The Skyhawk

THE SKYHAWK (1974) is one of Golden Harvest Productions lesser known outputs, so it’s great to finally get to see it in this country, and newly restored on Blu-ray at that! Featuring the iconic Kwan Tak-hing in the titular role as folk hero Wong Fei-hung (a part which he had played often and for which he was lured out of semi-retirement here), this martial arts action thriller also features Carter Wong and Sammo Hung in an early role for him.

The opening scene takes place on a country road when a young man named Leo Hsiao Sze-Tzu (Carter Wong) aka Little Lion gets attacked by a mercenary Hapkido master (In-shik Hwang) and his men, although the reason for the attack seems unclear at first – with the Hapkido master accusing Leo of having attacked local students. Also walking along the same road is old Master Wong Fei-hung aka the Skyhawk (Kwan Tak-hing) and his disciple Fei Fei (Sammo Hung) – nicknamed ‘Fatty’ (a nickname he seems to carry in practically every film from that period). Initially trying to avoid getting involved in the fight, Skyhawk and Fatty get involved after all, namely when Leo is left badly beaten on the ground. We then realise that the action doesn’t take place in Hong Kong but in Thailand, where Skyhawk and Fatty happen to be on a trip. The former decides to take the badly bruised Leo with him to the house of his old friend Zhu (Wah-Lung Szema), where Fatty’s sister Hsiang Lan (Nora Miao) also lives.

The reunion is dampened, however, when it emerges that Zhu, who is the owner of a huge shipping business, is up against ruthless local crime boss Gu (Hsiung Chao) who not only runs the local casino but plans on taking over Zhu’s business for his own, deeply shady activities… that is to say opium smuggling and the trafficking of young ladies. At first, this seems easier said than done, seeing how the dockworkers are loyal to their boss Zhu. But when Gu orders his henchmen to employ particularly nasty tactics to force the dockworkers into changing sides, the conflict soon gets out of control and Skyhawk, Fatty and Leo – who by now has become Skyhawk’s new student – find themselves in the thick of it all…

Sammo Hung, who was then at the beginning of his astronomical career, was also drafted in as a fight choreographer though compared with his later vehicles, the martial arts here looks rather straightforward and without the gimmicks one associates with Hung – although he pulls some mighty impressive somersaults during the fight scenes. Carter Wong was already a martial artist and it shows. Kwan Tak-hing, on the other hand, was in his seventies and thus it goes without saying that a stuntman was used for the more demanding fight scenes. Nonetheless, thanks to his martial arts training and his Peking Opera background, Tak-hing still manages to come over as impressive in the less demanding fight scenes. As for Hsiung Chao, his ultra-mean Mr. Gu is up there with the best of Bond villains!
The newly restored picture looks great, as do some of the settings like the fight sequences among a number of Thai temple ruins.

The first 2000 copies of THE SKYHAWK will feature a Limited Edition O-card slipcase and Collector’s booklet. Bonus Material consists of various audio options, brand-new feature length audio commentaries, trailer, reversible sleeve.