Review of The Secret Rivals (1976) by Mannie L — 01 Aug 2008

Independent fu (at least not a Shaw Bros. or Golden Harvest production) from the Golden Era, done spaghetti western-style (even the theme music of this movie and its sequel is very Morricone-like, as another review has pointed out). Made in â??76 as Seasonal Film Corp.â??s first feature, â??Secret Rivalsâ?? if oft touted as one of the films that resurrected interest in HK martial arts films after Bruce Leeâ??s untimely death in â??73. To be somewhat â??provincialâ??, one should probably keep in mind that â??Secret Rivalsâ?? was filmed in Korea and starred many Korean actors.

Whether â??Secret Rivalsâ?? really deserves such high credit is debatable, what is not is that this film is one of the cult classics of the era. Clearly low budget and slow to get moving, â??Secret Rivalsâ?? possesses a decent plot and choreography that builds in intensity to the explosive climax. In the end â??Secret Rivalsâ?? is carried by the solid acting and action (in that order) performances by a trio of relative unknowns: Don Wong Tao, John Liu, and Hwang Jang Lee. So while we can debate whether â??Secret Rivalsâ?? revitalized the fu genre in the late seventies, it unquestionably sent the careers of the three stars into the stratosphere, gave credibility to Seasonal Film Corp. as a â??new kidâ?? on the HK scene, and brought high kicking Tae Kwon Do to the masses as a new alternative to the classic Shaw Bros. Shaolin and various animal styles of gung fu.

The sequel to â??Secret Rivalsâ??, â??Secret Rivals 2â?? is more explosive and rewarding in terms of fight intensity and quantity, but less balanced and enjoyable in terms of overall story and acting performances (especially the replacement of Wang Tao with Tito Wong). â??Secret Rivalsâ?? is a solid 4-star cult film that should be seen by all old skool fu fans!