Product Description

Little John (Yuen Biao, Once Upon a Time In China, Prodigal Son) and brother Big John (Leung Kar Yan) Make a living out of crooking and swindling. Their tricks turn sour and they find themselves stripped of cash with nowhere to turn to. Desperate for protection, they scurry under the wings of Silver Fox, only to pay a heavy price when they discover their master is a conman with a violent past. Salvation comes in the unlikely shape of Fatty the beggar (Sammo Hung), who shows them what real kung fu is all about.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #47382 in DVD
• Brand: Twentieth Century Fox
• Released on: 2004-09-07
• Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
• Formats: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DTS Surround Sound, Dubbed, DVD, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: Cantonese
• Subtitled in: Cantonese
• Dubbed in: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 92 minutes

Customer Reviews

Yuen Biao Is Incredible!
Another Sammo Hung, Yuen Biao gem. This one has it all: good story, good comedy(maybe too much, but still good), and some of the most ridiculously awesome fight and training scenes I've ever seen. Yuen Biao gets the leading role and performs amazingly. A brief paraphrase of the story is two brothers, Little John(Yuen Biao) and Big John(Leung Kar Yan), are con men. They run across a man who they try to set up and it backfires on them. Eventually, this man becomes their master and trains them. Then comes the twist in the polt(I won't say what it is). Yuen Biao ends up teaming up with Sammo to take on his master, and what a fight it is. It is probably 10 minutes long and could be the best two on one fight I've ever seen. Just to give you a piece, part of the fight Sammo and Yuen both perform monkey style against the master who does a type of snake style with a pipe. I was in awe.

That is just the cherry on top. Once you get through the first half hour, which is relatively slow(it does have some fighting), the movie is non stop action that just gets better and better as it builds to the final confrontation. There is a lot of comedy in the first half of the film and it is very exaggerated. Some of it is really funny though. For those of you who don't care for the humor, don't worry, it soon goes away and the whoopin's begin and they never stop. Also, there are as many or even more acrobatic moves and manuevers done by Yuen Biao than in any Jackie Chan film. Not stunts so much, more flips and flying around while fighting. It's great.

As for the DVD itself, it has dolby 5.1 sound and the picture is a great restoration and transfer in an anamorphic widescreen format. You can choose subtitles or english dubbed audio. The voice of Yuen Biao is really a good one. There are also four trailers for other movies and two trailers for this one in the special features.

I was so impressed with this movie, aside from some over the top comedy, that it instantly has become one of my favorite kung fu flicks of the era. Another great film that is right there with this one, even a little higher, is Magnificent Butcher starring Sammo Hung. I highly reccommend both of these movies to any kung fu collection. You won't be disappointed.

Hackneyed story can't deter Sammo & Biao
Yuen Biao gets his first starring role in this well-directed and even better choreographed Sammo Hung film. Biao and Leung Kar Yan play Little and Big John, con men who aren't really very good at their craft. Strapped for cash, they end up getting the crap kicked out of them by Koo Wu Tai (Lau Kar Wing) who eventually takes them both as students. Their kung fu improves, just in time to take on some enemies of their master. With the new students' help, the foes are all defeated. All is well until Little John witnesses his master in some morally objectionable activities. After a brawl with their master that leaves Big John in a compost heap, Little John comes to train with the Fat Beggar (Sammo) to take revenge.

The plot is by the numbers and the humor silly and rarely funny yet this movie still rocks. All 4 leads are excellent athletes, though Biao steps up nicely as numero uno. The fights start pretty well, and get better and better as the film goes on. By the time Biao starts training with Sammo the movie is in full-on overdrive. The training scenes are UNBELIEVABLE. Throw in Garbage Boxing and some of the best Monkey Style ever put to film and this is a no-brainer.

This is another of the Sammo classics released by 20th Century Fox. All of which are remastered, widescreened, and have multiple language and subtitle options. Now if only they'd tackle "The Victim". Yuen Biao is said to be the most underrated martial arts talent out there. I would have to lean a little more toward Hsiao Hou, only because Biao has had a lot more starring roles. Both of their versions of Monkey Style are amazing and for different reasons. Though if there was a visual debate, the jump rope scene in this one may sway the undecided in Biao's favor. Many a critic has mentioned it and for good reason. Eat your popcorn early because you can't chew with your lower jaw repeatedly smashing to the floor. This flick is definitely RECOMMENDED. If you have no problems with the lame humor and plot, then highly so.

1979

Great introduction to YUEN BIAO!
Not his first movie but his first starring role, there is no better film to witness Yuen Biao's incredible talent then right here in 1979's Knockabout. Yuen and Leung Kar Yan star as a couple swindleing brothers known as Little John and Big John. When they meet their match at the hands of the Silver Fox (played by Lau Kar Wing, Lau Kar Leung's lesser known brother) they decide to seek his tutlege and learn his Kung Fu skills. During all this you get glimpses of Sammo Hung's character, a pauper who appears to live in the same scheming fashion as the aforementioned brothers. I don't want to say much more beyond that because there are several solid twists and turns along the way that make things a little more interesting. This is your basic Kung Fu comedy (a la Magnificient Butcher and The Drunken Master)so the dramatic scenes (scene really) are only there to help motivate the characters and are quickly swept under the carpet for another slapstick comedy routine or fight (or a mix of both). What this movie really acts as is a showcase for Yuen Biao and his incredible acrobatic feats... wait until you see the jump rope training sequence WOW! A great cast help round everything out and make this one of Sammo Hung's best directorial efforts filld with his usual top notch choreography. Oh and keep an ear out for the ridiculously funny monkey sound effects that they filter in whenever someone uses that style of Kung Fu... priceless!