A pair of 1980s Kung Fu Comedies Share the Limelight on Two Taoist Tales

Two Taoist Tales
Eureka!

1980s Hong Kong cinema may not have been as glorious as the 1970s, but the early ’80s continued to see some amazing martial arts films that, for me, graced “Kung Fu Theatre” locally on a Saturday afternoon.

And to have these two niche gems together under one package is like being a kid on Christmas morning opening that gift that you spent the last few months wishing on. If you want to experience the pinnacle of early 1980s supernatural martial arts spectacles, that would be The Miracle Fighter (1982). More fighting technique — thanks to director and fight coordinator Yuen Woo-ping, better known for work in The Matrix and Kill Bill movies — than supernatural antics, it springboarded a new cycle of Asian films like Taoism Drunkard and The Young Taoism Fighter, both seems delightfully ridiculous on the surface but deeply rooted in Taoist ideas meant to attract a newer, younger audience, even if those ideas are generously exaggerated through blurring the lines between fact and fiction.

Although all released under the imprint of Golden Harvest, a peer of the Shaw Brothers legendary screen classics (think the Cannonball Run series), there is a distinct budget difference between the Taoist films and The Miracle Fighter, which is what generally is pointed at for the film’s fallacy. But even then, there are charms in concept because these films brought forth a dizzying array of comedy, horror, fantasy, all spinning around random acts of martial arts to propel the film forward. And as outlandish as both films are, they are quite accurate within the belief system.

Taoism Drunkard is simply about the balance of the universe and protecting the ancient writ containing the secrets of kung fu from a demonic sorcerer they call The Old Devil. With its slapstick comedy and martial arts style, it feels inspired by Jackie Chan’s Drunken Master (1978). Despite its problematic story elements (a drunken old man has to go out and find a virgin boy born on a certain day because he must repair the rift after breaking a coveted statue of the gods by drunkenly driving around a vehicle meant to look like a pig through the temple), there are great fight scenes the way you want Hong Kong cinema to portray, even if those fight scenes are the equivalent to a ska band versus a technical prog rock band.

At the forefront the story is chaos nestled in nuggets of insanity with an iconic indestructible monster popping out its ugly head sporadically throughout the film. If you are watching the original version, it’s the banana monster; if you watch the dubbed version, it’s the watermelon monster. Whichever one, the film is so fun to watch.

The Young Taoism Fighter is less absurd and more of a throwback to earlier Shaw Brothers psyche and aesthetic. The story revolves around the Yin-yang School of Taoist Martial Arts. The villainous Master Fu Luen who trains to perfect his Purple Yin Wicked Style, engages the services of a Taoist occultist who uses Thunder rituals to procure unusual dietary supplements. Preserving the body is one of the most important elements for Taoists, and immortality is taken seriously. The film peaks through the idea of astral projection, which ends up looking more like a TikTok trend.

What Eureka! has done here is on a Criterion level of scholarly dedication these films deserve. If it’s not the audio commentaries and the slew of extras including original and dubbed versions of both films, interviews and more, then it’s the deep and thoughtful essays. “Return of the Miracle Fighters?,” by Daniel O’Brien, film lecturer and writer, who digs into the quality of film theory within the history of Hong Kong cinema.

“Flying Kicks and Thunder Magic,” by Katarzyna Ancuta, lecturer at Chulalongkorn University in Thailand, looks at religious history and how the ancient philosophy shapes both of these films. What a grand experience whether it’s at face value for mindless entertainment or a deeper dive to achieve oneness with the universal.