Reviewed by: Sydneyguy Date: 07/24/2006 Summary: Is this a tv movie? I agree with MR Booth. Because of the lack of kung fu movies, watching something like this increases its rating because there is a lack of good kung fu movies coming from hong kong. I feel like this movie has the look of a mini series with its production values, or is it?? I am not sure. Chin Kar Lok shows he can be a leading man, but his character's personality suits him well. It's always good to see Billy Chow in a movie. While not a great film, there is enough action and laughs to make this watchable!! Reviewer Score: 7

Reviewed by: MrBooth Date: 11/27/2005 Summary: Watchable kung fu film Another film (possibly the first) from Douglas Kung's My Way Film Production, that odd company who make HK films the way they used to be made 10-15 years ago, but which never actually get released in Hong Kong. The King Boxer shares a name with two early 70's martial arts films, but shares a lot more with some later vintage films of the genre. Most obvious is Fong Sai Yuk, from which large chunks of plot are lifted, but the not-particularly-observant will recognise elements from Fist Of Legend and Tai Chi Master and Sammo's Prodigal Son. Well, original story lines aren't exactly a strong feature of the kung fu genre I guess :P Chin Kar Lok stars as the headstrong young (!) son of a business man who is far more interested in learning Kung Fu than business wiles, and joins the Yiyin kung fu school despite the fact their master was just defeated by their rivals and it is going to close. The main reason he joins them is because he fancies one of the master's daughters (May Kwong), and due to a misunderstanding (that he can actually fight) the family place their hopes on him to rescue their school. The style is very reminiscent of early 90's kung fu comedy on a fairly low budget. If it had come out in 1993 it would have been lucky to rate a 5/10, but this sort of film has been tragically missing from screens for a long time, and even a mediocre entry is worth some attention. I could have done without a lot of the comedy, which only occasionally manages to be amusing. I could have done without the various romantic angles too, as they're entirely lacking in substance or emotion. What I couldn't have done without is the fight scenes, which are quite refreshing. Not classic work, but offers at least glimpses the kind of choreography and genuine physical talent that made HK cinema a world-wide phenomenon. We even get another fine villainous performance from Billy Chow, for the true early 90's vibe. If you've still got any early 90's kf films to get through, probably go with those first, but if you've already seen all that's available and have been itching for something new, by all means do pick up THE KING BOXER. It ain't great, but it doesn't have a lot of competition these days and it could have been worse :) (one thing to note, the film has some of the most craply done audio I've heard outside of a Celestial remix - shoddy sound effects, lousy post-dubbing and really atrocious music. With a little aural investment they could probably have significantly improved the film's feeling of quality). Reviewer Score: 6