Runtime: 97 minutes
Directed by: Wong Fung
Starring: Angela Mao Ying, Carter Wong, Sammo Hung, Ing-Sik Whang, Ji Han-Je
From: Golden Harvest
FORBEARANCE
Via Arrow’s streaming site I was able to check out this Golden Harvest film; just last week Arrow released both that and Lady Whirlwind together in a two disc Blu-ray set as both movie star Angela Mao. As typical the restoration effort was excellent so whether you pick up the physical media or stream it, the viewer will be very satisfied.
The plot sounds simple on the surface yet for reasons I won’t spoil here it is more complex than what I’m leading on. Chinese people who happened to be stuck in Korea when Japan was occupying it during the 1930’s were naturally discriminated against. This is even if you are part of a Hapkido school. A skirmish happens; this is a teaser of what happens once they return to China. For reasons too elaborate to explain here, the Japanese are present there too so there’s a feud between their school and a Nipponese school that is filled with evil bastards. Thus, there is no shortage of action. Not only is it plentiful, all the martial arts is a blast, especially from Mao. Especially neat for me is that not only does Sammo Hung shine in a big (and early) role, there are blink and you miss it from several actors later to become stars: Biao Yuen, Corey Yuen and even Jackie Chan.
Ji Han-Je has a small role in the film as the greatest teacher of Hapkido. Only after the film’s conclusion did I find out that at best he was the founder of Hapkido and at worst was one of the key building blocks in its creation. Thus, I won’t question the authenticity of what was presented. Those that enjoy the Shaw Brothers movies of the 70’s that have similar plots will enjoy the similar action beats, where people easily flip and fly around. A big difference: a few times you get to see big bruises and other injuries after especially violent moments.
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