The Dragon, the Young Master (1981)

It's funny watching the elements come together in this complicated scam. On one hand, the set-up isn't quite as complex as it seems, but there's an easy sense of fun in every exchange.

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional

The story-telling is good with flashbacks.The film is both funny and heartbreaking. You smile in a scene and get a soulcrushing revelation in the next.

I watched this film under the title THE DRAGON, THE YOUNG MASTER, although it appears to be better known in America as THE DEADLY SILVER NINJA. That title refers to star Dragon Lee's predilection for donning a white balaclava and silver suit and beating up stock bad guys in the wood in various interludes interspersed into the rest of the film.The director is credited as Godfrey Ho, so you wonder if perhaps this was another South Korea production re-jigged with extra scenes by the Hong Kong film personality. Whichever way you look at it, it's a particularly nondescript entry in an over-filled genre, featuring a regularly-plotted narrative and unremarkable fight scenes. Lee gives a solid, physical performance, but nobody else makes much of an impact, and the plot has been done to death.

I got this flick on a double-bill along with, "Chinese Kung Fu Against Godfather;" both movies are on the same disk (one movie on each side), and both movies have the same problem; every so often, and without warning, the disk will just skip ahead to another scene, forcing me to rewined back to see what i missed. This made watching the movie, a rather frustrating ordeal. As for the movie itself: It's not bad, it basically consists of Dragon Lee, and Pheniox Kim Kung Fuing as many people as possible until the end of the movie's duration. It has everything you would expect from a stereotypical Kung Fu flick; bad dubbing, great fights, lame plot, hilarious sound effects, and a generous dose of campy humor. I can't think of much more to say so i'll just end the review here.

I had the advantage of seeing this at the Alamo Drafthouse in Austin (a great movie house that serves food and booze to you as you watch the movie), in "Foleyvision." The soundtrack is off completely, and a local comedian and three other sound/voice guys do all the voices, sound effects and music.The chief bad guy was given a broad Scots accent and his brother an accent that sounded a bit like the Knight Who Says Ni in the Python movie. They dub in actual dialogue to keep a coherent story, but embellish ("Ah Ha! Now I understand, Pai Liu was his father (although I am not sure how I know that) . . .") During the fight scenes the actors say things like "Now I will defeat him with my no hands technique . . . (gets hit) . . . hmmm, maybe the one hand technique . . ." and "bet you can't do a cartwheel . . . oh, I stand corrected."Great fun.

Well, this film is so bad, but the fight scenes are good...But there is a problem, the "bad guys" are not good fighters, they just walk around the hero(The Korean star Dragon Lee), making ridiculous movements, is funny! Some actors appear again and again playing different characters...But Dragon Lee is wonderful again... The story is so "original", The Dragon Lee´s father is murdered, and he takes the revenge. He become the "silver ninja", and search for his father´s killer...Wow! Only for the kung fu films fan(Like me!)