Search found 1 match: Stephen Chow

Gallants (2010)

Master Law wakes up from a 30 year coma to find his old dojo converted into a teahouse, with greedy gangsters and land developers trying to take his deed. His two best students are now middle-aged men, and there is a bumbling nerdy, frail, and pathetic man sent to resolve the dispute that gets mixed in. However, there is an upcoming martial arts tournament...

The people comparing this to Stephen Chow's kung fu comedies don't know what they're talking about. Yes, at the very beginning, there are some laughs, although the style is utterly different from anything Chow has done. However, by the midpoint, the film settles into a moralistic drama. This is a very Chinese film, preaching the power of traditionalism, respect for one's ancestors, and subtly vilifying Western influences. After an antagonist speaks a few lines of English over the phone, the protagonist on the other end is confused, and wonders what foolish gibberish has just been said.

The sleek, modern Western gym that stresses physical fitness and doesn't permit smoking inside is in many ways a symbol of evil. Instead, the old-school dojo with its gorgeous brass sign, and a master who specifically stresses that kung fu is not meant for physical fitness is romanticized and glorified.

All that being said...it's quite decent. The fights are fun, with the bone-shattering impact of the blows particularly emphasized. It's also well-paced, and the drama occasionally succeeds. The movie follows a strange, but consistent type of pseudo-realism, resulting in an ending completely different than what one would expect. I personally liked it.

While hardly anything special, and often quite conventional by Chinese standards (so "very weird" by Hollywood ones), it's a decent little flick.