The Mandarin Magician (1974) User Reviews (2)

There is no magic.

[ckormos1 · 5/10 · 3 September 2019]

The movie opens at the old airport in Hong Kong. Larry Lee and Huang Chung-Hsin meet and talk about martial arts tournaments. Their car is blocked by Sun Lan and his thugs and they fight. Huang Chung-Hsin gets a knife in the leg and they go to a hospital. They receive a challenge letter from the Japanese. Then they meet Helen Ma and take a ride around Bangkok. Chiang Nan is the leader of the Japanese fighters.

I first attempted to watch this movie back in 2017 but really didn't finish it therefore I could not write a proper review. I am a hard core fan of martial arts movies of the golden age from 1967 to 1984 and on a mission to watch and review every movie from that time frame. I have almost 600 reviews so far posted here.

My copy is a digital file that plays on a HDTV as wide screen but small. It is English dubbed by the A team of voice over actors. The color is washed out but the resolution is as good as it gets for a movie this old and copied over and over. Sammo Hung is listed as action director and he has a cameo. Other greats that fans of this genre will notice include Yuen Wah, Mars, and Lam Ching-Ying.

This movie was a disappointment to me because I know the actors and stunt people were capable of better. Many of the fights were simply sloppy. High and powerful kicks missed the target by a meter. The defender ducked before the punch was thrown. Flips and other reactions clearly began before the attacks. Besides the fighting, the "little people" also did a sloppy job. Chinese "extras", such as people in the crowd, are known for being the worst in the business. Instead of blending into the background they stand out and draw attention to themselves because of blank expressions, repetitive or strange movements, or their mouths moving as if talking but no one is there to talk to. The gang of extras was the cream of the crop of crap.

Larry Lee did a fine job despite the rest of the cast. His final fight sequences played off on Bruce Lee's "Game of death idea. Larry fought his way upward using nunchucks but in an apartment building instead of a pagoda.

Overall I rate this simply average for the year and genre and recommend it only to other hard core fans like myself.

Low rent Hong Kong actioner with a Thai setting

[Leofwine_draca · 4/10 · 21 February 2017]

I watched this 1974 Hong Kong film under the title BLOODY RING, which is much more appropriate than the ridiculous re-titling THE MANDARIN MAGICIAN, which is completely misleading and makes this sound like something it isn't. What it is is a straightforward kung fu outing, in which hero Li Chin-Kun (who is the spitting image of BOXER FROM SHANTUNG star Chen Kuan Tai) travels to Thailand to help his friend train some Muay Thai boxers in the ring, only to fall into battle with some Japanese hoodlums.

The film that follows is largely nondescript, lacking the kind of skill and finesse that marks the best films of this popular genre. What we do get is a whole bunch of travelogue footage shot around Thailand, so much so that the viewer feels like a tourist at times. There's a wealth of action both inside and outside of the ring, although the boxing bits are largely dull thanks to the static camera-work. The outdoor scenes usually consist of our hero battling bad guys in parks and streets and the like. It's very average, although genre fans might enjoy spotting a few familiar faces, pre-stardom: Sammo Hung is a leading henchman, while Yuen Wah is a Thai boxer and Mars is an ally. I think I spotted Lam Ching-Ying too.