Welcome back, martial arts movie lovers! Today, I'm happy to jot down some words in praise of one of the best kung-fu comedies ever put together, from the Shaw Brothers Studios, Dirty Ho!!! Now I know the title alone is bound to make you collapse into some giggles a la Beavis & Butthead or make you think of an ODB refrain from his first album, but Dirty Ho is actually a loose translation from Cantonese. The more accurate title is "rotten head Ho" but that doesn't exactly move audiences into the theaters, does it? Anyway, let's dig deeper into this classic starring Gordon Liu, Wong Yue and Kara Hui, directed by the great Lau Kar Leung!!
Dirty Ho starts out with a highly entertaining opening credits
scene introducing the two protagonists, Ho Chi(Yue) and Master
Wang(Liu)displaying some excellent martial skills in back to
back scenes. From there, the movie jumps to open in an opulent
brothel in Canton. Master Wang is surrounded by a bevy of lovely
courtesans, listening to music and drinking wine. He asks the
madam about a special room for the night, allowing for the
jump cut to show Ho Chi irate about being snubbed for the room.
A back and forth ensues with both men trying to get the attention
of all the women by showing off their jewelry - only thing is,
Ho Chi is a notorious jewel thief. Their first encounter and
the two that follow are all extremely hilarious and all end
with Ho Chi somehow getting bested by the clumsiness of Master
wang. Or so it seems...
Ho Chi finds Master Wang at the brothel again, after finding
out that Wang took his rather large box of stolen jewelry and
donated it to charity. He goes in to snuff Wang once and for
all, even if he is in the presence of Tsui Hung(Kara Hui) who
is innocently playing the lute. What happens next is another
fisticuff-laden feast for the eyes as Ho Chi is thwarted by
Tsui Hung - but it's actually Master Wang who beats Ho back
by using her as a shield. In the aftermath, Ho Chi runs away
once the authorities are called, but suffers a nasty cut on
his head that grows worse by the day no matter how many patches
of medicine he puts on it. He seeks out Master Wang who reveals
that he gave Ho Ching the cut and wants him to be his disciple
to keep him out of trouble. In turn, he'll give Ho the antidote
over time. Ho Ching begrudgingly agrees to the deal. But both
men are in for a hard road, because the other secret that Wang
has been hiding is that he's really the 11th Prince of the
ruling Manchu Empire, and that someone wants him dead enough to
enlist the help of General Liang Jing Chieng, played by the
legendary Lo Lieh! Through intricate plots and fights, Prince
Eleven aka Master Wang trains Ho Ching in the fine arts of fighting
well and being a gentleman - but can they both make it back to
the palace in Peking in time for the Emperor's birthday so he
won't get into trouble and most importantly, stay alive?
Let's make it plain - Dirty Ho is one of the best films of
the genre ever made. I don't say that lightly. One has to
consider all of the elements of this movie. First, this
film was made during the time where Lau Kar Leung was at
the top of his game in direction and fight coordination.
Gordon Liu was THE star of the studios, just another role
removed from the film that would forever immortalize him
as the "Master Killer", Priest San Te in The 36th Chamber
of Shaolin in 1978. Wong Yue was fast becoming a favorite
of the studio as well, building off a steady stream of
roles that showcased his innate comedic timing and fighting
skill, most notably in The Spiritual Boxer. He and Liu had
worked in a few films prior to this one, and their natural
ease with each other shines throughout the picture. From the
opening scene in the brothel, both men will have you in
stitches. One prime example comes in the second scene where
Ho Ching tries to get his merch back from Wang, only to run
into a gang of disabled thieves known as the "Handicapped
Devils". The one-liners are incredible:
Ho Ching: How come you use both arms?!
One Armed Handicapped Devil: I have to exercise both of them!
Ho Ching: You'll ruin your image!!
A good deal of Dirty Ho is the intertwining of witty slapstick with some elegant and spectacular martial arts. Yue's charming and precocious acting ability serves him very well here as "Dirty" Ho Ching, a thief who's nature inspires Prince 11 to take him under his wing. As Prince Wang, Gordon Liu keenly walks the line between being an effete jewelry merchant who loves wine and antiques and being someone who feels trapped by his lineage. In this way, he bonds with Ho Ching because he feels that he too is trapped in being someone he doesn't want to be. Their dialogue lays fine groundwork for the movie and some remarkable scenes. First, lets get back to the scene with Tsui Hung. Note that she takes quite a bit of punishment in the scene especially in her midsection. Kara Hui Ying-Hung, who'd go on to be an award-winning star in her own right, actually revealed in an interview on women martial arts stars that the particular scene needed more than one take. She had thrown up after the first one. In fact, it took close to FIFTY TAKES before getting the one you see in the film. Subterfuge reigns supreme as Ho Ching and Master Wang encounter baddies along the way, including an acrobatic showdown with recurring Shaw villain Johnny Wang Lung-Wei that will make your eyes pop out.
Dirty Ho is definitely one of those films I would recommend
to anyone who's never seen a kung-fu flick before in their
life. It's one of those movies that whenever I see it
come on TV these days(thanks El Rey Network) that I
will watch no matter what point it may be. If you've
never seen it before, please remedy that. And if you
want to see it again, it's now widely available thanks to
Celestial Pictures right here and via YouTube.
RATING: 5 OF 5 DRAGON PUNCHES
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