Review of Magnificent Wanderers (1977) by Jubei C — 03 Jun 2010

The Not so Magnificent Tale of "The Magnificent Warriors" (or is it?).

Chang Cheh directs this kung-fu comedy about Chu Te-sa (David Chiang Da-wei), a rich kung-fu master on the lam from a Manchurian prince. He manages to escape the imperial troops with the help of wandering scoundrels Lin Sai-yu (Alexander Fu Sheng) and Si Tai-yung (Chi Kuan-chun) and an unusual weapon that shoots chunks of gold at his would-be captures. Unfortunately, Chu is not as rich as he appears, having given his money to anti-Manchu rebels and to the poor. He lends pots of gold to his associates for safe keeping but now that he needs the loot back, they are being less than forthcoming. Chu convinces his saviors to help him get his gold back. In the process, the three end up in a kung-fu death match at the Manchurian army base.

Not the best Kung Fu Flick to show to someone you wanna introduce this genre, but for a die hard fan they already know what to expect. This comedy has real bad choreographed fight scenes. A lot of slapstick humor.

What keeps you pulled into this one is the stars of this lofty tale. Alexander Fu-Sheng known for his senses of humor goes all- "slaps it up" with David Chiang whose not known for a big sense of humor even ham's it up in this one. Solid gold being used as weapons and close to three stooges style humor make this one to avoid, again unless your a fan of kung fu comedy. This film was not even worth mentioning the Venoms that had quick cameos as villains, so we won't.

This movie was made in 1977.Some of the cast just had to finish there contract. Others where just starting out and had no real fighting skills(that changes later on down the line). Keep in mind this is also an early piece, with a lot of the extras going on to leading roles. Magnificent Warriors AkA Magnificent Wanderers is a one to add to your Shaw Brothers collection.