Blu-ray Synopsis: In Hand Of Death, a young Shaolin monk must train to defeat a dangerous Manchu warlord (James Tien) who is intent on wiping out the Shaolin once and for all. Featuring early performances from Jackie Chan and Sammo Hung (both also handled the film's stunts, along with third 'brother' Yuen Biao), Hand Of Death is an exquisitely stylish example of old school Kung Fu filmmaking. (97 Mins)

​

Hong Kong Legends UK DVD Synopsis: From John Woo, the director of Hong Kong movie classics including Bullet In The Head and The Killer, comes The Hand Of Death; his unique take on the period martial arts movie genre. This is probably the first and last time you'll ever hold a DVD of a film directed by John Woo that features kung fu legends Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung and Yuen Biao! Their foe is none other than the formidable James Tien (Game Of Death) who wants to wipe all Shaolin men from the face of China. Leading the charge is Tan Tao-Liang as Yun Fei in a fascinating movie filled with moments that echo throughout Woo's subsequent career. Packed with extensive fights using varied disciplines it's an early showcase for all the performers (in particular Jackie Chan) and a chance to rediscover an early star of the scene: the super-kicking Tan Tao Liang in a great performance that shows just why his nickname was 'Flash Legs'. In common with the most entertaining Woo films it's the final half-hour showdown that really kicks ass in typically brutal style so watch out! (93 Mins)

​

MIA UK VHS Synopsis: From the director of 'The Killer', one of the current hottest movies in America, JOHN WOO delivers a fast-paced, marshal arts extravaganza; 'THE HAND OF DEATH' starring the amazing, prolific JACKIE CHAN. From the famous Shaolin Temple, citadel of all Chinese fighting arts, a student sets out to bring a renegade monk to justice and so save the Chung Dynasty from the murderous Manchus. A Kung-Fu classic not to be missed. (98 Mins)

​

Views: John Woo's Hand Of Death opens with an attack on the Shaolin Temple by the Manchurians, who massacre a host of disciples as well as hang their abbot from the temple walls. Jumping forward a decade, we are introduced to Yung Fei (Tan Tao Liang) a student at another temple who is demonstrating a host of kung-fu styles and a wonderful array of kicking techniques. Sent out by his master to take revenge for his Shaolin brothers, Yung is told of a meeting of allies who can help him seek vengeance against the Manchurian warlord, Commander Shih (James Tien). Before he enters the city, Yung Fei meets woodsman, Little Tan (Jackie Chan), and after an exchange in glances – in what some have claimed to be a homoerotic moment - Yung hitches a ride on Little Tan's cart and soon continues on his journey. This moment of homo-eroticism is akin to any Chang Cheh movie from the Shaw Brothers studio, and after spending many years under him as an assistant and protégé of sorts, it's no surprise to see John Woo bring some of those influences along with him. As he enters the town, Yung Fei soon finds his allies in the shape of a mysterious swordsman known as The Wanderer (Yeung Wai), scholar Zhang Yi (a young John Woo in a small role), and Little Tan who soon returns to join them driven with his own story of vengeance. Together they take on the Manchu soldiers before going up against Commander Shih and his top fighter Du Qing (Sammo Hung), in a deadly showdown of kung-fu that showcases some incredible moves, impressive weapons displays, and painful-looking stunt-work!

​

Hand Of Death was another one of the first Jackie Chan movies I had ever seen and one of the first videos I ever owned way back in the early 90s. Of course, now that I'm a big boy I have long caught on to the fact that this really isn't a Jackie Chan movie at all and more about the wonderful Dorian Tan Tao Liang, in what was only his 6th or 7th role. The Korean super-kicker launched into the industry only a few years earlier in Wong Sing Loy's, Hero Of Chiu Chow, and with only a couple of films to follow, Tan would soon find he was a little more in demand in 1976 when he starred in no less than 8 feature films – most of which were leading roles in films such as The Hot, The Cool, And The Vicious, Story In Temple Red Lily, The Himalayan, General Stone, and Hand Of Death. While it would seem that the man starred in pretty much every kung-fu classic that came out of Hong Kong and Taiwanese cinema, Tan Tao Liang actually just appeared in over 40 productions until he retired from the screen in the mid-80s after writing/producing/starring in Last Breath – an action-war movie that was re-released in the West as Jungle Heat, and featured new footage featuring Flash Gordon himself, Sam Jones, and Wong Kar Wai's famed cinematographer, Christopher Doyle. In Hand Of Death, Tan looks and moves fantastically as the Shaolin student out to stop the Manchurians and delivers an amazing array of kicks that confirms why he was known to most as Flash Legs – a nickname that stuck after his role in the 1977 film of the same name. While he was initially hired for stunt work under big brother Sammo Hung, John Woo felt it was a good move to upgrade Jackie Chan to an acting role after a Korean performer proved to lack the moves needed when it came to the fight scenes. Although he already had a good decade or more appearing as an extra in many films like The Blade Spares None, Fist Of Fury, Hapkido, and Enter The Dragon, and even had starring roles in films like Cub Tiger From Kwangtung and Eagle Shadow Fist, it seems that Jackie's role in Hand Of Death was the one that caught the attention of a certain Lo Wei who took him under his wing the very same year to be the new Bruce Lee and leading man in, New Fist Of Fury. Although he only appears briefly in the beginning – to give Tan Tao Liang a ride on his cart and set fire to a random body hanging in a tree – Jackie does come back later in the story to help rescue Tan (in quite a funny moment) before sticking around to make the team new weapons and learn a bit of kung-fu. Of course, his highlight comes closer to the end when Jackie takes on the Manchu's in a great fight scene that allows him to impress with the spear, all while delivering some deadly blows and slick moves. It's a terrific fight scene that showcases Jackie's skills as a traditional kung-fu fighter, and perhaps the one scene he got to choreograph himself. I did notice though, upon watching Hand Of Death over the years, that there were a number of odd cuts following Jackie around when it came to him falling or attempting a stunt that had him hitting the ground from a height. This was all down to an unfortunate accident that left Chan unconscious after getting caught in a wire and was seemingly bad enough for Sammo to cut his shots for fear of causing further risk to his younger brother.

