Customer Reviews

The Odd Couple [VHS]

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

 

 

Sammo Hung and Lau Kar Wing play dual roles in this weapons classic. Sammo and Lau are old kung fu masters and have a duel every 10 years to see who is better, but they always end up in a draw. They decide to train students and meet back up in 10 years to have the students duel it out this time. Sammo forces a young man played by Lau Kar Wing to be his student, and Lau Kar Wing gets a young Sammo to be his student. There is no real point to the story. The young characters played by Lau and Sammo individually help fight the town thug played by Dean Shek. An old rival of the 2 old masters played by Leung Kar Yan has a nice role, and since I don't want to give anything away (not that it would really matter), I will just tell you that the final fights are fantastic.

There is not much action to speak of, until the last 25 minutes. Not only do Sammo and Lau get to show off brilliantly, but Leung Kar Yan, Chung Fa and Lam Ching Ying also show up. All of these guys are in their prime and kung fu action doesn't get any better than this. All of the movements are so perfect and I don't think I have ever seen a better display of weapons choreography. The final fights have to be seen. The undercranking is noticeable, but only helps to enhance the action. It is only overused in comical moments.

If you are a fan of Sammo Hung, Lau Kar Wing, or Leung Kar Yan (aka Beardy), then I highly recommend this movie.

3.5/5

This movie doesn't seem to get the attention that some of Sammo's earlier films garner, but don't let that fool you. This film has some of the most remarkable old-school fight scenes you will ever witness. And plenty of them.

The plot involves a clever gimmick-- Sammo Hung (sword) and Lau Kar Wing (spear) play two aging weapon masters with a friendly rivalry spanning decades. Unable to determine who is the stronger in their annual sparring matches, they decide to take on disciples and have them fight it out to see which style is truly the best. Their disciples? Young Lau Kar Wing (sword) and Sammo Hung (spear). The training sequences are lengthy and entertaining, with each master/disciple pairing trying to sabotage the other. Meanwhile, a deadly villian (with henchmen in tow) from the masters' past shows up to get revenge.

Comedy abounds and often falls flat-- with the lion's share of the blame falling on the head of Dean Shek Tin, irritating as always with his poor man's Jerry Lewis schtick. The fighting, however, is as consistently good as any you'll see, and often cited as a masterpiece of combat with weapons. Sammo is in top form, and it was a nice touch to showcase the two stars with each of two weapons.

Please note that I can't vouch for the quality of this release-- I saw a Japanese edition with subtitles and excellent picture quality.

this is the best weapons movie I have ever seen..! the skills portrayed in this one are incredible! you'll have to see it to believe it! Sammo hung at his very best! A must see for all action fans!

this is the best weapons movie ever! sammo is magnificent in this one...and he plays two roles! it's really incredible what skills the actors show off in this one! you have to see it to believe it!a must see for all action fans!

This movie is fast action. The fights are highly skilled. This movie mainly only displays weapon fights. Here you can see how cool samo hung used to be before he lost his talent, character, and culture in America

Samo Hung and company are amazing with the long, short spears, along with some super sword work. A story of two friends caught up in a personal competition, and a long time rival who wants there lives. Maybe the best weapon fights out there, you'll have to see it to believe it.