THE Chinese PROFESSIONALS stands the test of time: it's as entertaining today as it was the day it was released. Endlessly inventive writer-director-star Wang Yu was way ahead of the curve on this one. The first of his ONE-ARMED BOXER movies (not to be confused with his ONE-ARMED SWORDSMAN movies), it's far and away the best. The showdown between his kung fu school and the hired killers brought in to crush them boasts some outstanding martial arts forms unlike anything I've ever seen (some may be "re-imagined" martial arts, but, if so, the forms still look absolutely GREAT- and ring true) ("legit" or not, they're fun to watch). The squeamish needn't worry, either: when Wang Yu loses his arm (his limb is lopped off- by hand- by the fanged "Kung Fu Beast"), it's a pretty bloodless affair. The assortment of supernatural villains is about as impressive an array as was ever allied against a hero in an epic of this nature, but Wang Yu is not to be outdone: when he faces a Hindu who can bounce around on his hands or his head, Yu, bouncing along on just two digits, actually manages to poke the guy's eyes out in passing. The final showdown with the aforementioned Kung Fu Beast is shot mostly in wide angle, but it's still fun to see- and the one-armed boxer becomes, by film's end, a one-eyed boxer as well. EXCELLENT.
Review of One-Armed Boxer
