Matti-Man Anyone who's familiar with Hong Kong kung fu movies will know that the name of Yuen Wo- Ping is pretty much a seal of quality. LEGEND OF A FIGHTER is one of his earlier offerings, and though the star Leung Ka-Yan isn't the best martial artist in movies, his acting is pretty good, so you become more involved in the drama of the story.Yuen has concentrated on the quality of the drama here, and though the storyline is a bit familiar ("son in conflict with his father, then later with teacher/father-substitute"), it's the treatment of the story that carries the burden of the film's emotional drama.The kung fu scenes are - as you might expect from a Yuen movie - very well choreographed, but because the characters are so sympathetically played by the better than average acting the audience's involvement is more intensely felt.Yes, it's old-school, but it's top quality old-school, so well worth a look ...

winner55 Kurata Yasuaki made quite a good living in Hong Kong, playing one Japanese bad-guy after another. He even played a Chinese bad-guy on occasion, as in Prodigal Boxer (the Meng Fe film). The only time in the '70s when I can remember him playing a good-guy was in a Japanese film, the Sue Shiomi film Dragon Princess.As any one should know, who has seen the Jet Li remake of Bruce Lee's Chinese Connection, Fist of Legend (wherein Kurata plays an aging karate master), Kurata's acting ability is really quite broad and quite strong. that he got himself lost in Hong Kong type-cast as a villain is therefore a little disheartening.At any rate, his performance in this film is really top-notch; and despite his being Japanese - and a spy - and despite his confrontation with the hero at the end, he actually plays a decent guy! His character - marvelously complex for this genre - someone we find easy to like - so that when the bad things start to happen, we feel as upset and confused as the young hero.This is not one of those all-good or all-evil morality plays we often see in old-school chop-socky films. although this film technically still belongs to that tradition, the audience - as with the hero himself - is caught in a terrible grey zone where one must destroy those one loves, for the sake of a better future for all; and where one's heroes can prove nastier than one's enemies.I should also remark that this appears to me to a quasi-autobiographical film for director Yuen Woo Ping - This isn't so far-fetched - the Yuen family is among the most respected for having produced martial arts instructors and Chinese opera performers -arts that involve considerable - and frequently harsh - disciplinary training.At any rate, whatever the source, the writing of the film makes this one of the strongest of its genre and of its period.

clubhonda Out of all the movies by Yuen Wo Ping, this is probably his best work. The movie goes beyond the normal routine of private feuds and senseless fights to reflect on the strong nationalistic pride before the Japanese occupation of World War 2 and the pride of a pugilist.It also tells us how even someone who is weak and bullied can one day rise and become someone great if the spirit is willing. This is a very complex movie with many themes and invokes great respect for the main martial artists in the movie, not because they are great fighters -- but because they have great spirit behind their martial arts. A movie of inspiration, and of great nationalistic pride. This is a movie I continually watched to remind me of how even the weak can someday rise beyond that. One of my favourite movies even up to today, it has themes that will resonate throughout the ages. A+

bavski-knovril I bought this movie expecting an 'old skool' kung fu movie typical of the genre, but was pleasently surprised that the story was strong and well presented - not typical of your run-of-the-mill kung fu flick.'Beardy' (though shaven) gives a great performance as the legendary student of a travelling teacher who is secretly taught kung-fu and becomes the best fighter in China.The action is great, especially the boat scene where 'western style boxing' is shown to be no match for a beating up-side-the-head with a pipe stuck in your suspenders.Plenty of balsa wood furniture and a comic relief with rabbit-teeth and freckles - action, reasonable script-writing and comedy make this movie a must-see.