Tang ren jie xiao zi (1977) Online

I don't normally watch martial arts movies that take place in a modern day city, but I kept seeing parts of this movie on T.V. and it eventually caught my interest.

This is actually a good movie. You do sort of get close to some of the characters (good acting for this type of movie).

Watching this movie today, it does feel rather dated, with the bell-bottom pants and some of the background music. Though, some of the music is kind of "cool" sounding, and fits in with the scenes. Wait till you see the modern digital wrist watch that the lead character becomes obsessed with (remember those big ones where you had to push a button to see the red LED light up the time? I do!)

The story is good and does have some morals to it. The scenery does look rather phoney. It looks as if a strong wind might blow down some of the stores downtown. Is a hot dog stand supposed to convince us that this is really America?

The dubbing is also very funny, and stereo-typical of Chinese people and kung fu movies.

Most of the fight scenes in this are not that great, and is probably the film's weak point. There seems to be too many fight scenes in this movie anyway. This is one of those rare martial arts film where the plot is more interesting than the fighting.

To some it up, this movie does have "campy" elements, and there are some poor production qualities. But the acting, character development, story, and even a few positive production values make this into a very watchable movie.

I recommend this to fans of Chinese martial arts movies, especially the older 70's/80's movies. Or anyone who likes to watch something a little different from time to time.

7 out of 10 stars.

Chang Cheh's CHINATOWN KID (1977) is that rare Hong Kong kung fu film that takes place largely in America. A rise-and-fall gangster story (reminiscent of the same director's earlier BOXER FROM SHANTUNG), it serves as an excellent showcase for the talents of kung fu star Fu Sheng and offers a stellar supporting cast that includes all five of the actors who would later be known collectively as the Five Venoms. Although its recreation of San Francisco's Chinatown streets in a Hong Kong studio may not fool many American viewers, the film's sharp storytelling and frequent street fights make this a must-see for kung fu fans.

Fu Sheng plays a Chinese refugee in Hong Kong who runs afoul of a triad boss after freeing a girl who'd been abducted by a prostitution ring. With the help of the girl's family, he stows away on a ship to San Francisco and settles in Chinatown, working long hours at a restaurant alongside a student (future Venom Sun Chien) from Taiwan. Before too long, his kung fu skills get him into trouble again and he loses his job but is hired by one of the local criminal gangs. He fights hard for the gang and rises up in the ranks before his conscience gets the better of him after his student friend gets hooked on heroin. In the film's final battle, Fu Sheng takes on the entire White Dragon gang.

The chief villain in the Hong Kong segments is Wang Lung Wei as the triad boss who is angered when Fu Sheng frees the girl (played by Kara Hui Ying Hung, a future fighting star in her own right). Wang winds up following Fu Sheng to San Francisco where he allies with the Ching Wu group, headed by Lo Meng (the most muscular of the Five Venoms). Fu Sheng sides with Kuo Chui (aka Philip Kwok, the acrobatic Venom) of the rival White Dragons in their fight with Ching Wu. This sets the stage for a flurry of short, but spectacular brawls, set in the streets, clubs and gyms of San Francisco, featuring some of the top kung fu actor-fighters in the Hong Kong film industry of the late 1970s. Additional notables in the cast include Tsai Hung as an S.F. crime boss, while the two remaining future Venoms, Chiang Sheng and Lu Feng, play gang henchmen. Some attractive actresses are on hand as well, including Shirley Yu, Shaw Yin-Yin, and Jenny Tseng (Fu Sheng's wife).

While the studio-built streets are not terribly convincing, the costume and interior design vividly capture the tackier elements of 1970s American fashion and décor and give the film a fresh visual look distinguishing it from all other Hong Kong kung fu films of the era. (Location shots of San Francisco are inserted at regular intervals, including two or three actual location shots with Fu Sheng himself.) CHINATOWN KID recalls several earlier Chang Cheh kung fu films, although the Hollywood gangster film it most closely resembles is Brian De Palma's SCARFACE (1983), which was made six years later!

