by Jacob Walker

The Skyhawk is a great chance for Kung Fu enthusiasts to fill a hole in their collection, it features a fresh-faced Sammo Hung finding his feet and Kwan Tak-Hing as the legendary Wong Fei Hung – most of his Guinness record-breaking 68 films, featuring the character have been lost to the ravages of time. For the casual viewer however, there is very little to recommend, in what is a lacklustre effort.

Sammo co-stars as Fatty (he started his self-depreciation early), student to Chinese folk hero Wong Fei Hung (referred to in the English dub as Skyhawk, strange as he is such a key figure in Chinese culture). After inviting the wrath of a long-haired Hapkido master, a young Carter Wong is taken in as Wong’s new student. Soon they are the target of a ruthless crime boss, who has hired the Hapkido master as his enforcer. Unusually for a film of this period the whole thing is shot on location in Thailand, some of it looking contemporary, some not. The action handled by Sammo is just okay; we get multiple punches into the camera, whereas the end battle has some more exciting movements. It’s interesting to see how his action has evolved since; it would only be 3 years before he would deliver his true style with Iron Fisted Monk. Kwan Tak-Hing doesn’t really do any teaching or healing, and it’s not clear why he came to Thailand in the first place.

Eureka presents a nice but sparse package, as well as the usual commentaries there is an interview with the brilliantly named Blade Po, a martial arts cinema scholar who talks over sections of the film. The best accompaniment is a booklet written by James Oliver that explains the history of Wong Fei Hung on film. It’s certainly an interesting addition for a collector – some films are timeless and unforgettable, but The Skyhawk is not.