{"id":6192,"date":"2010-03-16T12:10:50","date_gmt":"2010-03-16T19:10:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.allouttabubblegum.com\/main\/?p=6192"},"modified":"2010-03-16T12:10:50","modified_gmt":"2010-03-16T19:10:50","slug":"john-woo-jackie-chan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/allouttabubblegum.com\/new-home\/john-woo-jackie-chan\/","title":{"rendered":"John Woo & Jackie Chan"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Hand_of_Death_1976\"<\/strong><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

[THE CHALK-OUTLINE]<\/strong><\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n

The Hand Of Death a.k.a. Countdown To Kung Fu a.k.a. Shao Lin men (1976): Breakdown by Kain424<\/span><\/h3>\n

Several martial arts heroes band together to stop the ruthless slaughter of Shaolin monks by an evil warlord.<\/p>\n

[THE EXECUTION]<\/strong><\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n

John Woo performed well enough under his mentor, Chang Cheh, that Golden Harvest gave him a three year contract to make films for them.\u00a0 After The Young Dragons<\/strong> failed to meet their standards and was vigorously re-edited, Woo worked on The Dragon Tamers<\/strong> (if you can see a pattern in the names, it’s because Golden Harvest was still in the midst of attempting to replicate the Bruce Lee success formula) and then was finally able to collect together a hand-picked team for The Hand Of Death<\/strong>.\u00a0 Regardless of the effort put into making the film, HoD<\/strong> still wouldn’t see a release until 1976.<\/p>\n

\"Kicking<\/p>\n

In an effort to cast actors who could perform as well as act, Woo brought in former Tae Kwon Do champion Dorian Tan and Bruce Lee film semi-regular James Tien as the lead and antagonist, respectively.\u00a0 Tien had worked with Woo on The Dragon Tamers and would go on to become an audience favorite in dozens of other films.\u00a0 Tan, however, lacked a certain charm and the looks to remain much of a major star.\u00a0 He manages competently enough, but is overshadowed in every other scene by the formidable presences of his co-stars, even in the dawn their careers.<\/p>\n

Of particular note here is Jackie Chan.\u00a0 Chan had attempted to branch out after The Young Dragons<\/strong>, appearing as small roles and extras in several films and even showing up in low-rent semi-porn like All In The Family<\/strong> (James Tien had also shown up in this fluff, though it wasn’t more than a cameo).\u00a0 Woo was able to wrangle Chan again here, but this time Jackie would bring with him Sammo Hung and Yuen Biao,\u00a0 marking the first time these three friends would appear in a film together.\u00a0 Hung did most of the Action directing here, with Biao and Chan on the stuntwork.<\/p>\n

\"Get<\/p>\n

Performance-wise, Chan comes out looking very impressive.\u00a0 He gets to show his skill with the spear and a bit of his acrobatics as well.\u00a0 Sammo Hung, on the other hand, wears a set of false teeth and tight-fitting silk clothes.\u00a0 While his character is meant as an antagonist, he borders on silly too much of the time in a movie seemingly bent on being taken seriously.\u00a0 It’s a nice early role for him, and Woo gives him some decent characterization scenes as well.\u00a0 Once again though, I can’t help but think his appearance is meant to be laughed at.<\/p>\n

The music by Joseph Koo is rather dated now, but it’s interesting to note his relationship to John Woo.\u00a0 They would continue working together on Princess Chang Ping<\/strong> (which would actually see release before this film) and Koo would go on to score one of the more memorable soundtracks in Woo’s A Better Tomorrow<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\"John<\/p>\n

Woo (who also appears in this film) likes his camera zooms, though of particular interest is his use of slow motion.\u00a0 It’s used on and off in several of the key fights here, but perhaps it should be more so noted that he chooses not to use it for the deciding blow in the final battle.\u00a0 What results is a moment of tension built up through the slow motion technique and dissipated in an instant.\u00a0 But more on that later.<\/p>\n

The Hand Of Death<\/strong> isn’t especially great, but one can see the parallels with Woo’s later work.\u00a0 Themes of male bonding and unity abound here, and so does a sense of trust and honor.\u00a0 Scenes of men befriending one another are often contrasted with those of cruelty and betrayal.\u00a0 The movie is ultimately just another stepping stone in the careers of many involved, and is worth a look for that alone.<\/p>\n

