“The Buddhist Fist” is an entertaining mix of stunning kung fu fighting and wacky comedy that is rooted in a solid story involving murder, intrigue and a heist.
Shang and Si-Ming are two orphans who grow up together in a small Chinese village. Raised by Shaolin monks and trained in the art of kung fu, Shang is destined for life as a barber in a nearby city while Si-Ming is inducted into the temple as a Buddhist monk. After a customer, unhappy that his mustache was mistakenly cut off, triggers a barbershop brawl, Shang is fired and returns to his childhood village where he learns that his godfather has disappeared and a masked villain who tried to steal the temple’s Jade Buddha is on the loose. While searching for his godfather, he finds himself the target of a series of increasingly bold assassination attempts and becomes caught up in untangling a complicated web of crime.
The highlight of “The Buddhist Fist” is definitely the stunning kung fu fight scenes, which combine astonishing creativity and graceful athleticism. One of the trademarks of a Yuen Woo Ping flick is the way he inserts everyday objects as either weapons or things to be protected. In addition to the “usual suspects” of bamboo pole, sword and chain we are treated to fights involving a pair of chopsticks, a teacup, a checkerboard, fortune telling sticks, a birdcage and a jade Buddha statue to name but a few.
What’s also amazing is how each of the fight scenes fits sensibly into the plot, without resorting to silly justifications for each encounter. And the pacing of the action is well-done: the energy escalates with each fight and culminates in a frenetic finale where the true power of the titular Buddhist fist is revealed.
While some of the comedy is a bit cheesy, there are a couple of fight scenes that are quite funny. Not to be missed is the “Last Supper” fight featuring the Holy Ghost claw technique. Who knew that zombie kung fu could be such fun??!!
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