​

Of course, the legendary Sammo Hung gets a bit more out of the film starring as the right-hand man to James Tien's, Manchu warlord – complete with a shiny set of buck teeth and some mannerisms that often prove to be quite comical at times. As the fight choreographer, Sammo delivers a non-stop collection of fantastic kung-fu fights – starting off a little rigid and chop-socky at times, but quickly getting better with each of them offering many great moves, stunts, and shapes. There are many highlights throughout from Tan Tao Liang's magnificent kicking abilities to Jackie's aforementioned spear fight against the bodyguards. And then, of course, there's the big end battle – a lengthy exchange of moves that sees Tan take on the Smiling Tiger, James Tien, and Sammo himself in a beach fight that shows each of them in top form. Sammo takes his stunt-work a step further by taking a hit that knocks him through a number of large clay pots, which looked pretty painful, to be honest. At this stage of the game, the burly fighter had already appeared and starred in over 70 films with memorable roles in the likes of The Invincible Eight, A Touch Of Zen, Hapkido, Lady Whirlwind, End Of The Wicked Tigers, The Skyhawk, The Man From Hong Kong, and the ever-popular Enter The Dragon that saw him get to face-off against Bruce Lee. With Hand Of Death, and a number of titles from a couple of years previous, Hung had really refined his skills as a choreographer and director and went on to deliver a host of classics over the next few years that boosted his own career with The Iron Fisted Monk, Broken Oath, Enter The Fat Dragon, Warriors Two, Knockabout, and The Odd Couple to name but a few. He really saves Hand Of Death from becoming just another average kung-fu movie and provides more than a few scene-stealing moments when in action.

​

Given the number of times Yuen Biao appears during the running time - either as a repeated background fighter, stuntman, and at least once in a more prominent role – you could say that John Woo gave the world the first-ever (Golden Harvest) film to star the infamous Three Dragons (and not counting their child roles in the 60s of course) well before Winners & Sinners and Project A. Of course, the young Mr.Woo had no idea how big these guys were going to become – even to the point of being total box office competition against his later works – but I'm sure Hand of Death was one project he often looked back on just a decade later, in knowing that he had these guys in his grasp. It would also be around this time that Tan had been teaching Yuen Biao some new kicking techniques, something that soon became a highlight of the younger brother's own film career. It was great to see the amazing Yuen Wah also pop up throughout, doubling Tan Tao Liang for his more acrobatic moves and getting to impress with the spear as one of James Tien's soldiers (and definitely more than once). Tien himself was never a trained fighter and often hired for his acting abilities and on-screen presence – obviously having impressed John Woo enough after starring in his film The Dragon Tamers. Of course, he had been on the scene for some time with strong roles in The Big Boss, Fist Of Fury, and many of the titles mentioned previously with a young Sammo Hung. Still, and under Hung Kam Bo's direction, Tien manages to pull-off some decent kung-fu in his role as Commander Shih, getting better and better as the fights move on. The great Wilson Tong pops up briefly at the start of the film, playing a Shaolin disciple who first takes on the Manchu's and goes fist to toe with Sammo himself. Tong had worked with Sammo over the years on many early Golden Harvest titles – most of which starred Angela Mao Ying – and after jumping into a few Shaw Brothers productions after Hand Of Death, traded kicks once again with Sammo in the awesome kung-fu comedy, The Victim in 1980.

​

While solidly directed and packed with great kung-fu action, Hand Of Death is hardly spectacular although it is gorgeously shot, putting its Korean scenery to good use. Its run-of-the-mill storyline doesn't try to offer anything new, but the cast does a fine job of delivering their roles which helps make it a very watchable film. I've seen it countless times over the decades and have yet to tire of it yet, with this Eureka blu-ray release giving it a whole new 'lick of paint' so-to-speak, which made it even better than previous viewings. The young John Woo does a fine job in delivering a very watchable movie and although it's a period of his career many fans often forget about, he still manages to provide a classic slice of kung-fu cinema – backed by a very memorable and awesome score by the wonderful, Joseph Koo, composer of over 150 movies from The Skyhawk to A Better Tomorrow 2, and A Terracotta Warrior to Fist Of Legend...

​

Overall: A well-made classic of kung-fu cinema, with many great fight scenes and the chance to see a young Chan, Hung, and Biao together in action!

​

Blu-ray Extras: Audio Commentary With Mike Leeder & Arne Venema, John Woo Interview, Trailer

​

Hong Kong Legends DVD Extras: Audio Commentary with Bey Logan