Knockabout (1979) – Film Review

Director: Sammo Hung
Cast: Yuen Biao, Bryan “Beardy” Leung Kar-yan, Lau Kar-wing
Certificate: 15

By Roger Crow

Brothers Yipao (Yuen Biao) and Taipao (Leung Kar-yan) are down on their luck conmen. Selling fake gold to crooked dealers is just one of their scams.

After being defeated by the kung fu master Silver Fox (Lau Kar-wing), the siblings realise they need to learn how to fight, and ask him to train them.

“Looks so good”

But wouldn’t you know it? Their new master is a ruthless killer, and when the relatives realise this, one of them is murdered.

Seeking vengeance, the survivor must learn a unique form of kung fu from a beggar, who also happens to be a master fighter.

For the most part, Knockabout is an aptly titled load of fun. Stupid gags, slapstick comedy, frying pan in the face style humour, with a jaunty soundtrack which keeps things ticking over. And those stunts. Blimey. Sammo Hung’s reputation as one of the kings of martial arts cinema is well deserved, and, as usual, Eureka Classics have done a splendid job with the Blu-ray version taken from a new 2K restoration. You’d never believe it was made in 1979, it looks so good.

The English dubbed offering is gloriously daft, though purists will no doubt want to watch the original version with subtitles. After one of those tough weeks, it’s a welcome break from the horrors of the world to get lost in something so silly.

“Jaw-dropping”

Of course the gags might fall short of achingly funny, perhaps losing something in translation, but there’s no denying the stunts are phenomenal. That finale is so jaw-dropping, it’s worth seeing a few times, though chances are, like a kitten with a laser pointer, you’ll be breathless just keeping up with it.

One of the key selling points on the press blurb is: ‘Features one of the greatest action finales in the history of Hong Kong cinema’.

I can’t dispute that.