Eureka Video Blu-ray Synopsis: One of director Wong Jing’s most underappreciated films is this wuxia extravaganza based on Jin Yong’s The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber. While various martial arts sects fight over a pair of mythical swords that grant great power, Zhang Wuji (Jet Li) goes on a quest to become a great martial artist and end the conflict. Presented from a new restoration of the original film elements, Eureka Classics presents Kung Fu Cult Master for the first time ever on Blu-ray. (101 Mins)

 

Nova Media Blu-ray Synopsis: N/A

 

UK DVD Synopsis (The Evil Cult): He carries the cross of his parents' rebel, but he must clear his family name. He is Zhang (Jet Li), the grandson of the Great Tai Chi Master. Destined for glory but fate has its own designs, Zhang becomes the target of the Six Great Schools. Young Zhang escapes narrow death by poison and does on the road to seek a cure, accompanied by his grandfather. On their adventurous journey, young Zhang is trained by great masters to become a true warrior. He clears his family name and thus, a hero is born. (90 Mins)

 

Views: While it still stands today as one of Jet Li's most entertaining 90s productions, Kung Fu Cult Master unfortunately failed to light up the box-office on its release which cancelled out Wong Jing's two planned sequels, and probably explains why there are some unanswered questions and plot holes by the end of the film. Rumour has it that a sequel was filmed at the same time and shelved due to the poor ticket sales, although it has never been confirmed. This, ultimately, was down to Wong's rewriting of characters and plot lines that didn't sit well with Hong Kong audiences who were big fans of the original stories. While I have seen many adaptations of these works, I'm certainly not as invested in the original stories they are based on which is probably why I (or most western fans) appreciate Kung Fu Cult Master more than its native audience did, and just take it for what it is. The film is based on the Heaven Sword & Dragon Sabre novel by Louis Cha – better know as his pen name of Jin Yong – and is actually the third part of Cha's 'Condor Trilogy' with Heaven Sword & Dragon Sabre coming after Legend Of The Condor Heroes and Return Of The Condor Heroes. These were first serialised in 1961 in a Hong Kong newspaper and soon followed by many film and TV adaptations including the popular TVB series starring Adam Cheng, a show that they remade every decade until the turn of the century. More recently, Hong Kong film fans were treated to a modern two part remake by Wong Jing himself with the addition of Donnie Yen and Louis Koo – although I personally felt that they failed to deliver the same excitement and fun as this did!

 

The wonderful Jet Li (who also produces) stars as the hero of the show, Chang Mo Kei, and does an incredible job once again by entertaining as the young kung fu master in his performance and athletic abilities. In fact, this would be one of my favourite Jet Li movies and was only 1 of 6 productions the superstar would make back in 1993 next to films such as Yuen Woo Ping's Tai Chi Master, Corey Yuen Kwai's Fong Sai Yuk 1 & 2, and Tsui Hark's Once Upon A Time In China 3, as well as Wong Jing's brilliant Last Hero In China – going on to further work with the director on films such as New Legend Of Shaolin, My Father Is A Hero, and High Risk. He shares the screen with many great names including the legendary Sammo Hung who actually stars as an older variation of the same character played by Jet Li in the aforementioned Tai Chi Master, and Mo Kei's 100 year old grandfather. Clearly a huge name of Hong Kong cinema by this stage, Sammo had already been playing in the wire-fu sub-genre of historical epics with films such as The Moon Warriors, Blade Of Fury, and The Eagle Shooting Heroes which all deserve to be seen. Here, he doubles up as the action director and delivers a host of incredible and insane martial arts battles that, while defying the laws of gravity, prove to be truly exhilarating such as the fast and furious fight between Jet Li and the Shaolin monk, and the epic battle around the 50 minute mark with hundreds of extras, amazing wire work, and blistering action that as a ramped up version of the opening of Zu: Warriors From The Magic Mountain. Of course, there are many more great moments of action to enjoy with most (if not all of) the main players getting to bust a move once or twice throughout.