[HOW BAD-ASS ARE THE MAIN CHARACTERS?]<\/strong><\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n

\"Dorian<\/p>\n

Dorian Tan is Yun Fei<\/span><\/h3>\n

In addition to telling us he is a bad-ass, Yun Fai’s master also shows us.\u00a0 We see that he trains against multiple opponents using almost every known weapon and fighting style.\u00a0 He can break necks with his wrists, is incredibly acrobatic, and if hung up by his feet, can do a hanging sit up and untie his feet with his teeth.\u00a0 Holy shit.<\/p>\n

\"Jackie<\/p>\n

Jackie Chan is Tan Feng<\/span><\/h3>\n

Seemingly a buffoon, he is actually a martial arts master apparently just by relation.\u00a0 He has mastered the spear and has waited for three years, taking every bit of abuse, just to get close enough to his brother’s killers to exact his revenge.\u00a0 Plus, he takes out an entire enemy stronghold by himself.\u00a0 He’s probably the most bad-ass of the bunch.<\/p>\n

\"Sammo<\/p>\n

Sammo Hung is Lord Du Ching<\/span><\/h3>\n

While his physical appearance pretty much negates most of his accumulated bad-ass points, he shows some serious skills.\u00a0 A one-time betrayer and a failure as a martial arts instructor to the soldiers under his command, he still respects decent fighters and the intelligence of the film’s protagonist.\u00a0 However, he is quick to anger and quicker to act on it.\u00a0 His pride is his ultimate weakness. That and those chompers.<\/p>\n

[THE BODY COUNT: 60 (est.)]<\/strong><\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n

The bodycount is pretty impressive here, with a lot of stabbings and people being beaten to death or even having their necks broke.\u00a0 Most of the points go to the bad guys (especially early on), but the good guys do manage to not completely shame themselves.\u00a0 Jackie Chan actually kills 11 people, which you can view HERE<\/a>.<\/p>\n

[MOST SATISFYING ASS-KICKING & DEATH]<\/strong><\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n

Dorian Tan vs. James Tien, round 2.<\/span><\/h3>\n

While every scene featuring Jackie Chan fighting is a real treat, I think the most satisfying battle was the final one.\u00a0 Using all of the moves learned doing his earlier training regiment, Yun Fei finally takes down the powerful Manchu warlord.\u00a0 He crushes the muscles in Shih’s arms to mush but that doesn’t stop the man from one last charge.<\/p>\n

\"Slow<\/p>\n

But Yun Fei is ready and kicks the bastard right out of the air.\u00a0 He then does a backflip, landing with his knees on either side of his fallen opponent’s head.\u00a0 Squeezing and turning, he slowly breaks the villain’s neck.\u00a0 Pretty nasty.<\/p>\n

[DUDESWEAT AND MACHISMO]<\/strong><\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n

As with many John Woo films, the scenes of male bonding come packed with a strong current of homoerotic undertones.\u00a0 In this film especially, these land on the side of overt.\u00a0 A couple of our heroes meet and flirt over tea, with one talking about how long it’s been since he’s last used his sword before sticking it directly in the other’s face.<\/p>\n

\"Rawr.<\/p>\n

And then there is the training sequence.\u00a0 In addition to shirtless posing and a bit of hand-to-hand action, our heroes oil up bamboo staffs to strengthen their grips.\u00a0 Only the montage sequence in No Retreat No Surrender<\/strong> and Rocky III<\/strong> rival the over the top gayness on display here.<\/p>\n

[EXPLOITATION AND MISOGYNY]<\/strong><\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n

Another frequent theme of John Woo films is his constant placing of women in a narrative’s background.\u00a0 The women of The Hand Of Death<\/strong> are all whores (literally) anyway, but are relegated to backstory sequences and distant references.\u00a0 We do get an extreme close-up of a nipple though.<\/p>\n

[EPIC MOMENT AND BEST ONE-LINER]<\/strong><\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n

