MamaGravity good back-story, and good acting

Comwayon A Disappointing Continuation

Stephan Hammond It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,

Asad Almond A clunky actioner with a handful of cool moments.

Paul Magne Haakonsen Funny how most of the DVD covers for "Hand of Death" has Jackie Chan all over it, despite him only having a supporting role in the movie. But his face sells.Regardless, then "Hand of Death" is one of the more interesting movies to Jackie Chan's impressive movie list, prior to making it on an international scale.The story in "Hand of Death" is fairly simple, yet straight to the point. It is a story of revenge and for the downtrodden to stand up against their oppressors. The story doesn't really leave much to the imagination and requires absolutely nothing from your intellect. This is straight from point A to point B; and beating up everyone in between these two points.The fight sequences were good, although some of them were painfully choreographed, where you saw the opponents, just waiting for the kick or punch to be thrown. And, of course, the sound effects here are hilarious - as they tended to be in many of these old action movies.Tao-liang Tan was doing quite a good job in this movie, and it wasn't Jackie Chan who was in focus in this movie. As much as Sammo Hung Kam-Bo used to make great movies back in the day, then the buck-teeth he had to wear in this movie was just a bit too over the top. It was also good to see Wah Yuen in the movie, despite a very small and brief appearance only, not to forget about Biao Yuen as well."Hand of Death" is well worthy of a place in the movie collection of anyone who is fan of martial arts movies (or Jackie Chan's movies). This is simple, yet entertaining entertainment.

aidenthomson73 I Bought the Hong Kong Legends DVD and this movie is pure classic. The choreography is excellent, the acting is brilliant and the storyline is also great. This early John Woo movie stars Dorian Tan as the good guy and has an supporting appearance from Jackie Chan as a blacksmith who was a Shaolin disciple. The structure of the fight scenes in the last half-hour showdown were later used in films such as Mission:Impossibe Part II.The two flaws this movie has is the fight scenes are shot at awkward angles, making them look fake. The other flaw is that a real Shaolin disciple would not want revenge. In Buddhism, suffering is caused only by want and any real Shaolin disciple should already know this, therefore I rate this movie 8\10 stars.

david-sarkies Well this movie has a few firsts and a few unique qualities about it, but as far as that, it has little else. It is Jackie Chan's first movie (at least according to Microsoft's Cinemania, and I will leave it up to you to whether it is to be considered a legitimate source) and it is the only movie in which Jackie Chan has worked with John Woo. It is John Woo's third movie, and as such we cannot expect that much out of it. In fact, compared to his later masterpieces, this is a fingerpainting. It is also the only movie where Jackie Chan has been killed on screen.Basically an evil emperor is banning all Shou-lung warriors and one particular warrior has betrayed the order and has joined the emperor. The monks are being slaughtered but one escapes and vows vengeance. He tries to sneak into the order but he is found out and swiftly beaten, but he manages to escape, builds up his force, and then returns to kick butt.The plot is basic and has no interesting character developments and interactions as the later Woo movies, though one of the characters refuses to fight because he accidentally killed his mistress. This struggle is not developed though as he is found, talked to, and convinced to take up arms again.The cinematography is really bad, and I can see why they say that you not use the zoom in professional film-making, namely because it looks very bad. This movie does not have any of Woo's dazzling camera effects that become obvious in later movies, nor does it focus on minor things that bring out the characters more, but it does show a side that we rarely see, and that is that a great filmmaker must come from somewhere.Though it is not the best, it is a start for somebody who goes on to become a famous, and much admired film-maker. It goes to show that just because you begin by making bad movies, that you will not go anywhere.

kwhuneycutt The Hand of Death aka Countdown in Kung Fu (1976) is a vastly underrated early work by director John Woo. The film stars Dorian Tan (Tan Tao-liang) and features Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung and James Tien in significant supporting roles. Many people believe, or have been lead to believe by deceptive advertising, that this is a Jackie Chan film. This is not a Jackie Chan film, Dorian Tan is the star but Jackie gives one of his best (most serious) early performances.The Hand of Death is about a Shaolin disciple named Yunfei (Tan) who is sent on a mission to assassinate a Shaolin traitor named Shih Xiaofeng (Tien) and protect a revolutionary named Zhang Yi (Woo). Along his journey Yunfei meets up with a young woodcutter named Tan (Chan) and a disgraced sword fighter (Chang Chung) known as "the wanderer." Both men have suffered at the hands of Shih and want to take revenge. The three team up to defeat Shih and his eight bodyguards and escort the revolutionary to safety.The martial arts action is above average under the direction of Sammo Hung. Dorian Tan uses his trademark high kicks very effectively as the "Northern eighteen styles kicks" along with some "Southern five styles boxing." Sammo Hung and Jackie Chan provide excellent martial arts performances as well. James Tien is not the greatest martial artist on the Jade screen but does an acceptable job. Some of the early fights are a bit slow and seem over choreographed but the final showdowns featuring Chan, Tan and Hung are very good.Director John Woo provides plenty of interesting character development in the film, which is refreshing. The cinematography by Leung Wing Kat is very stylish, unique and beautiful for a kung fu film of this era. Joseph Koo's music: a combination of soft flutes and 70's "Shaft" style orchestral pieces is kung fu cinema at its best. Hand of Death is not Jackie and Sammo's usual kung fu comedy. Hand of Death is a serious, straightforward revenge driven story.Hand of Death aka Countdown in Kung Fu is an underrated classic in the old school kung fu genre. The film is one of the best artistically of its time and a preview of the great things to come from Jackie Chan and Sammo Hung. Hung's great choreography is put on display here before his directorial debut and Chan's early charisma and talent can be clearly seen.Hand of Death is a solid, stylish old school kung fu film and a brilliant early work of the legendary John Woo.Kung Fu Genre Rating 7.5/10 Wanderer to Tan (referring to his new weapon): "The Little Eagle Wing God Lance." Tan: "Just a knickknack."