Before we get into this week’s Sunday Matinee, Shazam opened this weekend and from the sounds of it has done pretty good for itself. It’s been quite a while since the original Captain Marvel has graced the big screen and here’s my old post about his first adventures.
The Criterion Channel will soon be here, actually tomorrow April 8th and this was their last week of their free movie of the week to charter subscribers. This week’s movies were the 1979 John Woo kung fu film Last Hurrah for Chivalry and The Umbrellas of Cherbourg. Today’s Sunday Matinee is the early John Woo.
Before he found success making modern action films John Woo found himself like most Hong Kong filmmakers directing period kung fu films in the 1970s. In 1976 he made Hand of Death with a very young Jackie Chan and in 1979 he made this film.
Made as a tribute to the legendary filmmaker Chang Cheh who helped craft the kung fu genre in the 1960s and 70s, the movie follows a young man out for revenge after his wedding day is ruined by an evil villain. Along the way he gets some help.
Made before John Woo started with the whole doves everywhere thing the movie is pretty good early Woo. The fights are good and the movie’s theme is similar to lot of other Woo movies – friendships are good. In few years after this Woo write and direct A Better Tomorrow and change the course of action films.