Tan Feng, played by Jackie Chan, has pretty much just been a silly side character up to this point.\u00a0 While helpful in his own way, he is seen by the others in the film as a bit of a simpleton until Yun Fei is training with his bowstaff to fight with the movie’s antagonist.<\/p>\n

Feng watches as he chops wood and finally asks Fei if he is expecting to go against Shih’s sword with the staff.\u00a0 When Fei tells him he is doing just that, Feng grabs the staff mid-strike and chops it in half with his bare hand.<\/p>\n

\"You<\/p>\n

“Your staff is wood.\u00a0 His sword is steel.”<\/span><\/h2>\n

It’s only at this point does Yun Fei realize Tan Feng is far wiser and likely more skilled than he has ever appeared to be.\u00a0 Meanwhile, Feng goes on to make Fei a more suitable, metal staff.<\/p>\n

[THE MORAL OF THE STORY]<\/strong><\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n

With loyal friends and the right reasons, you can accomplish anything.\u00a0 And Jackie Chan is a bad-ass, but we already knew that.<\/p>\n

[THE GIST OF JACKIE: 1 outta 5]<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

[\u00a0 ] Breaks Into Someplace Or Escapes By Way Of Acrobatics
\n[\u00a0 ] Has An Annoying Tag-Along Companion
\n[X] Makes The ‘OW!’ Face And\/Or Rubs A Soar Spot
\n[\u00a0 ] Performs A Ridiculously Dangerous Stunt
\n[\u00a0 ] Uses A Random Object To Defend Himself<\/strong><\/strong><\/h3>\n

[THE CHECKLIST: 15 outta 25]<\/span><\/h2>\n

[X] Athlete(s) Turned \u201cActor\u201d
\n[X] Clinging To The Outside Of A Moving Vehicle
\n[X] Crotch Attack
\n[X] Dialogue Telling Us How Bad-Ass The Main Character(s) Is\/Are
\n[\u00a0 ] Ending Featuring An Ambulance, A Blanket or A Towel
\n[\u00a0 ] Factory\/Warehouse
\n[\u00a0 ] Giant Explosion(s)
\n[\u00a0 ] Heavy Artillery
\n[\u00a0 ] Improvised Weapon(s)
\n[X] Macho Mode(s) Of Transportation
\n[\u00a0 ] Main Character Sports Facial Accessory(s)
\n[\u00a0 ] Manly Embrace(s)
\n[X] Notorious Stunt-Man Sighting [Yuen Biao, Yuen Wah]
\n[X] Passage(s) Of Time Via Montage
\n[X] Politically Fueled Plot Point(s)
\n[X] Senseless Destruction Of Property
\n[X] Shoot Out(s) and\/or Sword Fight(s)
\n[X] Slow-Motion Finishing Move(s)\/Death(s)
\n[X] Stupid Authoritative Figure(s)
\n[X] Substance Usage and\/or Abuse
\n[\u00a0 ] Tis The Season
\n[X] Torture Sequence(s)
\n[\u00a0 ] Unnecessary Sequel
\n[\u00a0 ] Vehicle Chase(s)
\n[X] Vigilante Justice<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/h3>\n

\"Shhh!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

[THE CHALK-OUTLINE] The Hand Of Death a.k.a. Countdown To Kung Fu a.k.a. Shao Lin men (1976): Breakdown by Kain424 Several martial arts heroes band together to stop the ruthless slaughter of Shaolin monks by an evil warlord. [THE EXECUTION] John Woo performed well enough under his mentor, Chang Cheh, that Golden Harvest gave him a … Read moreJohn Woo & Jackie Chan<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[780,826,1740],"class_list":["post-6192","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-reviews","tag-jackie-chan","tag-john-woo","tag-the-hand-of-death"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/allouttabubblegum.com\/new-home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6192","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/allouttabubblegum.com\/new-home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/allouttabubblegum.com\/new-home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/allouttabubblegum.com\/new-home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/allouttabubblegum.com\/new-home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6192"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/allouttabubblegum.com\/new-home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6192\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/allouttabubblegum.com\/new-home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6192"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/allouttabubblegum.com\/new-home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6192"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/allouttabubblegum.com\/new-home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6192"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}