The Kung Fu Instructor – 88 Films

Director: Sun Chung
Screenplay: Ni Kuang
Starring: Ti Lung, Wong Yu, Ku Feng, Angie Chiu, Johnny Wang Lung-Wei, Ai Fei, Chiang Tao, Shum Lo, Lun Ga-Chun, Tin Ching, Yuen Wah, Ching Miao
Country: Hong Kong
Running Time: 104 min
Year: 1979
BBFC Certificate: 12

88 Films continue to dig deep into the Shaw Brothers vault with The Kung-Fu Instructor, a late-seventies effort from Sun Chung. He’s a director best known for the gory wuxia-horror movie Human Lanterns and the straight-up wuxia classic The Avenging Eagle. I saw the latter a few years ago and loved it (it’s part of Arrow’s forthcoming Shawscope Vol. 3 set, in case anyone’s interested) and also enjoyed his kung-fu movie To Kill a Mastermind, which 88 Films released last month. So I got my hands on a screener for The Kung-Fu Instructor and my thoughts follow.

The Kung Fu Instructor centres around a divided town, where two rival factions, the peaceful Zhous and the violent Mengs, have lived in perpetual conflict. A clear boundary separates their territories, with severe consequences for anyone who crosses it.

Meng Er-da (Ku Feng), the ruthless leader of the Mengs, seeks to dominate the entire town. He offers a lucrative proposition to Wang Yang (Ti Lung), a renowned kung fu instructor known for his exceptional skills. If Wang agrees to train the Mengs, they will grant him protection and power. However, Wang refuses, citing his loyalty to his current students.

To force Wang to change his mind, the Mengs frame him for a heinous crime. They offer to shelter him from the authorities and grease the wheels to keep him from arrest, leading Wang to reluctantly accept their offer to join them. Despite his forced allegiance though, Wang remains true to his principles and openly criticises the Mengs’ brutality.

Meanwhile, a young Zhou named Ping (Wong Yu), desperate to learn kung fu, is willing to risk everything to cross the dangerous divide. He observes Wang’s training from a distance, hoping for an opportunity to learn from him. His admiration for Wang’s skill and courage grows, even as he witnesses the terrifying consequences of crossing the boundary.

When Ping bravely takes the punishment the Mengs put upon him, Wang can see the passion in this young man’s heart. So, he shuns the Mengs and trains Ping instead, leading to a deepened conflict between the factions.

The disc’s press describes The Kung Fu Instructor as being a kung-fu spin on Yojimbo and A Fistful of Dollars, due to the central rift at the heart of the story and the lone figure straddling the two sides. However, this isn’t quite a remake of the classic story. Wang doesn’t play the two factions against each other. He’s just stuck in the middle and chooses the right side when each shows its true colours.

Instead, this is a film about honour in teaching martial arts – doing so for the right reasons and for those who genuinely want to learn. As such, the story is more straightforward than those of the films that seem to have influenced it. However, the inclusion of this ‘middle man’ does succeed in making what would be a straightforward warring-clans story more engaging.

What I also liked about the writing was how the fight scenes were always properly integrated into the story. It’s much more focused than Kid From Kwang Tung, for instance, which 88 Films are releasing on the same day. This makes for a much more satisfying and compelling film.

I can hear some of you groaning in the back though, saying “We’re not interested in The Kung Fu Instructor for the story”. Well, rest easy, as the action scenes in the film are also very good and there are plenty of them.

Ti Lung gets to show off his skills with a staff and there are some elaborately choreographed fights throughout the film, as well as some fun training sequences. The final showdown is particularly good, being largely made up of a lengthy two-on-one battle.

Adding extra sheen to the already impressive film is some handsome production design and cinematography. There are some nice gliding camera moves, for instance, and shots are carefully framed.

Overall then, The Kung Fu Instructor is a finely honed Shaw Brothers classic with a solid mix of action and storytelling, alongside the stamp of quality you expect from the studio.

Film:

Disc/package: