Review of Knockabout (1979) by Mannie L — 01 Jun 2008
A Kung Fu/comedy film about two brothers who are trying to get ahead in life using various scams and tricks on the public. This is one of the best films that demonstrate Yuen Biao's amazing acrobatic ability, not to mention his fundamental Kung Fu techniques.
As like many other Sammo Hung films, there is an attempt to blend comedy, Kung Fu action, and drama. Most of the time it works, but there are certain scenes that sort of fall flat due to the utter reliance of on poor slapstick. Ka-Yan Leung's reactions are not as effective as they could of been, and even some of Yuen Biao's are a little hard to take.
But apart from that minor problem, this film is awesome at everything else it attempts. Sammo's appearance is very satisfying and entertaining, as he plays a kind of beggar/master for Yuen Biao's character - the closest he's ever come to playing the notorious So Hai character I would guess. And the fighting increases in interest and technique as the film progresses flawlessly.
Sammo really is/was a true ground-breaking director, and Yuen Biao under his direction is outstanding. This film is somewhere between "Iron-fisted Monk", and "The Young Master", in terms of it's Kung Fu and dramatic content.
This review of Knockabout (1979) was written by Mannie L on 01 Jun 2008.
Knockabout has generally received very positive reviews.
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