Hitman in the Hand of Buddha
1981 · Directed by Hwang Jang-Lee, Park Yun-kyo · Hong Kong / South Korea
Hitman in the Hand of Buddha (1981) is directed by and stars Hwang Jang-Lee. Wong Chin (Jang-Lee) arrives in a small town to stay with his sister and brother-in-law. He encounters Beggar Man, who oversees a group of street urchins who steal from rich merchants. Beggar Man turns out to be a kung fu master and contemporary of Tiger, who, with his henchman Shen, heads a mob who control the rice supply in the area.
When Chin becomes embroiled in the fight against Shen, he is exiled to a monastery by Beggar Man in the hope of saving his life from Tiger. While he is at the monastery, Shen attacks the sister and brother-in-law looking for Chin. His sister kills herself and Shen later murders her husband.
Chin builds on his kung fu skills under the guidance of the monks and returns, determined to fight back against Shen and Tiger. He learns of the death of his sister and, in a final showdown, defeats Shen and Tiger.
The balletic choreography is impressive, although the final fight sags in the middle. It does not have the wow factor of the Shaw Brothers classics, Come Drink with Me (1966) or King Boxer (1972), but is a competent chop socky entry in the later bloom of Asian cinema. It is more entertaining than astounding. If you want jaw-dropping, check out the Shaw Brothers classics mentioned above.
Gallery
Trailer
New reviews by email
I’ll email you when I add a new review.
Confirm your subscription by email. Unsubscribe at any time.
Email updates delivered by follow.it. Subscribe on follow.it.