Hong Kong Reviews Reviews

Film Review: The Grand Grandmaster (2020) by Dayo Wong

” sees Hong Kong comedian produce a kung-fu parody that maybe has more to say than one would first notice. Selling his own home to fund the piece, taking the lead role, directing and writing the movie, it is safe to say that he has faith in his ability, and who can blame him, as his last movie, “Agent Mr Chan”, was a huge success. Beyond aiming to be a comedic crowd pleaser though, Wong seems to be using the film as a vehicle to offer his thoughts about a current issue in China, and as a vehicle to help keep the Hong Kong industry separate from the mainland.

The Grand Grandmaster” is screening at CAAMFest Forward

Martial arts is a huge part of Chinese culture, and recently its been a constant source of debate. Is this form of self-defence usable outside of a lesson? Or is it simply an ancient form that holds no relevance in real life combat? This was something that became highly heated when MMA fighter Xu Xiaodong began challenging martial arts masters to fight him, to prove their martial arts was usable. He has since beat countless masters and been boycotted for doing so. In “The Grand Grandmaster” it seems Wong is agreeing with Xiaodong, as his film seems strangely reminiscent of the real-life story.

In the movie, we see the head of the Ma Ka Thunder dojo, Fei Lung (played by Wong himself), get into an altercation with a female boxer named Chan Tsang (). Despite Lung's mastery of his ancestral fighting style, he gets quickly knocked out by the former boxing champion, and his commercial kung-fu empire begins to crumble. With his dojo heavily franchised and his brand growing worldwide, the disgraced master needs to regain the trust of his devoted customers, and thus, he must challenge Tsang to a real fight, but can his style compete?

As the plot progresses, the two competing fighters become intertwined and their relationship grows complicated, Lung learns that maybe his martial arts never was effective, and countless comedic gags follow. The performances hold this altogether nicely, but they can only do so much with a script that seems to fall a little flat. While the idea is strong and the critique of Chinese culture is bold, the actual execution is rather dull, and this really didn't have to be a two-hour experience, but sadly it is.

Overall, “The Grand Grandmaster” feels like it could have been a lot more than it was. It has a very provocative idea executed in a fun way, it's a film that sticks to the Hong Kong industry amidst the current issues, which is commendable, and that makes it all the more disappointing that it doesn't really find its flow. The film is just inconsistent. Without a doubt, it is still worth watching and supporting, as there is still fun to be had here, but it really just feels like a low-grade Stephen Chow knockoff.  

About the author

Robert Edwards

Robert Edwards is a recent film graduate exploring the weird and wonderful world of writing. You can often find him talking about Japanese cinema, or even making the occasional video essay about it.

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