Opening with an attack on kung-fu star Cheung Lik (A Tooth For A Tooth), we quickly jump into the regular story-line of that era, with student learning a new style to defeat evil kung-fu masters. The first 20 minutes does contain a good amount of action, along with a scene involving the skinning of a snake which is particularly gross, as monk Yeung Chak Lam tries to make himself some medicine to aid his injuries from a past fight against super-kicker, Hwang Jang Lee. Hwang, of course, was in hot demand after his success with Ng See Yuen in Secret Rivals, Snake In The Eagles Shadow and Drunken Maste (to name but a few), and has his identity hidden for the most of the film allowing for a big reveal towards the end!
While it may open with a dark and serious tone, there is a lot more comedy than usual for a Joseph Kuo movie (along with music from the famed Pink Panther show), coming across like an early traditional Jackie Chan film at times. Saying that, 36 Deadly Styles does mature eventually and finds more of a serious tone for the last 30 minutes. It's certainly not as a tidy a production as the great 18 Bronzemen or 7 Grandmasters, but it is a case of having seen it all before and done better (even with Jackie himself repeating a similar role for years, I'd quicker go to one of his)...
Fight director Max Lee Chiu Jun, who starred in classics such as Snake In the Eagles Shadow, The Magnificent Butcher, and Drunken Master, brings a hefty amount of tight, fast, and hard-hitting kung-fu to the screen making the most of out his fantastic cast members, all of which deliver some incredible moves. Although there may be better fights out there, the action doesn't fail to entertain (especially with Bolo Yeung in action wearing that wig), and shows off some well choreographed, fist-to-foot action.
Magnificent Butcher star and father to the wonderful Fan Siu Wong (Ip Man), Fan Mei Sheng, co-stars as a tea-house owner who also suffered at the feet of Lee. His daughter, played by Jeannie Chang, joins forces with Lik to take revenge and throws some pretty sweet moves herself. Mark and Jack Long get to go toe-to-toe near the end, with Mark getting greyed up this time, and Jack once again talking about retiring as a kung-fu master. Their big fight looks almost like it was cut in from another film altogether, but apparently Mark Long's character is brother to Hwang Jang Lee's!
The lengthy finale is pretty sweet and well worth a watch...
Overall: Not a polished as other Kuo films, 36 Deadly Styles still hits the mark and delivers some great kung-fu action!
