The Prodigal Boxer (1972)

The Prodigal Boxer (1972). 1h 30m | R

“eju0026#39;s kung-fu capsule review for films of the chop-socky old-school – u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003e1. basic plot type – Young man coming of age as kung fu hero; u0026#39;school vs. schoolu0026#39; rivalry to-the-death.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003e2. plot construction – Very good, among the best from this screen-writer (the ubiquitous I Kuang). Weakened by unexplained lapse in continuity editing towards the end.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003e3. dramatic – Frequently.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003e4. funny – Rarely.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003e5. dialog – Acceptible; clichés kept under control.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003e6. cast performance – Very good – Meng Feiu0026#39;s performance is among his best.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003e7. crew performance – Solid.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003e8. amount of fighting – Plenty.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003e9. quality of fighting – Very good for the era.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003e10. special any cast or crew notes – Somewhere between this film and the rest of his career, Meng Fei lost his humility, recapturing it only once for the classic Snuff Bottle Connection.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eBut here, heu0026#39;s entirely believable, and even demonstrates the characteru0026#39;s maturing over time, which lays a solid foundation for the filmu0026#39;s themes.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003e11. big positive – The final fight scene – rapid, strong, violent, and completely in keeping with the characters and themes.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003e12. big negative – In the scenes immediately leading up to the final fight, continuity gets lost; very distracting.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003ebottom-line – who should see this movie – Itu0026#39;s a solid action film for those who like unarmed combat of any kind.”