KUNG FU: THE PUNCH OF DEATH (1973) is a historical martial arts film about the exploits of the legendary Fong Sai Yuk. The film (also known as PRODIGAL BOXER and KICK OF DEATH) features Meng Fei in one of his earliest and most important roles. Meng Fei debuted in KING BOXER (1971) and also starred in THE INVINCIBLE KUNG FU TRIO, FIVE MASTERS OF DEATH, and the magnificent GREEN JADE STATUETTE. Japanese Karate champion Yasuaki Kurata also gets top billing as the evil Iron Hand Tan. Kurata appeared in many early Kung Fu flicks such as FIST OF VENGEANCE, CHALLANGE OF THE NINJA, and NINJA’S DEADLY TRAP. Kurata continued to work in films through the Hong Kong New Wave right up to FIST OF LEGEND (1994). KUNG FU: THE PUNCH OF DEATH was one of the better interpretations of the Fong Sai Yuk legend, and was considered a success in China. Thanks to a movie distribution company called Lana Films, KUNG FU PUNCH OF DEATH hit North American theaters in 1974. In 1998, Crash Cinema released PRODIGAL BOXER on DVD as part of their Shaolin Temple collection. However, this collection is now out of print. You can still find many of those titles on store shelves, but the PRODIGAL BOXER DVD is pretty hard to come by. However, the folks at Brentwood communications have come through with an uncut, widescreen version of the film as KUNG FU PUNCH OF DEATH, at a significantly lower price point than Crash Cinema’s DVD.

KUNG FU: THE PUNCH OF DEATH opens with young martial arts student Fong Sai Yuk, who enters his trained insect in a cricket fighting competition. He is joined by fellow students from his parent’s Kung Fu school. The other clan (who have money on the fights) in attendance are not happy that their cricket is losing to the young kid’s cricket. Tempers flare and a fight breaks out between the Kung Fu students and the gamblers. In the struggle, Fong Sai Yuk accidentally injures an opponent, who is the son of Mr. Mei (his father’s sworn enemy). The students fight off their aggressors and return to their school, where Fong Sai Yuk’s mother (Lee Lam Lam) continues their training. She chastises her son, because he gets into fights too easily. Meanwhile, Mr. Mei’s son dies from injuries sustained in the fracas, and he enlists the aide of two champion fighters (who also happen to be brothers) to get back at Fong Sai Yuk. The intelligent brother Iron Hand Tan (Yasuaki Kurata) and his dumber sibling intrude into the school and begin to beat the students. The entire building erupts into violence, and Fong Sai Yuk’s father gets killed by Kurata. When his mother finally tells Fong Sai Yuk that his father is dead, the young boy swears revenge. But, she knows that he is not ready to challenge Kurata so she does not reveal the identity of the killers. Instead, she insists that he continue training and in a year’s time she will the names of the murderers. Then Fong Sai Yuk shall be fully trained and prepared to seek revenge.

When Fong Sai Yuk discovers that a lady has hung herself, he invites her grief stricken daughter, Su Pin, to move into his mother’s school. Kurata and his brother return to the school of Mr. Mei with news of the death of Fong Sai Yuk’s father. Mr. Mei demands that they bring him the body of Fong Sai Yuk. Fong Sai Yuk goes around beating up the older citizens, until they tell him the identities of his father killers. Then he goes to Mr. Mei’s school to face them. Iron Hand Tan is not there, so instead Fong Sai Yuk takes out his aggressions on some of the rival students. The battered students reveal that the brothers are at a restaurant. Fong Sai Yuk dashes over there and finds them selling stolen goods. Iron Hand Tan and his brother head outside to fight their angry opponent. Su Pin watches as Fong Sai Yuk gets his butt kicked, and runs to tell his mother. She rushes down to the river and saves him from getting beaten to death. She leads her son to a hideaway in the hills, where she and Su Pin tend to his wounds. Once he is up and around, Fong Sai Yuk undergoes rigorous training, including stuff that borders on torture (his mother is a harsh mistress).

