Sammo Hung Movies
Unlike his frequent collaborator, Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung is relatively unknown in the U.S. However, in his native Hong Kong, he is member of a renowned comedy team that includes Chan and Yuen Biao. The three have a similar theatrical background -- all three are childhood friends and received training at the Peking Opera Academy. Hung was typically a bumbling sidekick to Jackie Chan, although martial arts fans often argue that Hung is actually the better martial artist. Many would find this surprising, most likely due to Hung's appearance: overweight, with a jovial, easy-going manner. Lacking the traditionally heroic physical traits that his friend has in spades, Hung is often overshadowed by Chan, to the point that Chan has received top billing for films in which Hung was truly the star (My Lucky Stars). Beyond his slapstick onscreen performances, Hung is unrivaled in the field of film stunts and has functioned as stunt coordinator on many projects. Hung has also applied his excellent choreographic skills into a successful directing career. In a more serious performance, obviously informed by his vast experience, he portrayed a stunt coordinator opposite Michelle Yeoh in the 1997 film The Stunt Woman.~ Jonathan E. Laxamana, All Movie Guide
This melodrama is one of many that have embraced the period setting of Hong Kong during the Japanese occupation of World War II. Chow Yun-Fat, in an award-winning performance, plays a poor worker at a small rice shop. He befriends a rickshaw driver (Alex Mann) who falls in love with the shop owner's daughter. When the shop owner forbids the couple to marry, the trio decides to runaway to mainland China. However, their plan is interrupted by the Japanese invasion, and their friendship and loyalty is put to the test in the events that follow. Similar to films like Casablanca, Hong Kong 1941 is a good example of how Hong Kong cinema has made much use of this period and the theme of love in a desperate time. However, the film also depicts the brutality that occurred during the occupation, and the portrayal of the Japanese invasion force in this film reflects a deep resentment that parallels the representations of the German Nazis in Western film.
~ Jonathan E. Laxamana, All Movie Guide
~ Jonathan E. Laxamana, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Chow Yun-Fat, Cecilia Yip, (more)
- 1984
Following up from their success with Project A, martial arts-comedy trio Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung, and Yuen Biao head out to Spain for this screwball kung-fu flick. Thomas and David (Chan and Yuen) run a Chinese lunch wagon in the streets of Barcelona. One day, David encounters a beautiful pickpocket named Sylvia (Lola Forner, who also appeared in Armor of God) and he is immediately smitten. Meanwhile, inept private dick Moby (Hung) is tracking down the illegitimate daughter of a dead count. If the woman can be found within two weeks after his death, his vast riches go to her. If not, then her evil stepbrother gets the goods. Of course, Sylvia turns out to be the missing heiress. And naturally her evil step-brother has sent out a bevy of goons to insure his inheritance while David, Moby, and Thomas vow to protect the lass. The film was originally going to be called "Meals on Wheels" until studio head Raymond Chow, after the utter failure of his 1982 opus Megaforce, vowed never to have a film that began with an "M." ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jackie Chan, Yuen Biao, (more)
- 1983
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Legendary Hong Kong filmmaker Tsui Hark spins this lavishly designed fantasy epic featuring some of the most cutting edge, oft-imitated special effects of the day. The film, set in 5th century China, centers on Ti Ming-chi (Yuen Biao) a young innocent from the West Zu army who wandered away from the battlefield and into a magical underworld filled with demons and murderous swordsmen. When his life is saved by the noble warrior Ting Yin (Adam Cheng Siu-chau), Ti joins forces with his band of fighters -- including a Buddhism monk named Abbot Hsiao Yu (Damian Lau Chung-yan), his klutzy underling Yi Chen (Mang Hoi) and a fearsome old wizard named Long Brows (Sammo Hung) -- in their quest to save the world from the terror of the Blood Demon. In spite of Long Brows' powers the Demon attacks and poisons Abbot Hsiao. Ting and company take the injured monk to the enigmatic Countess of Jade Pond (Brigitte Lin Hsia) hoping that her skills can cure him. Though she manages to cure Hsiao, the demon soon possesses Ting. The combined power of Ting and the demon are too great; the Countess can only surround her castle with a solid block of ice and wait while Ti, Yi and one of the countess's guards (Moon Lee Choi-fung) ventures to the top of Blade Peak to find the legendary Twin Swords. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Yuen Biao
