Kung Fu Mama

Original title: Shan dong lao niang

19731973
RR
1h 30m

IMDb RATING

6.4/10

YOUR RATING

Action Crime Drama

After the Boxer from Shantung is murdered by the Shanghai Axe Gang his mother gathers up the rest of her fighting brood and travels to Shanghai to have it out with the axe gang and avenge he... Read allAfter the Boxer from Shantung is murdered by the Shanghai Axe Gang his mother gathers up the rest of her fighting brood and travels to Shanghai to have it out with the axe gang and avenge her son. Fantastic action in the tradition of Boxer from Shangtung and Man of Iron.After the Boxer from Shantung is murdered by the Shanghai Axe Gang his mother gathers up the rest of her fighting brood and travels to Shanghai to have it out with the axe gang and avenge her son. Fantastic action in the tradition of Boxer from Shangtung and Man of Iron.

IMDb RATING

6.4/10

YOUR RATING

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Photos

Chin-Ju Hsieh and Ching-Ching Chang in Kung Fu Mama (1973)

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Featured review

2/10

An opposing view

I am surprised to see two other reviews here. In 2015 I watched this movie but did not post what I wrote at the time because it was all unfavorable. Today I rewrote my review for posting.

I did not like the movie for the same reasons the two other reviewers did like it. I questioned how anyone would spend their money to produce a movie where an unattractive chubby woman with no martial arts skills stars as a kung fu master. Her best move is standing motionless as the stunt men just miss with punches and kicks. When she does make the slightest move the dozens of stunt men circling her fly off in all directions despite not having been touched.

The plot is bad guys acting like bad guys and good guys resisting. The resulting fights are senseless and the choreography and execution of the moves is pathetic. There is also singing making it worse. Fast forward to about the 34 minute mark for an absurd example of Thai boxing. The only fights I found not bad in this movie involved stunt man versus stunt man with Kung Fu Mama out of the frame.

I rate this movie as way below average for the year and genre. I cannot recommend it to any fan of the genre. At least two other such fans did seem to enjoy it though so what do I know (or what do they know?) Who knows?

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