36 Deadly Styles

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

36 Deadly Styles
Directed by Joseph Kuo
Starring Jack Long
Mark Long
Hwang Jang Lee
Ching Li
Bolo Yeung
Jeannie Chang
Music by Lawrence Chan
Release date(s) 1980
Running time 90 minutes
Country Taiwan / Hong Kong
Language Mandarin
Allmovie profile
IMDb profile

36 Deadly Styles is an independent released martial arts film directed by Joseph Kuo starring Jack Long, Mark Long and Hwang Jang Lee.

[edit] Plot

The pace and tone of the film is immediately made clear with an opening fight in the woods as Wah-jee (Cheung Lik) and his uncle (Sham Chin-bo) attempt to flee from ruthless fighters led by a deliciously wormy Chan Lau as Mien Tsu-mun. The pair make it to a Buddhist temple, but the uncle croaks after Tsu-mun and his thugs break in. A fighter turned monk named Huang (Yeung Chak-lam) manages to kill most of them. Once recovered from his wounds, Wah-jee is put to work at the temple, making soy milk runs into town and cleaning out the smoke-filled oven, that is when he isn't clowning around with two junior monks or trading friendly kung fu blows with Tsui-jee (Jeannie Chang), the attractive soy milk seller.

But as always, trouble comes a calling when Tsu-mun returns to the area with two martial brothers (including Bolo Leung) in crazy wigs who begin snooping around. Fed up with the torturous regimen of chores at the temple, Wah-jee leaves but overhears Tsu-mun's plans to kill Huang and decides to warn his mentor. A nasty fight ensues that Wah-jee survives only after he's forcibly pulled away by Tsui-jee's father (Fan Mei-sheng). At this point, Wah-jee learns that his own father died at the hands of a silver-haired fighter played by Hwang Jang-lee who belongs to the same group as Tsu-mun. Three martial brothers initially escaped Jang-lee's attack, but now only Tsui-jee's father remains. Wah-jee, Tsui-jee and her father go into hiding where Wah-jee begins to master the 36 Deadly Styles just in time to face Jang-lee.

There is also a smaller parallel plot interwoven with the previous one involving a brother of Jang-lee (Mark Long) who heads off to a Tibetan temple to seek out a kung fu master named Kaung Wu Chun (Jack Lung) in order to get the manual of 36 Deadly Styles.