In this entertaining Hong Kong comedy-action-drama, five creatively-named criminals (Teapot, Vaseline, Exhaust Pipe, Curly Jerk, and Ranks) get out of prison and decide to "go straight" by starting a cleaning business. One of their customers is the underworld counterfeiter "Boss Chau," also released from prison but still committed to his chosen vocation. An ace detective (Jackie Chan) is about to grab Chau's counterfeiting plates when the cleaning crew accidentally make off with the plates while doing Chau's house. Their troubles only increase when they learn that the younger sister of one of them (and love interest of three) has been kidnapped by the rival gang leader "Boss Man" and is being held in exchange for the printing plates. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung, (more)
Jackie Chan directs himself and fellow martial arts superstar Sammo Hung in the action film Jackie Chan's Project A. Chan plays a 19th century Coast Guard office who must defend Hong Kong's borders from a variety of smugglers and undesirables. As is usually the case, Chan performs all of his own stunts during the film. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
Popular Hong Kong actor-filmmaker Sammo Hung directed himself in this amusing action-comedy in which he stars as Rice Pot, a highly skilled pickpocket who falls in love with a beautiful female police inspector. The inspector (Deanie Yip) decides that she will overlook Rice Pot's prodigious list of legal offenses if he steals a pouch from a gangster's courier (Peter Chan). Rice Pot's partner, Chimney (Frankie Chan), carries out the assignment, only to discover that the pouch contains a veritable trove of stolen diamonds. Before long, Rice Pot and Chimney are running for their lives from the mobsters, who are willing to kill to get the diamonds back. Dick Wei and Jamie Luk are among the bad guys, and familiar supporting players include Wu Ma and Nat Chan. ~ Robert Firsching, All Movie Guide
In this classic martial arts film from Hong Kong, Yuen Biao plays the effete son of a wealthy man who is halfheartedly studying kung fu, though his father has to pay ringers to fight him (and, of course, lose). When he finds out that his father has been deceiving him, Biao decides he must learn the true ways of the martial arts, and tries to convince a noted kung fu expert to take him on as a pupil. Prodigal Son was directed by Sammo Hung, who also plays a supporting role. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Yuen Biao, Frankie Chan, (more)
One of the more noteworthy Hong Kong horror-comedies of its time, this period thriller from Golden Harvest and actor/director Wu Ma (who co-stars as Ma Lucho) is filled with both fascinating mythology and outrageous setpieces. Co-screenwriter Sammo Hung stars as Fatboy, who becomes suspicious when his best friend's death is listed as being due to natural causes. Adding to Fatboy's doubts is the fact that his late friend Ma Lucho's wife is now pregnant, and Ma was well-known to be impotent. Fatboy decides to conduct his own after-hours autopsy to prove that Ma was murdered, not knowing that his friend has actually faked his own death so he could sell all of the valuable treasures bequeathed to him by his late father. Just as Fatboy is about to hack the possum-playing Ma open with a meat cleaver, he is interrupted by a priest, sparing his devious friend. The respite is only temporary, however, as the treasures turn out to be junk, fronts for the real fortune which Ma's wife will inherit when she gives birth to an heir. Realizing that she is better off as a sole beneficiary, Ma's wife conspires with the priest to have her husband killed. Ma goes from playing dead to really being dead, but then rises from the grave as a ghost and ends up possessing Fatboy in order to further his campaign of revenge. The ensuing confrontations and their consequences for Fatboy's discorporated spirit result in a rousing conclusion. It's also a peculiar one -- at one point, Fatboy's soul ends up inside the body of a beetle, which his girlfriend Yuen (Cherie Chung) protects from the demons sent to escort it to hell by hiding it in a feminine napkin. Lam Ching-ying and Chung Fat co-star. ~ Robert Firsching, All Movie Guide
Courageous Cheung (Sammo Hung) has a reputation for taking on any dare, no matter how foolish it may be, in order to prove his unabashed bravery. Though his friends often take advantage of his misguided machismo by luring him into dubious dares in which they attempt to scare him and laughingly ridicule him, Cheung is placed in very real danger after the Master -- the man his wife is having an affair with -- hires an evil Taoist priest to kill him in what Cheung at first considers a routine test of bravery. Utilizing multiple varieties of dark magic and evil trickery, including hopping vampires and possessed corpses, Cheung is placed in constant danger. Only through his swift kung-fu skills and quick thinking is Cheung able to escape death and hire a supernatural coach of his own in order to defend himself from the increasingly threatening legions of the netherworld. The fever pitch builds to a breaking point as Cheung and the evil Master face off as possessed marionettes guided by the spells and incantations of their powerful Taoist priest rivals. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sammo Hung, Chung Fat, (more)
