Hollywood East UK DVD Synopsis: After a number of deathly mishaps, Monk Lu bravely rescues the bewildered young orphan Cheng, and teaches him the essence of martial arts. The two roam the countryside seeking the murderers of Cheng's father. In a series of spectacular martial arts displays they encounter the brutal killer and him to justice. A brilliant example of the lightning arts that will amaze enthusiasts and the initiated alike!

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Views: Good monk Lu wanders the land and soon finds trouble with an annoying teen called Cheng, who takes a disliking to him for unknown reasons. The same kid arranges for an evil monk to come to dinner at the Ma Family home where he attempts to rape master Ma's daughter after feasting on meat and wine, but is quickly chased off by the masters men. Soon after, the good monk arrives at the Ma family home and proves his worth when he takes on his evil counterpart who returns for revenge. After a lengthy battle, the good monk spares his temple brother and begins his journey once again – this time with the annoying teen alongside him. Monk Lu soon learns the truth behind young Cheng's angst, having seen his father murdered and mother kidnapped by an evil doctor, and promises to teach the boy the art of kung-fu as well as find the man responsible. It all leads to a deadly showdown as the pair catch up with their suspect, who has now become the self-proclaimed king of town and leader of a deadly kung-fu sect!

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On this particular transfer, The Wandering Monk looks as cheap as chips. It's story and direction really doesn't offer anything new in terms of kung-fu movies, and especially for a production that was made in 1980 when the likes of Golden Harvest and Shaw Brothers were dishing out much more modern looking films around the same time. That said though, the film does prove to entertain with lots of well choreographed fights, simple comedy, and a half-decent cast. Little known actor Li Ping Hsiung stars as the titular character and looks pretty damn good when in action, and child actor Lin Hsiao Hu stars as young teenager Cheng – stealing the show with some brilliant martial artistry in what would be one of his final roles, unfortunately. Lin started life in the film industry less than a decade earlier with a child role in Taiwanese flick, Fist Of Shaolin alongside Pai Ying and Pearl Chang. From there, he went on to star in films such as The Furious Avenger, The Traitorous, Story Of The Dragon, and The Smart Cavalier directed by the great Joseph Kuo, and does a great job here as the young revenger once he gets past his annoying stage. Small time actress Ling Fung also impresses in the action department, getting to strut her stuff a few times such as the fight in the brothel and grand finale, and the great Tsai Hung dons a thick grey wig for his role as the evil sect leader. I'm a big fan of Tsai, having seen him in many of his 150+ starring roles including One-Armed Boxer, The Gallant, Beach Of The War Gods, Seaman No. 7, and The Iron Man – all alongside the legendary Jimmy Wang Yu. Some of his other memorable roles have been in films such as Five Shaolin Masters, New Game Of Death, 8 Strikes Of A Wild Cat, Iron Neck Li, and Joseph Kuo's aforementioned classic The Smart Cavalier, as well as a host of Shaw Brothers titles. While the majority of his kung-fu skills are saved for the grand finale, Tsai impresses with his moves and makes for a fun villain as per usual. As well as a number of other recognisable Taiwanese bit-players popping up throughout, prolific actor Yi Yuan stars as Master Ma in one of his two hundred and twenty-something roles. Yuan started his film career in the late 1950s and stayed on the screen into the mid 90s including roles in films like Angel Or Whore, Shaolin Vs Ninja, Devil Killer, A Brotherhood Of Heroes, Tai Chi Shadow Boxing, and 18 Shaolin Riders and is another actor to re-join his co-stars here from the same 1978 Joseph Kuo production...

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Although this is the only credit under Chang Hung Chi as a director, he had spent the decade leading up to his debut as the assistant director on titles such as Queen Boxer (The Avenger), The Peking Man, Journey Through Youth, and Hero Of The Wild starring Chen Sing, Hwang Jang Lee, and Lo Lieh which featured choreography from the wonderful Corey Yuen Kwai and Yuen Biao. I have to admit, he presents a pretty basic storyline and style of direction with The Wandering Monk, but it's certainly not unwatchable by any means and is saved by some very exciting fight action. The only credit I can find for fight choreography is by the One Target Martial Arts Group – a collective of action choreographers who have seemingly only worked on this film under that name. Regardless, they manage to bring together some pretty fun kung-fu battles that allows everyone involved to bust a move and look good doing it. Thankfully, this is exactly what saves The Wandering Monk from becoming just another generic kung-fu flick and makes it worth the watch, at least once.

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Overall: Nothing new in terms of story, but The Wandering Monk is saved with some great choreography and a fun cast!

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DVD Extras: Photo Gallery