Hottoceame The Age of Commercialism

Teddie Blake The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

Nayan Gough A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

Deanna There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.

whist I don't really have anything to say about Hero of the Wild other than, about 46 minutes into it, we cut to a scene of someone dropping down into a cave to break free the hero and suddenly, like catching the glint of Sparticus' wrist-watch, we hear the distinctive metallic pulse of Pink Floyd's Echoes. The snippet last just long enough for Gilmour's undulating lead and Wright's patter of organ notes to become audible, and then it's gone. It's an oddity. One wonders if the band knew their music had been linked, however fleetingly, to the doomed rebel struggle to return the Ming to power. How the world would have been different had they succeeded.

winner55 ej's kung-fu capsule review for films of the chop-socky old-school - 1. basic plot type - Family honor must be avenged; traitors must be ferreted out and destroyed; a young man comes of age by learning kung-fu from a real master. the film also has a more complicated dramatic plot elements than most 'fu films of this era. Chen Xing plays an aging fighter with traditional values who decides to train the son of a man he has shamed into committing suicide. The relationship between master and student thus becomes extremely complex, and may surprise those familiar with simpler variants of these plot elements from countless other old school 'fu films.2. plot construction - Audacious; there is a real effort to make these characters 3-dimensional, and to develop a narrative that allows this to happen. However, the film is a little slow in spots.3. dramatic - Yes, very; above average dialog and real effort by the cast to deliver the lines in a believable manner. The story also has a strong theme, concerning the difficulties of living as a righteous warrior in very unrighteous times. That's a common theme in this genre, but here it is really brought to the fore. The decision to set the story on the eve of the Manchurian overthrow of the Ming dynasty adds an element of foreboding that enhances the tension of the film - the collapse of the Ming was due in part to a betrayal by one of the leading Ming generals. Consequently the subplot concerning the discovery of traitors is given more weight than it would normally have in a 'fu film; and the issue is emphasized from a different perspective by the relationship between the master and student, since the master, almost accidentally, suggests that the student should be prepared to betray him in order to get revenge for his father's death (!) - this is a very complex thematic work-out for this genre.4. funny - Occasionally.5. dialog - Solid - about character rather than events; the central relationship between master and student is entirely credible.6. cast performance - Very strong; this is probably the single best performance by Chen Xing, who could act as well as perform martial arts.7. crew performance - More than simply competent - very nice camera work.8. amount of fighting - Plenty.9. quality of fighting - Top notch.10. special any cast or crew notes - Chen Xing acted in a lot of old school 'fu films, from the late '60s to the early '80s. He was a true master of the Shaolin styles of kung fu, but also an excellent actor, able to play many different roles. Most 'fu film fans will best remember him as the villain of any number of historically-set 'fu films, but he actually began his career playing heroes, and was first delegated to villain roles during a brief stay at Shaw Bros. working under master director Chang Cheh. Chen Xing performed in many of the best - and some of the worst - films of the chop-socky era, but his performance is always solidly professional, regardless of the quality of the film he's in.This film also represents early work from Corey Yuen (Yuen Kwei) of the Yuen Clan (Yuen Woo Ping, Simon Yuen, etc.), and Yuen Biao of the Lucky Stars troop (Sammo Hung, Jackie Chan, etc.), as martial arts choreographers. The third choreographer is listed as "Tony Tu" which I suspect is a pseudonym for Ching Siu Tung. Director William Chang also gets credits for photography and for co-writing the screenplay. Chang later flowered as art-director and production designer on a lot of films of the "New Wave" '80s.11. big positive - A very strong story with strong characters played by strong actors.12. big negative - Slow at times.bottom-line - who should see this movie - It is probably most enjoyable for those familiar with the old school 'fu film tradition; for new-comers to chop-socky, the complicated plot and theme may be a bit confusing. Still, for those open to it, this is a finely made genre film, richly rewarding.

John Seal This is a thoroughly predictable if reasonably well made kung fu quickie, more noticeable for its cast (Lo Lieh and a young Corey Yuen) than for anything else. Of course, it's hard to judge the true merits of this film based on the television print that I recently viewed: a horribly pan and scanned print with typically poor dubbing (boy, that Australian guy was busy back then!)and the commercial breaks left intact--at several points, the screen went blank for thirty seconds, even though this aired on a commercial-free public television station! The story is the same old stuff: young apprentice learns at the hand of the master, young lady arrives mid-picture to kick some ass...you've seen it many times before. The choreography seems a tick above average--though it is, of course, badly compromised by the pan and scan hi-jinks--and there's a bad guy in a red mask who's mildly diverting. All in all, though, not one I would recommend--unless a widescreen DVD arrives on the scene.

xfreddex In Sweden they sell a cheap box everywhere called "karate classics" with five old kung fu films from the seventies.. This film was the only good film in the box. The cover says "The Fox of Shaolin". The story is quite boring and strange... mostly about honour, challenges, revenge and so on... but hey.. it´s old skool kung fu:)Sing Chen play the lead role. The Kung Fu action by YUEN BIAO and COREY YUEN is very good. They both also play small roles. HWANG JANG LEE and LO LIEH is the bad guys..A quite impressive role list.I was very surprised! Any collector of kung fu films should own this one. It seems to be totally forgotten. I wonder why! I liked it.