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Next up here on Hai!Karate is a certified classic for all you kung-fu heads, 'The Hot, the Cool and The Vicious'! This flick stars Dorian Tan Tao-Liang, better known as 'Flash Legs' because of his jumping ability and high-powered kicks. Don Wong Tao and Philip Ko are also in this joint from Taiwan.
The film begins in Black Stone, a sleepy village.
Sleepy that is, until the arrival of a stranger
who shakes up the town. That stranger is revealed
to be the famous Southern Fist' fighter Pai Yu Ching
(Tao). News gets to the chief, 'Northern Leg'
Captain Lu(Tao-Liang), who is dealing with the
murder of his mother in law AND a past situation
that puts him in jeopardy. Both men are in a kind
of tense standoff with each other, made worse by
the mayor hiring Yu Ching as protection due to his
son being responsible for the death of Lu's own
mother-in-law. And to add more mystery, Mr.Lung
(Tommy Lee) arrives, and soon all three men are
drawn into a conflict for the ages. The only real
question is, who'll be on the side of who?
This movie is a slept-on goodie for a couple
of reasons. For one, it's from Taiwan, which
had its own movie production scene and gave
rise to quite a few stars. But in comparison to
studios like Shaw & Golden Harvest, their scale
and reach was smaller to start. First Films
was the bigger fish in that nation. Another reason
lies in Tan Tao-Liang. Prior to this film, he
was making a name for himself as an actor, with
a prime turn in 'The Hand Of Death' alongside
a young Jackie Chan and James Tien. (That movie
was also one of famed director John Woo's first.)
Tao-Liang's flashy style is shown off here in
grand fashion, especially against Mr.Lung. As
for Mr.Lung...he was a notable baddie who walked
around looking like a half-man, half-gorilla on
dust in silk garments. Kinda fits for his own
monkey style kung-fu. 'The Hot, the Cool and
the Vicious' also works because of the intricate
plot and high elements of intrigue that's neatly
packed into 90 minutes. I stress the action part
because if you're looking for gravitas out of
these actors, you're out of luck. Tan Tao-Liang
is somewhat stonefaced throughout, and Wong Tao,
while more efficient with emoting, isn't as
effective either. But the fight sequences are
great, and utilize the actor's abilities fully.
The final scene will make you bug out a bit at
the choreography, handled by Tommy Lee himself.
So, if you watch 'The Hot, the Cool and the
Vicious', bear in mind that you'll get some real
crisp action to make up for some wilting here
and there. But it's worth it.
