Intro
While pouring back through all the Tarantino films recently I realized a couple things:
1) There's not that many of them. I mean he's only one guy and he pretty much only works off of his own material that he wrote... which takes time, and thus this is very understandable.
2) His films make reference other movies constantly. Now call it what you want homage, reference or just plain theft but I'm thinking that a lot of people don't catch the majority of these references to other films because frankly, we don't have the film same exposure as a young Tarantino did going to the grindhouse theater constantly in his youth or working in a video rental store. However, hypothetically with the vastness of the internet and Amazon, Netflix etc. these films should be easier to get a hold of today, if you know what you're looking for that is.
So I figured there's probably more people out there, like me, who crave more Tarantino constantly and I could showcase some films that I'd consider essential viewing for Tarantino fans. And thus the 10 must-see films for Tarantino fans was born. Now let me warn you this is in no way a comprehensive list and there's no particular order to these either. There's probably hundreds of films that Tarantino references in his own films, and I found enough films I could write about to probably do this series again but that will have to wait until next time there's another big Tarantino release.
DAY 5: King Boxer [aka Five Fingers of Death] (1972)
If you sit down to watch King Boxer the very first thing you will notice is the "Ironside" theme that while it didn't originate in this film is used in a very similar manner to the way Quentin Tarantino uses it it Kill Bill: Volume 1 (2003). A major part of this film involves the "Iron Fist" technique that the hero learns from an aging master and uses it to defeat his betrayers very similar to the "Five-point-exploding-heart" technique the Bride uses in Kill Bill: Volume 2 (2004). Another Kill Bill: Volume 2 moment is the eye-plucking technique which is used multiple times in this film. You also may also notice some of the very fast zooms from this film in Kill Bill and most recently in Django Unchained (2012). After watching this film its plain to see why Tarantino continues to put this film in his top 10 films of all time and King Boxer has the distinction of being one of only a handful of films that Quentin Tarantino has recorded a feature-length commentary for which is avalible on the Dragon Dynasty Special Edition DVD
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“But you must be cautious... the Iron Fist is deadly and must only be used for righteous deeds. It must not be used in private duels.”
King Boxer: Number One Fist in the World [天下第一拳] (1972) known as Five Fingers of Death (in the U.S.), has the distinction of being the very first kung fu film to be released in America. An aging master fears he can no longer further his star pupil Chi-Hao's training and sends him to train under the Shen school. He proves to be a quick learner and very soon becomes one of the best of Shen's pupils. However not everyone is happy about Chi-Hao's progress. This is a film about betrayal and trying to be the best.
[This review is of the original uncut Chinese version]
The fight sequences in this film are all around good. I appreciate that each of the fight sequences don't drag on longer than necessary and I enjoyed how they are grounded in realism but the film isn't afraid to push the fights slightly into the fantastical with things like guys jumping 12 feet into the air. Also the violence of the fighting really escalates beautifully.
The score of this film (though I'm not exactly sure how much was original for this film) is really great the way it's used. It really adds a lot to the power and drama of the characters and story.
There is some odd pacing in this film, this is especially noticeable in the first half of the film where they seem to rush trough training sequences (there's even a continuity error, so we're not sure exactly how long Chi-Hao has been at the new school). Lots of sequences cut very abruptly at the end of action not allowing the scene to play out to a natural end and "breathe."
Also some of the acting is less than good, but by the second half of the film this wasn't as bothersome to me.
The cinematography in this film is really surprisingly fantastic. I was really surprised at how great the camerawork is; It really seems like every shot has a lot of real thought put into it where is the best place to put the camera. And there's a lot of really clever and creative things they came up with in this film that I think even someone who doesn't know much about cinematography would notice how unique some of the cool things they do are.
Easily the greatest thing about this film is its story. It starts off really simple and even pretty similar to other kung fu or martial arts films you've seen before, but as it goes on it has some really interesting twists and turns that keep you constantly guessing at how the story is going to play out for these characters. I like how this film has a lot of direct allusions to, and themes from films like Shane (1953) and other American westerns.
And this is a film that like many other kung fu films has tons of characters, but UNLIKE most other kung fu films this film handles all the characters beautifully! I love how almost every single character that is introduced in this film is addressed, gets nicely wrapped up and has a payoff by the third act.
King Boxer (1972) is a pretty typical and yet solid kung fu film but it stands out because of its amazing story and stylish direction. 4.5/5 Stars.
Happy watching!
This film is part of my month-long Tribute to Tarantino in honor of his latest film Django Unchained (2012) and his 20-year career. If you've missed any of my reviews so far, be sure to check out his filmography and click on any film you've missed.
The 10 must-see films for Tarantino fans countdown continues tomorrow, so be sure to check back!
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