Hollywood East UK DVD Synopsis: Chia Kai portrays a master chef who once served up culinary delights to the Empress Daughter. This banquet was sabotaged & the master falsely accused of murder & treason. All his clan and family members are murdered by the mysterious Basket Hat assassin. Only the master and his grandson survive. The lad grows up under his grandfathers strict discipline and soon becomes a master in his art of kung fu. Now it is up to the youngster to avenge his family and take revenge on the Basket Hat assassin!!!

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Views: Another £1 purchase, this quirky kung fu comedy is pretty much a rip-off (or homage) to Jackie Chan's classic Snake In The Eagles Shadow, Drunken Master, and Fearless Hyena. Jacky Chen Shao Lung plays Tan Tan, a lazy practicing cook who is also learning a rare style of kung-fu invented by his grandfather – a former cook to the Empress who has been hiding in isolation for many years. At the same time, a mysterious man in a straw hat is making his way across the land, killing off any cooks who have had a past in the palace. As the story progresses, the motives of the mysterious fighter soon become clear and soon, Tan Tan and his grandfather must stand up against him in a deadly battle of kung-fu!

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Of Cooks And Kung Fu is an underrated gem of a film! Although we've seen it all before, such as the aforementioned Jackie Chan films and a hundred others from this period, this late '70s kung-fu comedy wins with some fantastic choreography and a great performance from its leading man – Chen Shao Lung (adopting the international name of Jacky Chen). Here, he tries his hardest to look and act like the King of Hong Kong cinema, pulling off some incredible kung-fu and acrobats while playing the clown, and he pretty much nails it - minus the same on-screen charisma we got from Chan the man in his breakthrough years. But that's certainly not enough to make this a bad film. Of Cooks And Kung Fu offers plenty of old-school comedy, along with a host of recognisable faces and plenty of fantastic Jackie Chan-esque kung-fu fighting with choreography from its leading man. The end battle alone, between Chen and the main villain, is just as impressive as Chan's own closing battles from this era splitting the last 20 minutes into 2 main battles, both of which are brilliantly executed. Jacky Chen began life in the film industry appearing as a monk alongside Roy Chiao in King Hu's, A Touch Of Zen. From there, he gradually became the leading man in a host of independent titles as well as taking up the role of choreographer in a number of films such as Wandering Dragon, The Jade Fox, Tai Chi Shadow Boxing, Two On The Road, and Dynamite Trio – as well as going on to be the action director of the wild Angel Terminators and China Dolls in 1992.

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Chia Kai plays Chen's grandfather, Master Glutton (sometimes dubbed as his uncle in other prints). Chia had his first role in the mid 1970's when he starred in The Shaolin Kids, although had previously worked as a choreographer on Bloody Mask from 1969. And while he would only be in the business for a decade after that, Chai went on to star in films like The Blazing Temple, 10 Brothers Of Shaolin, Mar's Villa, Dance Of Death, The King Of Fists And Dollars, and Mantis Under Falcon Claws – some of which he also choreographed. The hilarious and prolific Lee Kwan, star of over 140 films such as Drunken Tai Chi, Fantasy Mission Force, and Fearless Hyena to name but a few, plays the same smart-ass character he always does – complete with comical dub. The great, late, Wu Ma also pops up in a small role for a couple of laughs, as does Angela Mao Ying's brother – Mao Ching Shun, who starred in films such as Shaolin Death Squads, 7 Grandmasters, To Kill With Intrigue, Phantom Kung Fu, A Massacre Survivor, Little Hero Of Shaolin Temple, and Lady Constables, alongside his sister and the wonderful Judy lee. And the brilliant Chang Shan, who starred alongside Alexander Lo Rei in many films such as Devil Killer, Shaolin Vs Lama, Ninja Hunter, and Ninja USA, stars here as the main villain of the piece in what was only the second role of his career. Born in South Korea, Chang has always impressed with his moves across a wide range of films including A Fistful Of Talons, 5 Fighters From Shaolin, Kung Fu Wonder Child, A Heroic Fight, Magic Of Spell, Wild Panther, and many more...

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Director Ting Chung, who started life in the film industry as an actor in the mid 60's, delivers his swan song as a director with this little classic. Debuting in 1971 with The “B” “B” Baboon Belle, Ting directed 14 films over 8 years including Fairy Fox, The Golden Mask, 10 Brothers Of Shaolin, Mar's Villa, Kung Fu Of Seven Steps, and more. As with a number of those titles, Of Cooks And Kung Fu is definitely worth the watch in terms of entertainment value, and in showcasing some incredibly exciting fights and training sequences of it's time. It would be nice to see a widescreen HD version some day but I doubt that'll happen anytime soon!

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Overall: Fast 'n furious kung-fu comedy that deserves to have a bigger audience, Of Cooks And Kung Fu is a lot of fun and very entertaining!​