters were also based on real people who were responsible for developing what would become the Wing Chun fighting style.
I’ll make one thing clear from the start. No matter which way you approach this classic martial arts film there is one thing that is evident. This is Lam Ching Ying’s movie. Yuen Biao really shines in his role, and he is as charming and athletic as ever, giving one of his most loved performances, but it is Lam Ching Ying for me who really shows what an incredible actor he was, and what a true master of kung fu he could be on film. His real life opera school background is utilised to the full, and his use of close quarter Wing Chun moves are near perfect in their execution. He even gets to double for Frankie Chan in some of the more complex moves during the final fight. The film is regarded by many as the best kung fu film ever. I don’t know if I would personally go that far, but the choreography, the stunning cinematography and a wealth of fascinating characters certainly make this a consistently entertaining experience. The action throughout is achieved without the assistance of wires or camera trickery, and this really brings home the fact that this film was made at a time when it was the physicality of the actors, not the cleverness of the film maker that made the action so entertaining.
Sammo called upon his two main stars, Yuen Biao and Lam Ching Ying, plus Billy Chan to assist with the fight choreography, and every fight in this film has something different to offer. We also get some magnificent training sequences where aspects of the fighting style are clearly explained. Sammo Hung, who elected to play what would be regarded as a support role here, mostly plays his character for light relief with scenes between him and Lam Ching Ying among the best moments of the film. There are also some wonderful scenes between him and his daughter “Twiggy” played with some marvellous comic timing by Ho Wai Han.
A true revelation is this film is Frankie Chan. At this time he was known mainly as a film score composer and not as an actor, but his strong performance here put him solidly on the map when it came to action roles. He may be playing the villain of the piece, but the complexities of the plot and his situation make him as much a victim of circumstance as any of the other players. His final fight with Yuen Biao at the end of the film is both magnificent and painful to watch at the same time including some incredible flips and some brutal hits. Chung Faat and Dick Wei provide support as Frankie’s henchmen, carrying out dastardly deeds behind his back that have devastating consequences. Peter Chan, red nosed and in make up that makes him comical just to look at is also simply wonderful here. Playing the servant to Leung Chang, he gets some of the funniest moments in the film, especially during the scenes where he is meant to be attacking his master at every opportunity, reminding me of the “Pink Panther” films where man servant Kato was instructed to attack Inspector Clouseau. Other support roles of note include James Tien as a one armed fighter looking for revenge against Ngai Fai. Cheung Ging Boh plays the ill fated opera troop manager. Wu Ma makes another comic appearance as an exponent of the Iron Palm fighting technique and Lee Hoi San appears as one of Leung Chang’s kung fu teachers.
Without a doubt this is one of Sammo’s finest films as a director. A masterpiece of story telling and superb action. For the most part this is a comedy with realistic well developed characters with human flaws. The fact that there is quite a high body count is something that some viewers may find hard to accept, but then comedy and death often go hand in hand in the world of kung fu action comedies. If this is not the greatest kung fu film ever made, this will certainly sit firmly in many a top ten films amongst fans of this genre. This is highly recommended viewing if just to see Yuen Biao’s exceptionally charismatic performance, and the always reliable Lam Ching Ying in his most memorable role outside of the “Mr Vampire” series of films. The final fight between Yuen Biao and Frankie Chan to me is also one of those defining moments in kung fu cinema. Brilliant and breathtaking.
Rating: 5/5
Review by D. M.
Photos by Klara
Photos by Klara
For bigger photos please click on thumbnails
For more pictures visit the Prodigal Son Photo Album
"I'd love if the audience remembered me.
Everything about my movies, my characters.
Don't forget me.
I'm happy that you guys don't forget me.
I love you."
(Sammo Hung)
Everything about my movies, my characters.
Don't forget me.
I'm happy that you guys don't forget me.
I love you."
(Sammo Hung)
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