Su Pin notices how hard Fong Sai Yuk’s training regimen is, and how it’s affecting him mentally. She convinces him to stop training and accompany her into town for some rest and relaxation. As Fong Sai Yuk enjoys a plate of Chinese cuisine, he notices a disturbance in the streets and leaves the restaurant to investigate (and promises Su Pin he won’t get involved). Mr. Mei’s students bully people in the streets, and Fong Sai Yuk breaks his promise—he brings the ruffians to their knees (literally) and forces them to take him to Mr. Mei’s entourage in the mountains. When he arrives he begins a protracted battle with Iron Hand Tan and his brother. After a long and commendable fight, Fong Sai Yuk once again falls to the combined martial arts experience of his opponents. They leave him for dead, but Su Pin reclaims his prone body and takes him back to his mother for more training. This time he is more determined than ever to take his time and master his mother’s teachings. Finally, one day while sparring furiously with his mother, he beats her. She reminds him that a year has passed since his father was killed, and believes he is ready for their retribution. Conveniently, Iron Hand Tan and his brother are hosting a birthday celebration for Mr. Mei. Fong Sai Yuk crashes the party and challenges Mr. Mei and the brothers to a three-on-one showdown. Thus begins Fong Sai Yuk’s mission of revenge…

In every movie ever made about the Fong Sai Yuk legend, the crux of the story is the relationship between young Fong Sai Yuk and his mother. Each film to explore this territory usually has a revenge motive in place when his mother teaches her son the skills (and wisdom) of their family legacy. In KUNG FU: THE PUNCH OF DEATH, it is the father who suffers an untimely demise at the hands of two renegade champions, hired by Mr. Mei. Two times young Fong Sai Yuk faces his father’s killers, and twice he is left beaten and bruised. Each time he willingly undergoes specialized training (spearheaded by his mother, of course) until a full year goes by. Fong Sai Yuk knows his mother is a phenomenal fighter, and when he finally defeats her, he realizes he is ready to settle the score. The mother/son relationship is fully explored, thanks to the chemistry between actress Lee Lam Lam and lead Meng Fei. Lee Lam Lam kicks total ass and is probably the best fighter in the film, at least until she loses to her son. But my only qualm with Lee Lam Lam in KUNG FU: THE PUNCH OF DEATH is that she appears so young and beautiful herself; it’s hard to imagine her as Meng Fei’s mother (she doesn’t look any older than thirty). On an interesting note, Fong Sai Yuk’s father (who owns the Kung Fu school) is depicted as a total pantywaist. This is something you don’t see too often in the genre—usually only a true Kung Fu master presides over his own school.

KUNG FU: THE PUNCH OF DEATH is an independent effort, yet it retains the epic scope and big budget look of a Shaw Brothers production. Many portions of the movie were filmed on studio soundstages (something the Shaw Brothers did consistently) while many other scenes take place in picturesque wide open spaces, similar to SEVEN BLOWS OF THE DRAGON. Another element that links KUNG FU: THE PUNCH OF DEATH to SEVEN BLOWS OF THE DRAGON is the reliance on a historical Chinese score. The music is mostly pick-driven but very appropriate for the film and adds a layer of authenticity to the proceedings. The fight scenes are masterfully choreographed by future HK director, Chia Liang Liu. In fact, Liu cameos as one of Mr. Mei’s goons who gets beat up by Fong Sai Yuk. Meng Fei is very young here in one of his earliest roles; he doesn’t look any older than eighteen. Despite his young age, he can actually act in addition to having top martial arts skills. The training scenes are rigorous, and Meng Fei endures lots of punishment for such a younger performer.

KUNG FU: THE PUNCH OF DEATH is also a fight showcase for the multi-talented Yasuaki Kurata. He is the man to beat in the film, and his cocky performance perfectly captures the essence of his character. Although his character Iron Hand Tan is a mainland China fighter, you can clearly see the Japanese forms that Kurata fights with (after all he is a genuine Karate champion). Kurata spent more time in the Hong Kong film industry than he ever did in his native Japan. Certainly, that’s their loss, because every picture he made in China benefited from his presence, even though he was usually typecast as a Japanese fighter or Ninja. In KUNG FU: THE PUNCH OF DEATH, Kurata faces off against Meng Fei, Lee Lam Lam, and others in some truly detailed combat sequences. Chia Liang Liu’s choreography is so intricate that there is almost no one-on-one confrontations-- there are always multiple fights going on at the same time with as much action in the background as there is in the foreground. The ending of KUNG FU: THE PUNCH OF DEATH will bring the house down—literally!