Opium and the Kung Fu Master

[Silver_Fox68]

Long time lurker,first time poster here. I felt I had to respond to the review of Opium and the Kung Fu Master. The reviewer pompously alludes to not being familiar with Shaw Bros movies and then proceeds to rip it apart. Why someone unfamiliar with Asian cinema would review a film like this is beyond me. The reviewer complains that the blows don't connect,the acting seems over the top,the story is basic and simple etc.

These are staples of the genre, and to criticise them is akin to dismissing a western for having gunfights, a giallo for featuring black gloves or a ..., well,you get the point. In my opinion, the review is shallow and lazy.Instead of taking the time to realize that this movie contains some of the top Shaw Bros stars(Ti Lung,Chen Kuan Tai and many others)great choreography and subject matter rather unique for the martial arts films, the review centres on taking cheap shots at well known trappings.

Among enthusiasts Opium and the Kung Fu Master is very well regarded and to see it dismissed so casually is irksome. It is a pity that this review may dissuade somebody from getting this fine movie.

[mhansen]

Among enthusiasts Opium and the Kung Fu Master is very well regarded and to see it dismissed so casually is irksome. It is a pity that this review may dissuade somebody from getting this fine movie.

But what about us who aren't enthusiasts? Can't we have an opinion as well? And why wouldn't we want to hear what someone like us has to say about the film?

[Silver_Fox68]

Quote But what about us who aren't enthusiasts? Can't we have an opinion as well? And why wouldn't we want to hear what someone like us has to say about the film?

I'd rather hear what someone has to say who loves the genre rather than somebody who has never even seen a Shaw Bros film before. An informed opinion is far more valuable than pseudo superiority. If we were talking The Clones of Bruce Lee or something I could see the criticism but Opium and the Kung Fu Master is a cream of the crop martial arts film. If you don't like it ,chances are you don't like thes types of movies in general-therefore what you say about reflects your own unfamiliarty rather than the quality of the film.

[mhansen]

There are lots of reviews out there by people who enjoy the Shaw brothers. I've never seen one of their movies, but am curious about them. Much like Steve. I'm glad I was able to get the opinion of someone who was in the same boat as me, rather than someone who is already a huge fan. I understand that your opinion of the film differs, but that doesn't make Steve superior; it's just that he is sharing from a different point of view. One I, and I'm sure other people, appreciate. I'm also sure that there are people who think that Bruce Lee is above criticism, as there are many people who agree with Steve's view and many people who agree with your view. Doesn't make any of us shallow, lazy, pompous, or pseudo.
I would like to hear what you liked and appreciated about the film.

[Dan Mancini]

I'd rather hear what someone has to say who loves the genre rather than somebody who has never even seen a Shaw Bros film before. An informed opinion is far more valuable than pseudo superiority. If we were talking The Clones of Bruce Lee or something I could see the criticism but Opium and the Kung Fu Master is a cream of the crop martial arts film. If you don't like it ,chances are you don't like thes types of movies in general-therefore what you say about reflects your own unfamiliarty rather than the quality of the film.

Look, let's be straight-up here. Shaw Bros flicks aren't so structurally, stylistically, and thematically rich and complex that you have to be familiar with many of their movies before you can comprehend what they're up to. Anyone can watch one of their movies, absord the idiosyncrasies of style, and decide whether or not he or she digs it. They ain't Bergman pictures. Steve wasn't confused or ill-informed; he just didn't like the movie. He expressed his dislike intelligently, within the scope of action movie conventions, and taking his own subjectivity into account (and with no sense of superiority, pseudo or otherwise). You're annoyed because the system wasn't rigged to produce a review with which you agree. But this would be a boring, worthless site if we funneled every title to someone who loved it.

[Steve T Power]

I'll start this off by saying thanks for reading the review, and thanks for caring enough about my opinion to make your voice heard. I'll let the comments about my laziness and pompousness slide, and chalk it up to a knee jerk defense reaction. I fully understand your pain (I love a few crappy movies that people love to dump on as well).

I am a fan of Asian cinema, I enjoy everything from Kurosawa's classic Samurai efforts, to Korean and Hong Kong thrillers and actioners, to Miike's lunacy, and even a heaping ton of the cheese-ridden early martial arts genre stuff from Jackie Chan, Jet Li, and more recent stuff from guys like Tony Jaa. I've watched a metric ton of martial arts cinema over the years, but it just so happened that for whatever reason, be it the celestial bodies not being aligned, not giving a crap about Quentin Tarantino's constant name-dropping, or just lack of ready availability, that i've never sat down with a Shaw Brothers picture. I actually requested this review precisely BECAUSE of my interest in Asian cinema and Martial arts films, and because in all my dabbling in old VHS releases, old Lorimar and Mei-Ah DVD's, i hadn't come across one of the heralded works of the brothers Shaw.

I appreciate your love for this particular film, and the Shaw Brothers output, but, sad to say, i don't share your enthusiasm. If Opium and the Kung-Fu Master is one of their highlights, well, lets just say i'd rather recommend that other people coming from the same background as me stick to what they know, instead of setting themselves up for disappointment by shelling out cash money for a film that will likely not live up to the reverence awarded to Shaw Brothers films by cinephiles. I'll stick with my Dragon Dynasty and remain a happy man. We could go around and around all day over whether Shaw output trumps stuff like Fist of Legend, or The Drunken Master, but i won't go down that road.

