Jimmy Wang Yu broke his contract and left Shaw Brothers in 1970 and his last movie with them was “The Chinese Boxer” which he both directed and acted in. It was about a Chinese martial arts student who took revenge on the Japanese karate practitioners who bullied his school. Seven years later, he is back with “Return of the Chinese Boxer”, an in-name only sequel with a totally new protagonist. The villains are still the Japanese but this time there is an added historical element.
Scripted by Gu Lung, in the story the Japanese are planning to invade China and after forming an alliance with the corrupted General Tao, a group of heavily armed troops is on its way to China. Consequently, this prompts some royal Generals and the locals into action to fight against the foreigners and “Rapid Fist” Tsao Pai Leung (Jimmy Wang Yu) is one such rebel. Highly skilled in martial arts and to the frustrations of the invaders, Tsao is a one-man army who is always one step ahead of them.
Wang and Gu Lung's tale of Japanese infiltrating China kicks off quite impressively with an attack by the local fighters on a train which is carrying a convoy of Japanese on their way to meet General Tao. This proves to be a disastrous mission for them since the Japanese are too powerful and heavily armed with guns. The loyalist concerned then sends his niece to General Shang Ta for further assistance. During this road trip, the mysterious kung fu expert Tsao is forever nearby to protect them against the attacking Japanese.
During these encounters, Tsao always comes out victorious no matter what kind or how many opponents are being dispatched to kill him. In desperation, the Japanese warlord resorts to using black magic to resurrect a trio of dead fighters thus turning them into kung fu zombies and when that fails, they finally send out Black Crane, a gunslinger to finish him off. So, can Rapid Fist Tsao who only uses his bare fists survive the final battle as he faces those speeding bullets?
With hardly any back story, Jimmy Wang Yu's Tsao is a resourceful fighter who can withstand all kinds of punishment and is invincible with his deadly fists. At times, the character does appear cartoonish but Wang manages to come out with the goods as both actor and director. Besides he has a good eye for composition too and seems to favor low angle shots while making good use of his sets both indoor and out.
But the main attractions here are the action scenes which are plentiful and creative. At one point, a long flashback of a martial arts tournament unexpectedly appears just to flash out a character. But it is a sequence full of amazing fighters showing off their different skills and weapons. Credited as the fight choreographer, Hsieh Hsing's fights are ambitious at times but well designed. However, the seriousness of the action gives way to a more fantasy oriented tone as the movie progresses. Like the inclusion of a trio of kung fu zombies accompanied by some creepy soundtrack for example.
Played quite charismatically by Lung Fei in a black costume and covered in flintlock pistols is Black Crane, the laid back Japanese villain who prefers using guns instead of a katana. Armed with his eight-barreled shotgun which looks like a huge leave rake, he definitely takes gun fu to a new height. Accompanying Lord Kitsu to China is a beautiful female ninja played by Emily Cheung Ying Chan in an alluring role which is a welcome distraction from her male counterparts. Elsewhere, an assassin equipped with countless daggers also stands out and together with the three undead they are all memorable characters.
Aside from the thin plot concerning the invasion of Japanese during the Qing Dynasty, this production is very much a reworking of “The Chinese Boxer” and “The One-Armed Boxer” both directed by and starring Wang himself. However, it is the series of action scenes ranging from fantastic to outlandish which actually helps to hold the movie together. The extended tournament scene doesn't push the story along much but it does introduce a lot of colorful and crazy fighters in a frenzy display of spectacular action set piece and, surprisingly, with very little blood or gore.
Still, “Return of the Chinese Boxer” is like the best of Wang Yu, a fun and entertaining outing with decent production value and most of all it is action packed. Besides, there is also a hot female ninja and some of the interchanges between the characters are unintentionally hilarious.
