Rating: *
Review Date: 4/1/00
Alternate Title: Soul Collector (Xenon re-issue)
Cast: Ti Lung, Chang Ling
First of all, let me point out that I have no idea what the name of this film is and that I'm taking a wild guess by calling it "Inheritor Of Kung Fu." Xenon Entertainment repackaged it as "Soul Collector", and through my research I managed to narrow it down to being either "Inheritor Of Kung Fu", "Heroic Ones", or "Hero At Border Region."
Regardless, this is a completely incomprehensible mess of kung fu nonsense, made barely watchable by having a decent twenty minute martial arts fighting finale. Ti Lung is a bumpkin who's been framed by his master for the disappearance of an important kung fu manuscript. While in exile, he teams up with pretty Chang Ling and together they exact their revenge while in search of the truth. There is so much nonsense in this film, I don't know where to begin. First, there's a crazy drunkard that lives in a cave who has three arms and three legs, and can teleport himself around. He teaches Ti Lung some kung fu in a matter of seconds, which he never uses again. Meanwhile, Ti Lung's master is learning from the secret kung fu manuscript, but decides to commit suicide by plunging a knife into his gut. Miraculously, he shows up again at the end of the film with his face covered in boils. Another unexplained drunkard with a horde of children shows up to tend to Ti Lung's wounds later in the film and he provides goofy comedic relief with tumbling tricks and camera mugging. Somewhere along the way, Ti Lung's pretty sister goes mad and spends her time in the water trying to catch fish with her bare hands. And out of that same water emerges a big white guy in a toga who does battle with Ti Lung in the final showdown. He eventually loses the battle when a bunch of children poke him in the butt with sharp sticks and blow bubbles in his face. What the hell?!? What else can I say? This film is just mind-boggling and dreadful to watch. It also features some of the worst sets ever made - even worse than the original "Star Trek" TV series. (but not as bad as Russ Meyer's "Wild Gals Of The Naked West" (1962) - that one takes the cake) For the most part, the kung fu is good and it's nice to see Ti Lung in action. You may want to consider just fast-forwarding to the end of the film to see him fight.