Chung Yao, a martial arts expert, has long been on the run from his stepbrother, who he caught trying to rape his wife on their wedding night. His brother has never given up the chase however, and Chung Yao lives in constant fear that the vengeful stepbrother will murder him and his wife. When Sammo Hung first put on his directing shoes in the late '70s/early '80s, it seemed he could do no wrong. Churning out a string of low-budget kung fu classics like MAGNIFICENT BUTCHER, ENCOUNTERS OF THE SPOOKY KIND, and KNOCKABOUT, he proved to be a natural behind the camera as well as in front of it. I'm pleased to say that THE VICTIM follows in this quality tradition, sitting up there with the others as a high-ranking kung fu minor classic that proves to be endlessly rewatchable and utterly engaging.<br/><br/>The storyline is a typical Hung mix of drama, laughs, and action, with the emphasis very much on the latter ingredient. Sammo himself stars as a bumbling martial artist who becomes fixated with Leung's stoic kung fu master. The comedy is very much in the Chinese tradition, full of slapstick and bizarre, outlandish, cross-eyed characters. One of the weirdest moments is a showdown in a bathhouse, in which Sammo beats the heck out of a bunch of butt-naked Chinese guys, which I still can't quite believe happened.<br/><br/>Much of the plot is taken up with the relationship between Sammo and Kar Lan Leung, the latter playing a taciturn and morose hero who is only spurred into action in the last half hour of the movie. Until then, there are many light-hearted battles, full of great acrobatics and feats of agility. The kung fu is old school but it's something I'll never get tired of watching. Power punches, weapon play, high kicking and scenery smashing – this is kung fu as it should be seen, and THE VICTIM has a greater focus on action than just about any other martial arts film I can think of right now. Yuen Biao doubles in many of the fights and his athletic influence is felt as a whole, making the action scenes just about unbeatable.<br/><br/>As with many of these movies, things become more serious (and bloody!) in the last half an hour, which leads to the expected showdown between Leung and his one-eyed brother. As you might guess, this is an extended and violent battle that seems to go on forever but which never drags – instead it's riveting for every second. The last twenty minutes of the film also has many plot twists involving Sammo's character, some of which are a little over the top, but it's par for the course in a Chinese movie like this. Minor roles for many familiar faces in Hong Kong cinema – Lam Ching-Ying, Karl Maka, Billy Chan and Wilson Tong – only add to the experience as a whole. THE VICTIM is a kung fu fan's kung fu flick, offering a ton of fights, an interesting and complex storyline and plenty of laughs along the way. The result is great viewing experience that is only just topped by the other three films mentioned at the beginning of this review. It was overall good, the acting was good, the story was good, the characters were interesting and the fight scenes were good. Leung Kar Yan is as usual a pleasure to watch on screen. His acting often remind of that of another great actor and that particular actor I have in mind is Toshiro Mifune. What Leung and Mifune have in common is they are able to act outrageously but still convincingly. Their energy often comes clearly across the screen. Although I gotta admit Mifune is a far better actor. But the most impressive thing about Leung is he does not have any martial arts background, making the fight scenes more impressive. Sammo Hung, what can I say? He is as good as ever. Except I felt his character was a little incoherent. His character was fun but it was a character who seemed to lack direction, like as if the character was thrown in as an afterthought to make the plot more coherent. There was nothing wrong with Hung's acting and he is more than often good at portraying those kind of characters. The character he was portraying just seemed a little unnecessary.<br/><br/>The story was good, but what stalled the movie a bit is the incoherent plot. The plotting of 'The Victim' is a little incoherent compared to movies such as 'The Iron Fisted Monk', 'Warriors Two' or 'Knockabout'. What made it kind of incoherent is its general lack of focus. It jumps from one scene to another with no apparent focus except for going to fight scenes and slapstick comedy. I like both, but what set the Hung movies from the other Kung Fu movies are the focused plots in my opinion. Well, it is not for story or plot movies like this are made but I often feel a solid plot with good acting and fight scenes combined with sufficient production value are what make a solid kung fu movie. So since 'The Victim' lacks a more coherent plot it is not completely solid but it is not bad either. Overall I think this movie has re-watch value and should be worthy of being part of a collection. After all it has some pretty good fight scenes, interesting story, good acting and not bad production value. Don't miss it, any kung fu movie with Leung Kar Yan and Sammo Hung are worth watching. 7/10
Berlpato replied
353 weeks ago