ADDENDUM (5/11/14): When the "restored" Mandarin-language Celestial DVD of this film was issued in 2004, it offered a much shorter version of the film, listed as 86 minutes as opposed to the English-dubbed VHS version I reviewed above, which is 114 minutes and came out from South Gate Entertainment in 1990. That's a difference of 28 minutes. Well, I finally watched both versions back-to-back and was startled to learn that the DVD offers quite a different version of the film, with several scenes not in the English dub and a greater emphasis on the student played by Sun Chien. We see more scenes of him in Taiwan well before his trip to the U.S. and his fateful friendship with Fu Sheng. One entire character, the mob boss played by Tsai Hung, is eliminated from the shorter version and different scenes serving the same purpose are added with Kuo Chui's character providing the exposition. Which is troubling, since some of Tsai Hung's scenes are among the best parts of the longer version and serve to keep the emphasis on the gangster intrigue that provides many of the plot's strong points. Also, the biggest fight scenes tend to be much shorter in the DVD. And the ending is very different with its big finale interrupted by a sudden intervention that would be completely out of place in the longer version, all presumably, I imagine, to end the film on a more positive, pro-education, message-oriented note. I think I can speak for other kung fu fans when I suggest that maybe this audience would prefer fewer messages and more fight choreography. Which is what the long version, now only available on an out-of-print VHS edition, gave us.

After watching the recently released and remastered version of Heaven And Hell, I started digging through my collection and found possibly Fu Sheng's greatest film, The Chinatown Kid. This kung fu gangster story sports some awesome fight scenes and is a perfect example of why Shaw Brothers was truly a dynasty back in the day. With fantastic fighting skills, matinée idol looks, and magnetic charisma, Fu Sheng was on his way to becoming one of the greatest stars ever in Hong Kong cinema. Unfortunately, an automobile accident took him away from us too soon. This classic, featuring Fu and the original 5 venoms really needs a legitimate release. Hopefully, it will happen in my lifetime.

The Chinatown Kid (1977) is another masterpiece from Chang Cheh. Alexander Fu Sheng stars as Tang Dong, a bumpkin who illegally immigrates to Hong Kong (with the aid of his uncle) and works odd jobs whilst dreaming about becoming rich and successful. The film also tells the story of a young Taiwanese man who just did a stint in the military who works hard and aspires to become a success. His chance comes when he's offered a scholarship at U.C. Berkely. Two lives that parallel each other eventually cross paths in San Francisco's Chinatown. This film is somewhat similar to Chang Cheh's other films Boxer From Shan tung and The Delinquent. Both of them have the same theme and they're all equally excellent. Ni Kuang reworks the theme by not only modernizing it but by bringing it to "Chinatown". The future Five Deadly Venoms all have small parts in this movie. The movie is cheesy and preachy at times but it's all done in jest. Alexander Fu Sheng shows that he's a lead actor in this movie and it's sad that his life was cut short several years later. His future wife Jenny Tsang has a small part as his girlfriend (but strangely disappears after a couple of scenes) and Philip Kwok co-stars as Tan Dong benefactor. Overall Chinatown Kid is not as deep or heavy as Chang Cheh''s other films but it's good fun and nicely paced and edited.

Highly recommended.

There are a few things I found strange about this film. One, Chinatown in this movie is very dusty. Two, the car's driver side is on the right hand side.Three, someone forgot to convert Hong Kong Dollars into U.S. Dollars

(i.e. five dollars for a hot dog in 1977?). What's even funnier is the fact the sign outside the hot dog stand says 5.00 USD for "hot dogs" and sold canned beer. (Tan Dong called them "dog sausages"). The biggest laugh was the Orange Julius that sold noodles.

Again, the 5 Deadly Venoms (and Fu Sheng and Wang Lung Wei) prove why they're the best martial artists on screen! The action is first rate, but as usual the cameraman doesn't capture the whole scene in some parts. This, however is the only real flaw in this film. The story is much better than average and Philip Kwok finally plays one of the bad guys!

