Rating: **
Review Date: 11/25/00
Cast: John Chang, Yeung Pan Pan (Sharon Yeung), Philip Ko, Mung Kwun Ha,
Wilson Tong
For kung fu enthusiasts only. This non-stop brawl would have actually been much better had the story and the dialog been dropped altogether. The spoiled and lecherous young Mr. Ma spies Ah Mei (fiery Sharon Yeung) in the market one day and decides to make her his wife, by force if necessary. Lucky for her, she and her sister (pretty Mung Kwun Ha) know kung fu, and both brawny John Chang and Philip Ko show up to help when things get tough on the girls. But this little setback isn't enough to deter Ma's affections. Finally, it's decided that Ma can marry Ah Mei only if he can beat her, her sister, and her brother in a kung fu competition. Needless to say, he gets his ass kicked so he decides to offer a $1000 reward to anyone who can beat the three of them, and then he'll claim the bride for himself. And so begins nearly an hour's worth of potential suitors showing up to get pummelled by the fighting trio. Finally, John and Philip both decide to try their luck, and in a spectacular fight scene John finally wins (and Philip disappears from the script altogether). Naturally, when he goes to Mr. Ma for the reward money, he has to fight an entire crew of goons and ultimately Mr. Ma Sr. who is a serious bad-ass. After an exhausting fifteen minute fight, John and Ah Mei finally defeat the dirty old bastard. Then, to insult the viewer, more bridal chamber kung fu shenanigans go down between the two young lovers. Sheesh.
The kung fu in the film is quite good, and Sharon Yeung looks great. The role suits her perfectly, and she plays the coy young girl and the fierce warrior with grace and flair. She and her sister dish out some wonderful kung fu punishment, and John Chang and Philip Ko do the same. It's just a shame the plot is so weak and that the dialog is so poor. It also relies on silly comedic gags that just don't work, as was popular at the time.