Kung Fu on Sale

1979
5.8| 1h28m| en
Details

Down on his luck, our unlikely hero is trying to save enough money to afford to be trained in kung fu. He joins a group of misfits in hopes of earning the money by performing for crowds in the street. However, he keeps running into trouble and a mysterious kung fu master. Will he be able to overcome the challenges that lie in front of him? Or will he die trying?

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Also starring Xie Jian-Wen

Reviews

Inclubabu Plot so thin, it passes unnoticed.
Tayloriona Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.
Rio Hayward All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.
Sarita Rafferty There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.
Leofwine_draca KUNG FU ON SALE is another cheap Taiwanese martial arts film that openly copies the Jackie Chan movies DRUNKEN MASTER and SNAKE IN THE EAGLE'S SHADOW. This is one of the most inept rip-offs I've seen, a film which never overcomes the paucity of a non-existent budget and feels cheap and slapdash throughout. The plot, about a kid who is banned from learning kung fu and who ends up hooking up with a wise master to learn the ropes, is as derivative as they come.The film's one familiar cast member is Dean Shek, playing a chap who runs a martial arts school. Otherwise, the main character is an idiot who keeps getting beaten up because people think he's ugly. There's a twist in the tale which feels a bit silly and unbelievable. The only time the story picks up is in the extended climax which is as familiar as they come. Unfortunately, the team dubbing this one into English seem to have decided that as it is a comedy/action film, they'll supply the most stupid and exaggerated voices ever. It's really irritating.
Joe Wojciechowski "Kung Fu on Sale" (1979) is a pretty good movie (6/10) IF you enjoy the earlier martial arts genre. If you are not a fan of martial arts & kung fu flicks, you probably won't appreciate this film. I would suggest watching more popular martial arts movies... when you develop a taste of the genre, return and check this one out for historical reasons.As with many of the kung fu films I have seen, "Kung Fu on Sale" follows a person on their path to learning a martial art. In terms of artistry, the dubbing is entertaining in how horrible it is. The poor voice acting and western "hoedown" music adds to the silly nature of this already half-comedy.I would equate this to a B-level Jackie Chan early years movie.This film is slow to start and picks up around the middle. The beginning is full of comedic bits that probably get lost in translation. The physical comedy is more of a sad-trombone music style that isn't laugh out loud funny. What balances this movie in general is the comedy, action, story and morals rolled up into one.Morals presented in the movie include the power of family, money vs dreams & practicing moderation.Not bad for a 1979 movie I have never heard of.
Gatto Nero A very ultra low-budget martial arts film. I did not recognize anyone in this supposedly action/comedy film. It was so frustrating to see the main guy (our hero a Jackie Chan wannabe) get beat up time and time again. It wasn't until his own grandfather taught him some skills , was he able to defend himself somewhat. But by then you don't care. Interesting use of sample music from other films though.The grandfather scenes, reminded me of Jackie Chan's Drunken Master. very well done and nicely paced. Plus somewhat funny. The main guy looked a little to old to be playing the hero in this one. I'm into the martial arts, so I was gonna watch this regardless.
winner55 ej's kung-fu capsule review for films of the chop-socky old-school - 1. basic plot type - young man comes of kung-fu age 2. plot construction - pretty good 3. dramatic - okay 4. funny - sometimes 5. dialog - not too bad 6. cast performance - pretty good all around 7. crew performance - solid 8. amount of fighting - fair amount 9. quality of fighting - okay 10. special any cast or crew notes - appears to be a transitional film for director Joseph kuo, made roughly at same time as the superior 'cavalier' 11. big positive - rarely dull 12. big negative - annoying leading actor who looks too old for the part bottom-line - who should see this movie - a solid martial-arts entertainment for any seeking such

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