#wai pak

[boardsdonthitback]

Lo Meng, Wai Pak - The Kid With The Golden Arm (1979)

[silveremulsion]

The Five Venoms (1978)

[cinemaronin]

Last Hurrah for Chivalry (1979)

豪俠 Last Hurrah for Chivalry (1979) directed by  John Woo

[fuforthought]

Before John Woo was telling John Travolta to shoot Nicolas Cage and even before he was making Chow Yun Fat super famous, he was directing kung fu films. Not many...but a few. The first one was Hand of Death starring a young Jackie Chan and then there’s this bad boy, the fantastically titled Last Hurrah for Chivalry. While it’s not really seen as a kung fu (or swordplay) classic, it is fucking ace. Wai Pak was coming off his stint with the Venoms crew and, really, 1979 was his year. He added a bunch of iconic titles to his filmography. Anyway, check out this fight scene. For 1979, it feels slightly ahead of its time. Granted, it’s still a traditional “shapes” fight albeit with weapons, but it feels miles away from what, say, Sammo was doing around this time. Or even the Venoms. The choreographer was legendary kung fu villain, Fung Hak On, who helped Jackie out with Police Story a few years later. So, if you wondered what John Woo was doing before he was the king of gun play, he was fucking around with swords.

[boardsdonthitback]

Lo Meng, Wai Pak - Five Deadly Venoms (1978)

[silveremulsion]

Invincible Shaolin (1978)

[fuforthought]

Jackie Chan and Wai Pak in The Young Master (1980)

This particular fight scene is actually shortened in many international cuts of the film. As is the final fight. Rumors are the final bout between Jackie and Hwang In Shik was almost double in length compared to what we got to see.

[fuforthought]

Behind the scenes of The Young Master (1980).