- 1980
- NR
Sammo Hung directs himself and Jackie Chan in the Hong Kong action film Dragon Forever. Chan plays a lawyer who discovers that his client is a drug king. Chan teams up with a hapless friend (Hung) and a mentally unstable associate (Yuen Biao) to stop the kingpin. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
Yuen Woo-ping directs this classic of the period kung fu epic. Butcher Wing (Sammo Hung) is the most talented and the most troublesome pupil of Master Wong (Kwan Tak-hing). One day while helping to stop a robbery, Butcher runs afoul of the power, and evil, Master Ko (Lee Hoi-sang), resulting eventually in a duel between Ko and Master Wong. Meanwhile, Butcher's long lost brother Lam Sai-kwong comes to town with his beautiful bride Yuet Mei. Master Ko's son Tai-hoi (Fung Hark-on) hoodwinks the country bumpkin into thinking that Butcher owes him a stack of money, taking Yuet Mei as payment. Just as Sai-kwong is about to take a flying leap off a bridge, he is saved by a wily beggar (Fan Mui-sang) with surprisingly good kung fu ability. Eventually, Sai-kwong, Butcher and the beggar unite to free Yuet Mei from Master Ko's clutches, only to create a whole new set of problems. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sammo Hung
Sammo Hung Kam-po spins this old school kung-fu flick. Chan-wing (Hung) is an unruly fighter determined to get martial arts master Leung Chun-yau (Leung Kar-yan) as his teacher. Leung, however, is up to his ears in his own problems and the last thing he needs is an undisciplined lad to make trouble. Leung's older brother, Jo-wing (Chang Yi), is such a thug that he tried to rape Leung's wife, Yuet-yi (Fanny Wang), on their wedding night. Though Jo-wing fled immediately after the incident, Leung and his wife have been fretting over the inevitable reunion between the two siblings. They finally meet again when Leung's father is on his deathbed. While Leung and Jo-wing uneasily stare at each other during their father's final gasps of life, Jo-wing's henchmen are plotting a trap. Leung is almost killed until Yuet-yi steps in and disavows her husband in exchange that Jo-wing promise to spare his life. Burning with cold fury, Leung agrees to train Chan-wing while plotting his revenge. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sammo Hung
Sammo Hung directs and stars in this classic of the genre, featuring some of the best fighting sequences ever recorded on celluloid. One day, while working late on the job, bank teller Chan Hua (Casanova Wong) discovers that his villainous boss, Mo (Fung Hark-on), is plotting to kill the town's chief and take power for himself. When he makes the mistake of telling his associate about the plot, Hua ends up beaten within an inch of his life. Soon after Hua takes refugee at this buddy Fei Chun's (Hung) house, Mo's henchmen murders Chun's mother -- hoping to force Hua out into the open. Instead, Chun enlists the support of humorless kung-fu master Liang Tsan (Leung Kar-yan), who specializes in the Wing Chun form, to teach the two to defend themselves. After enduring weeks of grueling training sessions, the two are ready to face down the baddies, including a new ace fighter who has mastered an exotic fighting form. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
Brothers Little John and Big John make a living as small-time con men. When things go sour, they turn to a powerful man called the Silver Fox, only to find that he too is a con man who's playing them at their own game. Their luck is sure to run out soon, but lucky for them, they run into Fatty the Beggar, who proves that when it comes to the real power of kung fu, looks can be deceiving. ~ Cammila Albertson, All Movie Guide
Sammo Hung stars in this classic martial arts drama as a man who was orphaned as a boy and has struggled through poverty all his life. Known in his village as "the Filthy Guy," the poor laborer works for a landowner named Chan. When Chan finds himself the target of harassment by a group of violent thugs, he and his family have no way to defend themselves. However, the "Filthy Guy" has a secret -- he's a master of Kung Fu, and he teaches Chan and his people how to send the bad guys packing. The Filthy Guy was also released under the title The Return of Secret Rivals. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sammo Hung
