Sadly Over-hyped

Memorable, crazy movie

Great Film overall

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

THE MAN FROM HONG KONG is another splendid 'Ozploitation' classic from British director Brian Trenchard-Smith, and one of my three favourite movies that he made (along with TURKEY SHOOT and THE SIEGE OF FIREBASE GLORIA); all offer endless entertainment value. This one's a Bond knock-off that mines the-then craze for kung fu madness with the tale of a Hong Kong cop who comes to Australia on the hunt for a massive drug lord. Said drug lord is played by former Bond George Lazenby, who acts up a storm as one of the screen's biggest and most imposing heavies. The hero of the hour is none other than former Shaw man Jimmy Wang Yu, an actor who I've always enjoyed seeing on screen, and he's certainly an electrifying presence here, doing the majority of his own stunts and proving versatile and athletic throughout. The film is a straight-up action classic and limited plotting, but tons of great and bloody fights and vehicle chases that are huge fun, especially the gruelling extended fight between Wang Yu and the assassin. Supporting stars include those familiar and humorous Aussie actors Roger Ward and Hugh Keays-Byrne and a wealth of Hong Kong talent, not least Sammo Hung in a surprisingly big role. I loved it!

Both the DOP Russell Boyd and his assistant on the film, John Seales, went on to win Academy Awards; Boyd for 'Master and Commander' and Seales for 'The English Patient'.For a film with a budget of $550,000 ($50,000 of which paid for the rights to the theme song Sky High)the production values are very high.Also great to see some wonderful views of Hong Kong in 1975 in the credits sequence. Much of the Victoria Harbor water fronts on both Kowloon and Hong Kong sides have subsequently been reclaimed and extended into the harbor. The tall white building on the waterfront with the round windows is Jardine House which is now approx. 250 meters from the new shoreline.

HK Inspector Fang Sing Leng (Jimmy Wang Yu) travels to Australia to extradite a drug dealer (Sammo Hung). When the hood is assassinated on his way to court, everyone suspects Jack Wilton (George Lazenby), a crime lord who the local police haven't been able to pick up. I wonder if Fang will get him? This Aussie-Golden Harvest co-production was an attempt to launch HK superstar Jimmy Wang Yu on a global scale post-Bruce Lee. The film is very effective, thanks mostly to director Brian Trenchard-Smith's Bond-esquire style that capitalizes on lavish locations and over-the-top stunt work. Wang Yu isn't the smoothest fighter, but he gets the job done with fights every 15 minutes or so. The highlight is a throw down inside a kitchen against stunt man Grant (STUNT ROCK) Page. Even more surprising is seeing Lazenby doing a lot of his own stunts including a fantastic fire gag. There is also a masterful car chase that reminds me a lot of stuff in DEATH PROOF (I'm willing to be Tarantino used this as a reference). The oddest bits of the film have women falling for Wang Yu the second they see him. Ah, the power of cinema!

The hero, Yu Wang, is a poor man's Bruce Lee in this action film which is a poor man's James Bond adventure. It's an astonishingly lame-brained movie, with no plot or suspense: instead, it provides endless fight sequences which produce more yawns (from us) than thrills. As for George Lazenby, who plays the villain, he has absolutely no charm as an actor, but at least here he's passable and ALMOST makes you forget his Bond past...