In 1975, Shaw Brothers executive Ng See Yuen broke from his former studio, and founded his own production company called Seasonal Films. The studio’s first Kung Fu offering was the popular SECRET RIVALS (starring John Liu and Hwang Jang Li) that quickly solidified the studios position in the Chinese film industry. The studio went on to produce INVINCIBLE ARMOR, NINJA IN THE DRAGON’S DEN, and the inevitable SECRET RIVALS 2. With these credentials firmly in place, Seasonal Films teamed with director Yuen Woo Ping and the famous Yuen clan (a family known for their fantastic fight choreography) to produce some small independent pictures you may have heard about called DRUNKEN MASTER and SNAKE IN THE EAGLE’S SHADOW. In 1980, Seasonal Films tackled an important Chinese historical martial arts drama called LEGEND OF A FIGHTER, about real-life martial artist Yun Gap Fok. Two decades later, U.K. based video company Hong Kong Legends (HKL) forms a distribution deal with Media Asia, which includes the titles conceived by Seasonal Films. In a very short time, HKL has become the last word in Asian action pictures—no other studio can touch the quality of their work and the amount of supplements. Most of the initial releases from HKL are from the genre’s most popular icons, Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan, Jet Li, Sammo Hung, etc. The only non-trendy title they have released so far is LEGEND OF A FIGHTER.

LEGEND OF A FIGHTER features an incredible amount of old school talent that even if you are not fond of the film, you can appreciate the cast and the martial arts choreography of the Yuen family. Leung Kar Yan top lines as respected Chinese martial artist Yun Gap Fok. Leung Kar Yan was a fixture in old school Kung Fu pictures before joining Sammo Hung’s circle of friends and going mainstream. He had key roles in IRON MONKEY (1977), GREEN JADE STATUETTE, and THUNDERING MANTIS. Kung Fu veteran Philip Ko plays his father, Grandmaster Fok. Philip Ko usually plays villains as seen in MARS VILLA, DUEL OF THE SEVEN TIGERS, and 8 DIAGRAM POLE FIGHTER, but here he is not really a bad guy. Chances are if a classic Kung Fu flick has a Japanese fighter, the character is played by the great Yasuaki Kurata. Kurata is a Japanese martial artist who spent most of his career in the Hong Kong film industry, and you can see him in CALL ME DRAGON, RETURN OF THE DEADLY BLADE, and KUNG FU PUNCH OF DEATH. Lee Ka Ting plays Sanaka, another top Japanese fighter who wants a piece of Leung Kar Yan. Lee Ka Ting kicked ass in HAPKIDO, THE HIMALAYAN, and END OF WICKED TIGER.

In 1901, China was being invaded from the combined armies of Japan, Russia, Britain, Germany, and Austria. The land was being torn by the ravages of war, and the excesses of the invading powers. The rulers of China, the Ching Dynasty, were forced to seize vast tracks of land and four hundred thousand tails of silver. During this period of great strife, a legend was born. His name was Fok Yun Gap. When he was a young man, he wanted to train under his father Grandmaster Fok (Phil Ko), but his father wanted Yun Gap to be a scholar instead, so he hired a teacher, Chen Seng Ho (Kurata) to tutor his son. The troubled youth Yun Gap quickly strikes up a friendship with his new tutor. Yun Gap is unaware that the timid Chen Seng Ho is actually a Japanese spy sent to steal secret Kung Fu training techniques from his father. Still, Chen Seng Ho feels bad for his pupil because his father refuses to teach him the martial arts. So, he offers to train him in a cross-pollination of Karate and Kung Fu, which brings the kid up to speed in no time. Suddenly, Chen Seng Ho informs Yun Gap that he must return home, and his apprentice promises to keep practicing the martial arts without the knowledge of his father.