Out on the town gambling after running away from his wife, Crazy Frog (Sammo Hung) makes the acquaintance of pickpocket Multi-Hand Chick (Meg Lam Kin-Ming) when the less-than stealthy thief pleads with him to protect her from the wrath of an angry target. Her skills prove more effective, however, when she lures Crazy Frog back to her house and steals his prized Invincible Armor. Though Crazy Frog's homely wife has enlisted the help of Dirty Tiger (Lau Kar-wing) to bring her husband back home, the prospect of helping Crazy Frog recover his prized armor ultimately proves too much of a challenge to resist. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- 1978
Sammo Hung stars in this parody of Return of the Dragon, the 1973 kung fu classic that paired Bruce Lee and Chuck Norris. Sammo plays Lung, an apprentice pig farmer sent to the big city to help his family, only to find himself confronted by a gang of thugs trashing the grocery stand where he works. Lung's hero is Bruce Lee, and he's carefully studied Lee's martial arts techniques; however, he also weighs a good hundred pounds more than Bruce, which makes him look like a less than threatening opponent. However, the gang soon discovers that Lung knows how to throw his weight around (literally), and he soon dispatches the toughs, only to find a full slate of adventures before him. Originally released in 1978, Fei Lung Gwoh Gong received a belated video release in the United States in 1999 after Sammo Hung became an unexpected success with his American TV series Martial Law. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sammo Hung
Star Bruce Lee died before this film was completed, thus the producers were forced to pad out the running time with outtakes and alternate shots. They also lifted chunks of footage from Enter the Dragon and Return of the Dragon. The finished product finally hit the screens in 1978, five years after Lee's death. The film's finale pits Lee against such formidable opposition as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Chuck Norris. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Sammo Hung makes his directorial debut with this period kung fu tale about rotund Husker who at the film's outset is humiliated by a band of Manchu thugs. Taking the advice of Tak (Chen Sing), a monk who comes to his rescue, Husker joins the legendary Shaolin Temple and hones his martial arts skills. After several years, he leaves the temple looking for revenge. He soon learns about a band of Manchus who terrorize local villagers and whose sadistic boss loves little more than raping village maidens. Husker soon joins forces with dye-worker Liang. When Liang rashly kills one of the Manchus, Husker gets pinned with the blame. When Husker manages to thwart a Manchu attack, the band goes after Liang's livelihood. Soon Tak and his friends come to the rescue. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sammo Hung
Shaolin Traitorous is directed by Sung Ting Mei. After his father is killed by the White Haried Mantis and the Tien Law Net Set, Yung finds refuge in a Shaolin Temple. After a decade of intense training, Yung is ready to avenge his father's death. He joins up with a gang that has broken off from the Tien Law Net Set, and eventually faces off against the dreaded White Haired Mantis. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
Female martial-arts star Angela Mao is top-billed in When Taekwondo Strikes. The scene is Korea; the time is WW II. A group of resistance fighters, led by Mao, do their best to decimate the ranks of the occupying Japanese troops. Pity the poor Japanese: all they have to defend themselves is high-tech weaponry. Anne Winton co-stars in this above-the-norm actioner. Filmed in 1973, When Taekwondo Strikes earned an American release 10 years later -- and its first U.S. TV showing some five years after that. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
One of the most popular kung fu films ever, and perhaps the peak of the famed Bruce Lee's career, Enter the Dragon achieved success by presenting a series of superbly staged fighting sequences with a minimum of distractions. The story finds Lee as a martial-arts expert determined to help capture the narcotics dealer whose gang was responsible for his sister's death. This evil villain operates from a fortified island manned by a team of crack martial artists, who also host a kung fu competition. Lee uses his skills to enter the contest and then tries to chop, kick, and otherwise fight his way into the dealer's headquarter. The story is, of course, merely an excuse for showdown after showdown, featuring masterly fighting by Lee in a wide variety of martial arts styles. Essential viewing for martial arts fans, the film was also embraced by a larger audience, thanks to a fast pace and higher-than-usual production values. ~ Judd Blaise, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bruce Lee, John Saxon, (more)
- 1971
Sammo Hung's directorial debut Fast Sword stars Chang Yi as a young man who attempts to kill the man who murdered his father. He is arrested for his actions, but eventually forms a partnership with the very man who arrested him. Together they work to stop a warlord who is controlling the area. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
