Leofwine_draca Hit-man IN THE HAND OF BUDDHA is an almost unique film in the kung fu genre, for it stars famed high-kicker Hwang Jang Lee in a role very different from the norm. Jang Lee is normally seen popping up as the master villain at the end of the movie in countless genre films, the most famous of which are the two featuring Jackie Chan, DRUNKEN MASTER and SNAKE IN THE EAGLE'S SHADOW. Anyone who watches the genre regularly will soon recognise the Korean expert thanks to his massively imposing nature and his incredible kicking abilities which are unmatched in cinema.What a treat, then, for this film to feature Jang Lee as the hero rather than the antagonist. He rarely got the chance to play the good guy - you could count the times he did so on the fingers of one hand - so it's a delight to see him playing the protagonist for a change. In this one, he plays a country bumpkin who arrives in town to meet his sister and her family, only to fall foul of a criminal organisation which makes short work of him. After some time spent training in the Shaolin temple, Jang Lee goes on a vengeful killing spree.The story is fine and Jang Lee makes for an excellent hero; he's second only to Lo Lieh in terms of my favourite 'underrated bad guy' actors in action cinema. There's a multitude of fight scenes to enjoy and only the occasional slow moment, like the Shaolin temple scenes which feel like they belong in a different movie. Eddy Ko makes for a thoroughly imposing villain which is another plus. The only problem I had, and it's not a huge one, is that Jang Lee doesn't get to kick enough here. He absolutely destroys his opponents with his power kicks in the opening sequence, but he then saves the rest of them for the final fight. I suppose having him use those killer moves throughout the movie would have left all of the bad guys dead very quickly.

suzanne-24 I recently acquired a DVD of Hitman in the Hand of Buddha. I am impressed with this film for many reasons. The main one being Master Hwang himself. So far he has never failed to impress me with his kicking skills. I find it interesting that he directed and produced it and that he wanted to play a good guy (for a change)! In fact, there are at least 4 films so far where he plays a good guy. I'm sure he wanted to shake off his bad boy image because by all accounts he is a very gracious and gentle man. And you also get to see what he looks like without a moustache. LOL!The version I have is a special collector's edition DVD and it has two versions of the film: an English dubbed version (89 mins approx.) and a Korean version (81 mins approx.) with some English subtitles. I prefer the Korean version despite the poor quality. It was found in a film vault in Seoul and was edited by Jang Lee. I'm pretty sure that we can hear his own voice on the soundtrack (Korean sounds like a lovely language)and the subtitles are probably truer to interpretation than the English dubbed version.As for the story itself, I find the pace is fast enough with plenty martial arts mayhem to keep me happy. Perhaps some people want more fighting but I think he does a splendid job. Watch him fighting with chop sticks. You'll never look at another pair of chopsticks in the same way again. The film is a true treat for dedicated fans and a definite must-see.

bomb20 the version fo this film i saw suffered from two things: a very poor dub and lack of widescreen. that said, it is one of the best exhibitions of kicking in kung fu film history. if you like that sort of thing then watch it, if not its not worth the effort.

AlbertV79 This is one of only two films where Hwang Jang-lee is the good guy and he is impressive in both the beginning and the finale of the film. He clearly shows why he is the best kicker Hong Kong cinema ever experienced. The amazing amount of jumping kicks he throws to his opponents are so amazing for old HK films, you have to see it for yourself. Check this film out for kicking to the max!!!