Several years later, Grandmaster Fok is now an old man who can no longer fight off the challenges of a rival school. One day, during such an attack, Yun Gap saves his father from receiving a beating. As Yun Gap works over his opponent, his father can’t believe his mousy son has mastered self Kung Fu! Grandmaster Fok sees the error of his ways and names Yun Gap as successor to the family school. With such a high profile position also comes great responsibility. Yun Gap is soon challenged by various foreign fighters including Maletov, a Russian boxer and a Japanese Karate Champion, Sanaka (Lee Ka Ting). As Yun Gap dispatches of these formidable opponents, he is more respected by the people of China. But when Sanaka returns to Japan, he cannot live in the shadow of defeat, so he commits suicide. In retaliation, the Japanese issue Yun Gap a death challenge to be fought inside a local gymnasium in China. On the day of the fight, Yun Gap and his entourage await the arrival of Japan’s top fighter. Yun Gap is ecstatic when he sees his old martial arts mentor Chen Seng Ho attend the duel. But Chen Seng Ho shocks all in attendance by revealing that he there to kill Yun Gap. When the two finally square off, Yun Gap has a difficult time coming to grips that he is facing his mentor!

LEGEND OF FIGHTER is clearly Yuen Woo Ping’s best old school film. It outshines his other films from this period such as THE BUDDHIST FIST, DANCE OF THE DRUNKEN MANTIS, or DRUNKEN TAI CHI. The humor is kept to an absolute minimum, and the few humorous moments never intersect with the dramatic elements. In fact, the humor seems almost tacked on—as though it was added as an afterthought. Yuen Woo Ping keeps the tone light, and (for once) presents a historical Kung Fu film that does not have a revenge motive or high body count. Perhaps because the film is set during the Chinese foreign occupation in1901, LEGEND OF A FIGHTER does not reflect the savage tone of the Shaw Brothers epics. This movie is loaded with impressive fight choreography, but it is not a violent movie. The plot focuses on the progression of Yun Gap Fok as he scales the heights of the Kung Fu ladder of success. There is no murder and mayhem, and the fights just stop when one opponent is beaten. There is only one death in the entire movie, and it is a suicide. Yuen Woo Ping ensures that the human elements do not get lost in the dizzying blur of motion.

Leung Kar Yan gives a career performance as the legendary Chinese martial arts practitioner. The same can be said for Yasuaki Kurata. Those both these men are superb martial artists, their acting ability outshines their combat skills—and even the English dubbing can’t take away from this. In LEGEND OF A FIGHTER, each man is the Ying to the other’s Yang, and Yuen Woo Ping takes full advantage of this. In the first act, Yasuaki Kurata trains Yun Gap (Yuen Yat Chor) in some whimsical scenes that endear both men to the audience. It is only later; that when both men are on opposing sides that the tension between them becomes unbearable. Yuen Woo Ping avoids depicting Yasuaki Kurata as a villain, and as a result the climatic fight achieves a more realistic tone. Since their confrontation is not a typical good guy vs. bad guy showdown, this adds a healthy dose of authenticity to the whole affair. Philip Ko is also good as Grandmaster Fok and his character runs the gamut of paternal emotions. These underrated Hong Kong actors keep the drama first and the action second, as it should be.

From the Special Features menu, you can access the disc’s special features. For an overlooked old school film, there are some impressive extras. There are detailed talent bios for Leung Kar Yan and Yuen Woo Ping. The information scrolls down the screen and is actually narrated if you prefer to listen rather than read. There is a photo gallery that contains several color and black & white production stills. You can view the U.K. promotional trailer or the original Mandarin language trailer (which features scenes not seen in the film!). There is a recent video interview with Leung Kar Yan where he discusses his career and LEGEND OF A FIGHTER in particular. This is followed by a similar interview with director Yuen Woo Ping. Both interviews are conducted in Chinese with English subtitles. Then there is a trailer gallery for these other Hong Kong Legends titles:

• FISTS OF FURY
• ONCE UPON A TIME IN CHINA
• ARMOUR OF GOD
• DRUNKEN MASTER
• THE BIG BOSS
• NEW DRAGON GATE INN
• BATTLE CREEK BRAWL
• IRON MONKEY