 

Fan favourite and Sammo Hung protégé, Colin Chou – also known as Ngai Sing – stars for the first time against Jet, going on to face-off against him for many rematches in films such as The Bodyguard From Beijing, My Father Is A Hero, and the fun Dr Wai & The Scripture With No Words. The pair would later join forces again in the epic Ronny Yu film Fearless, with Chou later facing off against him and Jackie Chan in The Forbidden Kingdom and later again with Jet in Badges Of Fury. Interestingly, and regarding his big Hollywood role in the hugely successful Matrix movies, it is said that Colin only took on the role of Seraph after Jet Li had turned it down – which wasn't an awful move in my honest opinion. They are joined by an amazing cast including Leung Kar Yan and Zhang Chun Zhong who star as the Notorious Jinx brothers who, although being major characters in the novels, bookend the film with some fun fight scenes. The same year would see the prolific and brilliant Leung star alongside Jet Li in Last Hero In China, although it would be a long two decades later before they would share the screen again in the underrated Badges Of Fury. Chinese actor Zhang would share the same number of times alongside Jet, also starring in Once Upon A Time In China 3 just prior to this although had first appeared in the fun Born To Defence back in 1988, which was Li's first and last project as a director.

 

The often hilarious Tenky Tin, who also serves as the executive producer of the film, joins the cast with the equally funny and late Richard Ng proving to be a scene-stealer as the wacky King of Green Bat. No doubt brought in under the command of Sammo Hung with whom he frequently worked with, Ng delivers laugh after laugh and almost seems out of place in such a kung-fu epic. He would re-join Jet a few years later in Once Upon A Time In China & America – again, along with Sammo who would direct. Gigi Lai appears as a feisty young swordswoman from a neighbouring clan, with Wong Jing regular Chingmy Yau getting as much screen time as Jet and plenty of action scenes as his potential love interest and sidekick. Of course, the popular actress had already relished in the wild world of wuxia with Wong Jing having just come off films such as Royal Tramp 1 & 2 with Chow Sing Chi and the fun Legend Of The Liquid Sword earlier that year. She would join Jet right after this in the wild New Legend Of Shaolin and again the following year in the brilliant, High Risk. The fantastic Francis Ng and Sharla Cheung Man play the unfortunate parents of the young Mo Kei, with the latter going on to play dual roles over two time periods in the story – which was supposed to continue into the sequels of course. While this would be the only Jet Li movie Ng would appear in, Cheung Man would also share the screen with him in Last Hero In China just prior to this...

 

Aiding Sammo in the action department are the talents of Poon Kin Kwan, Siu Tak Foo, Wong Ming Kin, and Cho Wing who also appears as the Shaolin monk that gets to fight with Jet Li in the exciting and aforementioned battle. Raymond Yip, director of films such as Sixty Million Dollar Man, Anna In Kung Fu Land, and Bruce Lee My Brother, serves as the assistant director and would do the same job on Jet Li's Last Hero In China and The Warlords. I must also note how cinematographer Bill Wong captures the film beautifully. Starting in the early 80s, Wong captured titles such as John Woo's To Hell With The Devil, Yuen Biao's Kickboxer, the epic Zu: Warriors From The Magic Mountain, and other hit titles such as Yes Madam, Lady Reporter, Once Upon A Time In China, and Women On The Run among many others. Here, his visuals are complimented by a great score from the prolific and late Joseph Koo Ka Fai who had actually composed the score for the earlier Shaw Brothers adaptation in 1978 also.

 

While new-wave wuxia movies like this were a dime-a-dozen around this period of Hong Kong cinema, including titles such as Once Upon A Time In China, The Swordsman Trilogy, Handsome Siblings, Three Swordsmen, Dreadful Melody, Fire Dragon, Holy Weapon, Flying Daggers, and many more, one can't deny just how frenetic and entertaining Kung Fu Cult Master actually is – no matter how confusing it may be to many! But if a battle between clans with deadly martial arts masters, secret scrolls and techniques, heart exploding suicide, magical palm strikes that zap kung fu powers, and countless extras flying through the air swinging blades at each other are your kind of thing, then Kung Fu Cult Master is worth checking out and a prime example of what made Hong Kong cinema so amazing back in its hey-day. Yes it's cliffhanger will never be resolved, but it's a film packed full of creativity and fun, and has never looked better than it does with this stunning new restoration from Eureka Video!

 

Overall: The epic Kung Fu Cult Master is highly entertaining early 90s wuxia classic that offers plenty of over-the-top Wong Jing madness, a massive cast of Hong Kong greats, and plenty of wild kung-fu action!

 

Eureka Video Blu-ray Extras: Audio Commentary by Frank Djeng, 2004 Interview with Sammo Hung, Trailers

 

Nova Media Blu-ray Extras: Trailer

 

UK DVD Extras (The Evil Cult): Cast Info, Trailer, Gallery

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Get your copy HERE

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Watch my unboxing video for this Eureka Video release HERE