Customer Reviews

Kung Fu [VHS]

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is certainly by no means an all-time favorite movie of mine, but it's an excellent little flick nevertheless -- especially considering that it was made-for-TV, the pilot for the "Kung Fu" TV series. My wife and I just saw it tonight and quite enjoyed it. At a mere 74 minutes, it's short and sweet, kinda the way I wish more movies would be! It's definitely a Western, as it takes place out West in the late 19th century, but it's unique for this genre in that it incorporates Eastern philosophy/wisdom and martial arts -- sorry, no quick-draw shootouts here.

A great scene appears near the beginning wherein Caine walks into a saloon after walking (!!) across a desert to get some water. Naturally some redneck dork wants to start a fight with him 'cause he's one of them "slant-eyes." Three times the guy attempts to attack Caine and three times Caine swiftly and decisively repels the attacks. The guy wisely decides not to attack again as Caine finishes his water and humbly walks out of the saloon leaving the saloon patrons in astonishment.

There's more martial arts action toward the end, but, it should be noted, this is by no means a standard martial arts flick. The movie teaches humility and respect for elders & all fellow human beings.

Despite the fact that they have very little dialogue, Caine develops a close father/son relationship with blind Master Po.

Some scenes have such a reverent and touching quality to them that they actually brought tears to my eyes .

In Brian Garfield's "Western Films" guide he criticized this film as "Juvenile tripe." With all due respect for the brilliant Mr. Garfield, this film is neither juvenile or tripe! As far as Westerns go, it's quite mature and original. Good Eastern-style music too.

KUNG FU is one of the few movies I have ever seen that has respect for a foundation. It is unfortunate that the martial arts are what viewers most often think of when they remember either the movie or the long running television show. Yet, a respect for tradition and a veneration for one's elders form the philosophical underpinning for both. The young Kwai Chang Caine, played modestly by Rademas Pera, portrays Caine as the height of worshipful respect. Having grown up as an orphan, we see in flashbacks, that he and the other village orphans, were invited to visit the local Shaolin monastery. He waits patiently in the rain for days until he is admitted. Once he is, he and a group of ragamuffins sit down at a table laden with food. The other orphans gorge themselves. Young Caine does not. Because he had the manners to wait, he is invited to stay by Master Po. During his years in the monastery, there are many scenes of interaction between him and his Shaolin instructors. It is these vignettes of the Wise Sages instructing the Eager Youth that lend the movie its charm. Caine, played now by David Carradine, grows to adulthood and leaves the temple to wander China. He is forced to kill the Emperor's nephew and must flee to America. These scnes of exposition are required for the movie to make sense. Caine's rise to maturity forms the basis for his encounter with villainous engineers and a renegade monk.
One subtle scene of respect occurs midway in the film when the adult Caine is working on a desert railroad somewhere in the western region of the United States. A heavily loaded wagon threatens to tip over, and Caine rushes over to prop it up with his surprisingly strong skinny arms. As he raises his arms, the Chinese crowd sees the tatoo of a dragon on his arms, and they bow in reverent silence. Later at the end, Caine must fight an outlaw monk whom he kills, but takes no joy in his victory. Even in defeat, a beaten enemy commands respect.
KUNG FU is the movie that attempts to make some sort of sense out of a violent unpredictable life. Caine seems to say that respect for all may make that possible. Perhaps he is right.

I have loved this series for years. I just love the little thought provoking things that Caine, the main character says. I've watched it since I was a little kid, and when I was in my twenties, it came on at 4 am on a channel once a week so I'd stay awake just to see it. I really hope they put the whole series on DVD. I'd buy it in a minute.

I love the quiet demeanor of Caine. I enjoy his humility and his respectfulness. The Caine character proves that you don't have to be "bad" to be cool. The pilot movie is definitely worth watching.

Perfect acting with a flowing script, written with such logic and perfection, one feels as if they're in the old West. This pilot episode shows, at its best, the good and bad in human nature. It's most striking to me to see such prejudice in the characters in the United States and the endless pursuit of the Emperor of China; both which are in for a downfall. It is Caine, who is very slow to anger (if not nearly impossible) who wins most battles without fighting. It is the prejudice of the Western characters that provides their downfall, and the Emperor's quest for revenge leads to his (though this is never truly shown in this movie or even the series. That's part of its brilliance.) The fight scene in the end goes to show how great of an actor David Carradine is, since he never had any martial arts training prior to this film. And Caine only fights when there's no other way out of a situation. It's thoughtful and filled with good action sequences. It's worth the time to watch. It gives you the same kind of feeling like watching the first Rocky film. (Also resembles The Karate Kid--but this has more originality.)

If you are looking for a traditional kung-fu lovie with lots of action and low plot line, then you have the worng movie. Kung Fu, the movie, was the pilot which led to the very popular Kung Fu series running from 1971-1975. The movie offers some very telling philosophy of the Shoa-Lin, through the words and actions of Master Po, a teacher to the young disciple Caine. With this knowledge, Caine embarks on a trip to the US, to escape from the Chinese authorities. Why? You'll have to watch to find out. While this movie is relatively short, it is packed with great dialogue and a sedated moving plot. Oh yeah, there is a cool fight at the end. Enjoy. END

this is the one that you see in commercials and in other movies and in clips on the show of the same name.a very influential movie!theres a small kid who goes into kung fu training with an old blind man.then he gets big and goes to america after killing his masters killer.he gets a job in the railroad and runs into problem after problem the whole movie long!kids like it.its better than the karate kid movies and a lot of the newer jackie chan movies although jackie has better too.it beats out anything by chuck norris or van damme or segal.bruce lee does better.you can actualy learn a lot of the basic things about kung fu by listening to the old man talk.the star is david carridine.he does quite well in his role.i liked death race 2000,and the kill bill set better but liked this one better than cannonball.

This will go down in martial artis history as a classic.

The fact that Bruce Lee was denied the lead role because of his being "too Chinese-looking" caused it to lose some of its luster, but it is still a must-see.

This is a great movie,,,,, wish it was longer... first seen it when I started karate lessions and the instructor showed it after class. I have beed a David Carradine fan ever since.

This movie and the DVD series of Seasons one, two and three, from the original T.V. show are a Must See. The lessons learned from them are integrating themselves into my life and creating permanent, positive changes. I heartily recommend everyone watch them, even if you saw the series 30 years ago. The lessons in life, if taken, will positively change your life forever. By the way, David Carradine is fantastic. No one could ever match his performance in such a role.

This will go down in martial artis history as a classic.

The fact that Bruce Lee was denied the lead role because of his being "too Chinese-looking" caused it to lose some of its luster, but it is still a must-see.