Operation Scorpio
02/06/2001
Review
Format: VCD no subs
Stars: Chin Kar Lok, Kim Won Jun (Yuen Tsan), Lau Kar Leung, Yuen Shun I

FINALLY, I found this movie. I knew where it was, just couldn't get around to it. Anyways, it's about Chin Kar Lok wanting to be a martial artist and goes under Lau Kar Leung who teaches him some of the arts.

It starts out badly, indeed, with Kar Lok daydreaming about being able to beat up some guy and rescue a girl. It's all wire assisted bs, but still some of the stuff is ok because they looked as though for some of the stuff they just lifted Kar Lok way up in the air and just dropped him. Short and nothing worthwhile though.



But in the next scene we're introduced to Kim Won Jun, the Korean martial artist who was only in 3 movies and is probably the BEST kicker I've EVER seen. Yes that covers Ken Lo, Billy Chow, the guy from The Red Wolf, Yuen Biao, Ngai Sing, Donnie Yen, Hwang Jang Lee, and Ron Smoorenburg... (need a little humor). He starts it off with an awesome double turn kick, and keeps kicking, and that's about it really, I don't think he uses his hands at all. His opponents here are unworthy, so it's his show. Yea there's some wirework, but so what, Won Jun kicks so well it hardly matters. Plus he goes into a scorpion stance, on the ground, and moves around so quickly on his hands and leg (the other leg is in the air, amazing), and I couldn't see wires here. And for the hell of it, he runs at the guy and just does a gaynor (backflip while moving forward) before doing a jump kick. Other things like a frontflip straight into a backbend (never seen it done before), a GIGANTIC flip off a wall, and a reverse jumping roundhouse that gets his butt a good 5 and a half feet in the air make this memorable. Oh the choreography is ok, but there isn't much, it's just his ability that you need to pay attention to here.



Lau Kar Leung starts training Kar Lok how to cook noodles, and I guess you could call it a training scene, but I had to mention it because they cook the food so well and it made me hungry. This is one of those scenes where the music plays while you see various things that Kar Lok does, like situps, more cooking, and later he starts working out with some beefcakes because his strength wasn't very good. So he does stuff like one handed pushups, hitting a punching bag with his body, and cooking while handing upside down! Typical of Lau Kar Leung movies.



Kim Won Jun again makes an appearance saving his father and does a little bit of kicking, but it's short. A few great acrobatics from him too.



Kar Lok does some more training with Kar Leung, who teaches him how to fight with his shoulders straight across, and Kar Lok scrubs cooking pans too. Then he starts learning the salamander style, and all he does is flop on the ground. Haha!



Kar Lok and the big buff guy go into Won Jun's mansion (his father's actually), and while Won Jun still performs incredibly well, the big guy doesn't do anything impressive really, he's just strong. Some more wirework, but Won Jun does some non-wired falls and one where he smashes against a mirror high up on a wall. He also does what looks like an airtrack mixed with a diagonal frontflip or something. Amazing, I've never seen anything like it.



Ok the end fight starts with Kar Lok and Lau breaking into the mansion and fighting off a bunch of guys with weapons. Lau starts things off and is amazing to watch, especially being in his late 50's when he did this. He does awesome 3 section work, and uses a bamboo pole for a while. Kar Lok runs upstairs and has a small encounter with Kim Won Jun, again great kicking, and Lau intercepts it seeing Kar Lok being beaten badly. Lau once again proves how great he is in a fight with fast handwork, and he's a master too and stops all of Won Jun's moves, which are crisp and accurate. Then he smashes the guy through a window, and he falls down HEAD FIRST onto some stairs. That's not funny, it looked seriously more painful than Jackie's fall from the clock tower in Project A. Nonetheless he gets right back up and starts fighting again. Incredible. They go into an even more spirited fight with Won Jun doing some amazing chain kicking at all heights possible, and again there's some wirework but it doesn't seem to detract AT ALL. Lau does some great kicking himself as well as fancy hand work, and Won Jun goes into the scorpion stance and does some REALLY cool moves like kicks with his raised leg and stuff like that. Amazing. Lau gets shot though and Kar Lok has to take the fight.



Kar Lok does lots of falls because he can't fight in the beginning. Won Jun does more chain kicks and jump kicks, as well as some acrobatics. But then Kar Lok starts learning how Won Jun's scorpion movements work and he's able to defend against them more properly. We get a good showcase of Won Jun's amazing kicks in super slomo while he's learning. So Kar Lok starts doing his salamander stance (or maybe it's just a fish out of water), and can't help by put in some breakdancing (his salamander(fish) movements are wire assisted but still cool looking). After more amazing acrobatics from Won Jun, Kar Lok throws him around like a pizza, and it's finished off with Won Jun flying against a palm tree, which nails him in the stomach and finishes him off, but he doesn't die (good way to end it, very much like Lau).



So, my final impression is that this movie has one of the best MODERN end fights I've ever seen in a movie, even though it has wires. Sadly, Yuen Shun I didn't do anything and only played some general, oh well. The wires are used sparingly, and Won Jun is fabulous, but sadly he died shortly after making this movie. That's sick, it shouldn't happen. The guy was only in 3 movies total. Anyways, everything was built up VERY nicely and I can't really complain except for the wires. This is much like Red Zone or The Red Wolf in the way that the lack of action really didn't matter. In fact, sometimes abundance of action can spoil things, which is hard for ME to say but I think it's true. This was done properly (except the wires, again).

5/5

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