At the end of the day, you have your opinion, I have mine, and I just happened to be the guy who wrote the review. You are fully entitled to disagree with me, I'm cool with that. I won't be losing sleep over it. Enjoy your copy of Opium and the Kung-Fu Master, the disc looks stellar, and i hear the Blu-ray is jaw dropping, i'll just go watch Enter the Dragon for the 758 and 1/2th time and we'll both be happy.


Cheers, keep reading, and by all means, keep providing feedback. (just lay off the name-calling).

[Gabriel Girard]

I appreciate your love for this particular film, and the Shaw Brothers output, but, sad to say, i don't share your enthusiasm. If Opium and the Kung-Fu Master is one of their highlights, well, lets just say i'd rather recommend that other people coming from the same background as me stick to what they know, instead of setting themselves up for disappointment by shelling out cash money for a film that will likely not live up to the reverence awarded to Shaw Brothers films by cinephiles. I'll stick with my Dragon Dynasty and remain a happy man. We could go around and around all day over whether Shaw output trumps stuff like Fist of Legend, or The Drunken Master, but i won't go down that road.

I'm not a Shaw or or a martial arts movie expert, but I think that if you only have one Shaw Brothers film to see it should be The 36th Chamber Of Shaolin - definitely one of the top martial arts films I've seen. King Boxer (a.k.a. Five Fingers Of Death is pretty awesome as well. Of course both are Dragon Dynasty releases and they look spectacular.

[Gabriel Girard]

I'll also add that the variety of point of views is one of the things that makes the Verdict so great. Sometimes you can find widely differing views on a film if it has more than one release.

[Silver_Fox68]

Thanks for responding to my comments,especially Steve Power. I'm sorry about some of the words I used,my intention wasn't to name call but I guess it came out like that. I thought your review was well written and funny though I disagreed with it-I should have mentioned that in my initial post. All the best/ SilverFox

[Steve T Power]

Thanks for responding to my comments,especially Steve Power. I'm sorry about some of the words I used,my intention wasn't to name call but I guess it came out like that. I thought your review was well written and funny though I disagreed with it-I should have mentioned that in my initial post. All the best/ SilverFox

No harm no foul, I'm not one to shy away from negative feedback

To paraphrase the most awesome television show in history:

The point is you were defending the kung-fu genre with terminal intensity, when what you *should* have said is "Steve, you're right, but let's give The 36th Chamber of Shaolin a try and we'll discuss it later."

[Dan Mancini]

Thanks for responding to my comments,especially Steve Power. I'm sorry about some of the words I used,my intention wasn't to name call but I guess it came out like that. I thought your review was well written and funny though I disagreed with it-I should have mentioned that in my initial post. All the best/ SilverFox

No harm no foul, I'm not one to shy away from negative feedback

To paraphrase the most awesome television show in history:

The point is you were defending the kung-fu genre with terminal intensity, when what you *should* have said is "Steve, you're right, but let's give The 36th Chamber of Shaolin a try and we'll discuss it later."

Babylon Five is shite.

[Steve T Power]

Thanks for responding to my comments,especially Steve Power. I'm sorry about some of the words I used,my intention wasn't to name call but I guess it came out like that. I thought your review was well written and funny though I disagreed with it-I should have mentioned that in my initial post. All the best/ SilverFox

No harm no foul, I'm not one to shy away from negative feedback

To paraphrase the most awesome television show in history:

The point is you were defending the kung-fu genre with terminal intensity, when what you *should* have said is "Steve, you're right, but let's give The 36th Chamber of Shaolin a try and we'll discuss it later."

Babylon Five is shite.

GIT OUUUT!

[Fang Shih-yu]

I am a fan of Asian cinema, I enjoy everything from Kurosawa's classic Samurai efforts, to Korean and Hong Kong thrillers and actioners, to Miike's lunacy, and even a heaping ton of the cheese-ridden early martial arts genre stuff from Jackie Chan, Jet Li, and more recent stuff from guys like Tony Jaa...I appreciate your love for this particular film, and the Shaw Brothers output, but, sad to say, i don't share your enthusiasm...At the end of the day, you have your opinion, I have mine, and I just happened to be the guy who wrote the review. You are fully entitled to disagree with me, I'm cool with that. I won't be losing sleep over it. Enjoy your copy of Opium and the Kung-Fu Master, the disc looks stellar, and i hear the Blu-ray is jaw dropping, i'll just go watch Enter the Dragon for the 758 and 1/2th time and we'll both be happy.

Hi! First posting here!... I enjoy a good contrarian view! You've explained yourself well in your full reply! If you like any Asian cinema, it's better than doing a review without no exposure at all to some of these films, which could make your opinion a little lopsided! There are some "givens" with these kind of movies that the casual reviewer should be knowledgable about before jumping into something like OatKFM, and you've done enough homework on this! Good job! If it hasn't been done already, one of the judges should check the Heroes Two Blu-ray from Tokyo Shock that came out last week!... Brother Fang