CHINATOWN KID is yet another Shaw Brothers kung fu movie that feels fresh and different despite the fact that the studio made literally hundreds of similar movies during this era. Like so many others, this one is directed by Chang Cheh, although this one is a bit unusual as it features the fresh-faced star Alexander Fu Sheng in the leading role instead of one of Cheh's earlier favoured stars like Ti Lung or David Chiang. The Venoms also play in support, on the very cusp of stardom before 1978's FIVE DEADLY VENOMS.

What I liked about this film was its setting. It's a modern day story that feels more convincingly modern than something like THE ANGRY GUEST. Fu Sheng is a country bumpkin who finds himself transported off to the USA to begin a new life, before inevitably falling in with some drug-dealing criminal gangs who run San Francisco's Chinatown. The story is thematic and densely-plotted in places, featuring multiple rival factions and characters and of course a multitude of thrilling action scenes.

I saw the Chinese version of this film which is some twenty minutes shorter than the international release. As such it feels very fast-paced and never boring. Fu Sheng has never been more innocently likable than he is here and he's given fine character support from the underrated Sun Chien, an actor I thought never really got his dues as he's always very good and should be better-known in the west. The exemplary supporting cast features Wang Lung Wei as a stock villain (with hints of grace) and two of the Venoms, Phillip Kwok and Lo Meng, as rival gang leaders. Chiang Sheng, Lu Feng, and Dick Wei also appear as henchmen. The action sequences are fantastic, of course, and bolstered by the engaging story; there's very little to dislike here, although I would like to see a good-quality version of the extended cut one day to find out what I'm missing.

The confusion in some of the reviews above is because the Celestial release is a different edit, including a different ending to the longer International version. The Celestial version is a nice print but confusing at times with for example the sub-plot with Alexander's saving the reluctant prostitute Kara Hui in Hong Kong cut completely. The ending is also much softer with Alexander surviving at the end and repenting the path he had chosen. But this is still a good film. Ignore the shaky reconstructions of 70's San Francisco (though it's fun to spot the mistakes) and enjoy Alexander Fu Sheng in a good role as the poor kid who ends up on the wrong path to riches (and a digital watch) playing opposite Sun Chien(in thick studious glasses) who works hard for his success. The fights are frequent but not particularly spectacular or that bloody for a Chang Cheh film. The 'bit' actors are generally poor except for the glimpses of what would become the five Venoms - Philip Kwok has a good role as the leader of the White Dragon gang and a few fights. Shirley Yu Sha Li doesn't do much but shows off the sex appeal that propelled her to immense fame in Hong Kong. An enjoyable film but pity a complete print isn't yet available (the International version apparently has different cuts according to other reviewers).

Man I just got the Celestial remastered DVD release of this classic venom film, I first saw this on channel 5 "Drive in" movies on a Saturday after noon at 3:00 o'clock in the mid 80's and it was awesome, I was and will be a Fu Sheng fan, I even have the poorly American version of this DVD...well let me tell you the version I just saw is totally different. On the TV version he dies, on the remastered version he gets arrested and lives, if you take a look at his white inner vest he has a wound that is bleeding right trough to the jacket and this is on the final fight scene, which he dies from on the American version, he gets arrested and lives...wow! Now there is something I never expected, director Chen Cheng did something I've never seen before on Hong Kong cinema (at least from that time frame) double ending.

This is gonna make me take a more careful look for every Celestial release from now on, so far I got 10 releases that are remastered and beautifully cleaned, but I haven't found the other classics yet.

This movie is a classic of the late star Alexander Fu Sheng. Here, he plays a guy who gets in trouble back home and is then sent to San Francisco. He finds work at a Chinese restaurant but after getting fired for standing up to gangsters, he joins a rival gang and makes it big.

The current DVD versions of the film are horrendous. Too bad, since this is an all-time classic.

8 out of ten for the movie, 0 out of ten for the DVD transfer.