(Taiwan 1980) 

Original Title: Shi Ba Ban Wu Yi 十八般武藝 (aka) 18 Weapons Of Kung Fu; Eighteen Fighting Skills

 

Directed by Chan Hung Man Produced by Lin Ta Yuan Action by Wong Wing San Starring: Alan Lee Hoi Hing, Wong Wing Sang, Ricky Cheng Tien Chi, Wong Chi Sang, Miu Tak San, Siu Foo Dau, Shih Ting Ken Reviewing: YouTube Release Genres: Traditional Kung-Fu / Comedy

​

Rating: 3.3 / 5

Synopsis: Li Tai must endure terrible hardship under his sadistic kung fu master in order to perfect his fighting technique. Chances finally come for the ambitious young man when his old master meets his match, and Li has to use the 18 secrets of kung fu to save his Sifu and fight the challenger. Find out who's the ultimate martial arts master in 18 SECRETS OF KUNG FU... (89 Mins)

​

Views: After opening with a master monk explaining the history of the 18 weapons (of kung fu) to a group of kids, this Taiwanese chop-socky flick quickly turns into a typical early 80's kung-fu comedy, albeit with decent training and fight scenes that help keep afloat the basic story-line of a sadistic master and his student. While the overall story may be unclear due to the jumps in edits and large range of (unexplained) characters, you certainly can't complain about the quality and quantity of fight scenes on offer. And to be honest, that seems to be what it's really all about! 18 Secrets Of Kung Fu is filled with scattered comedy sequences and crazy characters who often cross paths in training sequences, or full-on attacks that lead to some neatly choreographed kung-fu fights. I must mention though, that there is one great stunt involving one of the actresses (Cheng Fei Fei) as she clings on to a wooden raft as it tears down the white-water rapids, banging off rocks and almost drowning in the raging torrents. It's actually quite a bizarrely, dark moment in the film and seems, somewhat, out of place with everything else that is going on!

​

The film stars Alan Lee Hoi Hing, a recognisable actor that usually plays the bad guy in many Alexander Lo Rei films such as Ninja USA, Ninja Final Duel, Ninja Kids: Kiss Of Death, and Ninja Vs Shaolin Guard. He's always been a great mover and in 18 Secrets Of Kung-Fu, gets to enjoy the role of the hero for a change in what would have been only his 4th or 5th feature at the time. Apart from the aforementioned Lo Rei movies, Lee would go on to star in a host of great titles including the epic Ninja In The Dragon's Den, Demon Strike, Drunken Tai Chi, The Last Blood, Beheaded 1000, and the bizarre Iron Monkey 2 – as well as serving as the martial arts director for many of those he appeared in. The popular Ricky Cheng Tien Chi, from movies such as Killer Meteors, Return Of The Chinese Boxer, 37 Plots Of Kung Fu, Fearless Hyena, Incredible Kung Fu Mission, Five Element Ninjas, House Of Traps, Ninja Hunter, Attack Of The Joyful Goddess, and many more, also appears for a bit of fun impressing with some great moves. Wang Yung Sheng, who appeared in over 80 features over the course of a decade, plays one of the main villains in the story. This would be one of his last few roles and would be quite recognisable for his appearances in many Jimmy Wang Yu productions including Beach Of The War Gods, Infernal Street, Seaman No. 7, and the One-Armed Boxer 1 & 2 – playing the Indian fighter in the latter. Wang would also appear with Jackie Chan in New Fist Of Fury and show his skills in Joseph Kuo's 36 Deadly Styles, Mystery Of Chess Boxing, The Old Master, and World Of The Drunken Master, and also handled the fight choreography here in 18 Secrets Of Kung Fu – no doubt with a little help from Alan Lee and a few others. The rest of the cast is fleshed out with regular Taiwanese kung fu stars such as Wang Chi Sheng, Shih Ting Ken, Pan Cheng Ming, Ko Hsiao Pao, and the prolific Wu Te Shan who appears, once again, as an old Shaolin monk.

​

The film is directed by Chen Hung Min, a name I'm not too familiar with, although I have seen his film Fists Of Vengeance starring Yasuaki Kurata which I quite enjoyed. Starting life in the industry in the late 1950s, Chen trained as an editor in Japan with the Toho and Toei film companies, and went on to edit over 100 films on his return to Taiwan. He would then go on to make his directorial debut in 1968 with Vengeance Of The Phoenix Sisters and directed over 25 films throughout his career including titles such as The Eight Immortals, Chiu Chow Kung Fu, Kung Fu Inferno, and Little Hero with Polly Shang Kwan and Lo Lieh. Although 18 Secrets Of Kung Fu would prove to be his last at the helm, he would continue to edit many more features into the late 80s...

​

Overall: Bottom line; revenge is on the cards. Nothing special here folks, but 18 Secrets Of Kung Fu offers plenty of great fights to keep fans entertained!