ANGRY YOUNG MAN is a typically cheap and unendearing kung fu story from Taiwan that once again plays out the same old battle between rival schools. You might have thought that plots had progressed a bit by the mid '80s but no, this could well have been made ten years previously and goes through the same old motions. Various heroes, including Bai Ying and Jocky Cheng, fight back against the typically cruel and ruthless Japanese, and bloody action occasionally takes place. The choreography is just about acceptable but in a world in which Jackie Chan and Sammo Hung were mega stars they really needed to try harder by this stage. The best part is inevitably the climax, in which guest star Hwang Jang Lee shows up as the mega villain (yet again) and shows off some of his stunning kick work.
2 Reviews
Poor Action Drama With Great Final 20 Minutes!!
Movie-Misfit10 April 2020
In a year when studios like Golden Harvest, Cinema City, and Shaw Brothers were giving us some incredible productions and the unbeatable trio of Chan, Hung and Biao were taking over, a film such as The Angry Young Man seem almost pointless and a wasted effort in terms of trying to keep up with such hits!
Basically focusing on rival martial arts schools in a modern day setting (Chinese Vs Japanese), the film does have moments of gangster action throughout, some dated comedy and dreadful dubbing (in this version). The fights range from okay to a-wee-bit-better, with a good cast that gets lost among the crap. Alan Chui and Pai Ying in action is always a treat, and the arrival of the great Hwang Jang Lee in the last half hour does help a little, but its certainly not enough to make this a classic...
While the film often boarders on the ridiculous (with the quarry fight being a prime example), it definitely has a better second half leading to a decent showdown of the schools with the mighty Hwang as head of the Japanese and, obviously, showing some fantastic moves!
Overall: Apart from a decent final 20 minutes, the film entertains mainly for the wrong reasons...
Basically focusing on rival martial arts schools in a modern day setting (Chinese Vs Japanese), the film does have moments of gangster action throughout, some dated comedy and dreadful dubbing (in this version). The fights range from okay to a-wee-bit-better, with a good cast that gets lost among the crap. Alan Chui and Pai Ying in action is always a treat, and the arrival of the great Hwang Jang Lee in the last half hour does help a little, but its certainly not enough to make this a classic...
While the film often boarders on the ridiculous (with the quarry fight being a prime example), it definitely has a better second half leading to a decent showdown of the schools with the mighty Hwang as head of the Japanese and, obviously, showing some fantastic moves!
Overall: Apart from a decent final 20 minutes, the film entertains mainly for the wrong reasons...
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