Despite their limited number of Kung Fu releases on DVD per year (far less than Ground Zero, Tai Seng, World Video, and Xenon), Crash Cinema is well respected by the purists. Perhaps it’s because they attempt to do justice to the martial arts films they distribute, by releasing them in widescreen, and when possible in English or the original language if available. Where all other martial arts distributors merely rehash existing poor quality video masters, Crash Cinema goes to the trouble of securing original uncut source prints. And in this day and age, if you think finding quality source prints for these films is easy, you better guess again. When Crash Cinema came back onto the scene in 2001, they released two noteworthy Chen Sing films, THE MAGNIFICENT and MASK OF DEATH. THE MAGNIFICENT is a 1979 period martial arts epic from an independent company called Associated Asian Films. In addition to the great Chen Sing, THE MAGNIFICENT also stars Carter Wong (BORN INVINCIBLE, FATAL FLYING GUILLOTINES, THE 18 BRONZEMEN), Doris Lung (MOONLIGHT SWORD AND JADE LION, FIGHTING ACE, SILVER SPEAR), and Casanova Wong (ENTER THE INVINCIBLE HERO, THE IRON FISTED MONK, and DUEL OF THE SEVEN TIGERS). THE MAGNIFICENT was never distributed in North America (except in VHS bootleg trading circles), so you can thank Crash Cinema for releasing it on these shores.

THE MAGNIFICENT takes place in 1911, as the Ching Dynasty crumbles to pieces. Lord Lu is solely responsible for the future of China. Lu is under pressure by two factions, a revolutionary movement that wants Lu to declare the Restoration, meaning a new government for the people. General Hsiung (Chen Sing) visits Lu at his palace and promises to protect him and his daughter, Wang Ying (Doris Lung) from Commissioner Yao (Carter Wong) who desires the downfall of the remaining Chings. General Hsiung convinces Lord Lu that Commissioner Yao’s police force plan to execute Lu. Commissioner Yao arrives and appeals to Lu to set up a new Republic. Their conversation is interrupted by the sound of fighting outside the palace. Everyone in the room treads outside to witness a battle between two proud fighters. Yao breaks up the fight and introduces both fighters to one another. These men are both respected rival fighters named Iron Hands and Magic Kicks (Casanova Wong). Yao recruits them to serve on his police force. General Hsiung insists that he and the royal guards escort Lord Lu away from the palace where he is vulnerable to attack from Yao’s rebel associates. Sure enough, Iron Hands and Magic Kicks attempt to capture Lu from General Hsiung’s protection. The General himself leaps to the aid of Lord Lu and the his martial arts prowess quickly sends both men heading for the hills. The General instructs Lu’s guards to take him to a hidden retreat for protection, while the General stays with the armed guards to await the coming of Yao and his constables.

As the other guards escort Lu over the mountains, another third party group attacks the guards and kidnaps Lu. Next, Yao and his men arrive at the scene and survey the dead bodies of Lu’s guards. He is puzzled about the identity of the abductors. The kidnappers take Lu to a large compound where a heavily armed staff keeps watch on him. Lu is confused and demands to know who is responsible for bringing him there. General Hsiung appears and says he brought Lu there for his own safety. General Hsiung also reveals that he is changing the parameters of their deal. He demands that Lord Lu give up the royal emblem, which would make General Hsiung the new leader of government. Naturally the Lu refuses, and General Hsiung plans to get his daughter to use against him for leverage. Yao and his constables go from hunters to the hunted. Yao breaks up his team to search for Lord Lu and General Hsiung. He commandeers a fishing vessel and discovers Princess Wan Ying inside with her Royal Guard of female bodyguards. Yao easily outfights the bodyguards and then is attacked by the Princess herself who believes that he is responsible for her father’s disappearance. She is a better martial artist than her bodyguards, and while they are fighting Yao attempts to talk sense into her. She doesn’t believe him of course, until the men steering the boat try to kill them both by starting a fire in the hull to burn them to death. Commissioner Yao and Wan Ying escape from a fiery death and punish the fishermen accordingly. Yao takes Wan Ying back to the police station for protection. There the rebel minded Iron Hand sees Yao working with Wan Ying, whom he mistakenly thinks is the enemy. Iron Hand goes so far as to get violent and Yao must physically overpower him and send him away. 

Iron Hand goes to General Hsiung’s compound where he offers his services to the General (he is still deceived by the General and thinks he is an honorable man). The General knows he can benefit from allowing Iron Hand to function as his enforcer. Meanwhile, Princess Wan Ying demands that her father be saved and that she personally wants to kill General Hsiung. Yao responds by telling her that his men can overtake the General’s compound anytime, but that killing the General won’t be easy because he’s a master of that rare form of Kung Fu that renders the practitioner invulnerable. Yao and Wan Ying map out a strategy to beat General Hsiung using pressure points. They also train hard developing their own Kung Fu forms, so they may have a better chance of beating the General. When they feel they are ready, Yao enlists his constables and together they invade the General’s compound. General Hsiung’s forces clash with the guards, and an epic battle takes place. Iron Hand quickly comes to his senses and uses the distraction to rescue Lu. But Iron Hand finds that the General has beaten him to the punch--and is awaiting his arrival. General Hsiung finishes him, then joins his troops on the field of battle. Yao, Wang Yin, Magic Kick, and the other constables gain the upper hand during the bloody battle. General Hsiung comes out to personally take care of business. The heroes brace themselves for the moment of truth that they have worked so hard for. But how does one beat a man who is invulnerable, and feels no pain?

THE MAGNIFICENT is just that. It’s a movie that fires on all cylinders. The script goes beyond a mere excuse for Kung Fu fights, to deliver a thought-provoking and politically driven storyline that covers a key period in China’s history. The script also succeeds in setting up the character motivations, and these characters are depicted as shades of gray (like real-life folks), rather than the stereotypical characters with the white or black hats, figuratively speaking. It is not until the half-way point that the motivations for the main characters become clear. Chen Shao Ping’s direction is unique and refreshing, invoking some amazing visuals to match the drama and martial arts action. Ping maintains an atmosphere of tension and an aura of doom to each scene. As a result, he movie is deadly serious, with no humor whatsoever. Ping controls the pacing, suspense, and action throughout, ensuring there are no slow moments during the 90+ minutes running time. He also uses some interesting angles and camera panning that helps create the illusion of movement. Not just in the fight sequences mind you, but other simple scenes like horses moving or people running all exhibit a certain kinetic energy.

The casting is near perfection. Chen Sing’s acting ability convinces the audience he is first the hero, then later a villain (something he eventually got typecast for). The same can be said for Carter Wong, who is never taken seriously in fan circles despite the 200+ films he’s been in. Here, it’s hard to pinpoint his status as rebel hero or rebel villain because that’s what the script calls for. But his conviction in his beliefs spills over into the audience despite the language barriers. Ultimately, he becomes the protagonist and puts in a performance that will generate respect from his critics. Doris Lung is one of the most beautiful women I’ve ever seen in Kung Fu movies, and that alone is reason enough to see THE MAGNIFICENT. However, her martial arts skills cannot compare with those of Angela Mao, Lily Li, Hsia Kuan Lee, or other top Kung Fu vixens. Casanova Wong also steals his share of scenes, until his untimely demise. THE MAGNIFICENT is also one of the most brutal and bloody Kung Fu movies I’ve seen since Chang Cheh’s run of Venom movies--we are talking a huge body count here, folks. The choreography is for the most part very believable and natural. The fight choreographers flirt with some photography tricks and hidden trampolines, but it never detracts from the solid display of Kung Fu action.