The Kid with the Golden Arm (1979) User Reviews

Eccentric Fighters Fighting Over Caskets of Gold

[Filmfandave · 8/10 · 21 September 2010]

What makes this Venoms' film unique? The storyline is downright simple, with a little twist at the end and the locations are uniformly dull, where all take place in the Shaw Brothers studios.

So, the best thing about THE KID WITH THE GOLDEN ARM is the characters, the good and the bad, who have their own unique skills. Combined with Chang Cheh's deft direction and a talented group of kungfu actors, you get good entertainment, especially for the Venoms' fans.

The story involves a desperate delivery of caskets containing gold for the needy in famine-stricken villages through a place named the Death Valley. The place is so feared that the delivery, which has no other option but to pass it, has to be escorted by a group of skilled fighters.

The Deadly Valley, so it is named, is a no-man's land ruled by an infamous robber, highly skilled - the Golden Arm (Lo Meng) with his gang: the Silver Spear (Lu Feng), the Iron Robe (Wang Lung Wei), and the Brass Head (Yang Tsiung), who are all aiming at looting the gold delivery.

But, things do not come as easy as they think. The king's official has assigned Chief Security Yang (Sun Chien), together with a group of fighters, to prepare an unexpected welcome for the adversaries.

The fighters on Chief Yang's side are as unique as the baddies: Constable Hai To, the drunkard (Kwo Chui); Swordsman Li, the arrogant (Wei Pai); Heroine Leng (dunno her name); Long Axe (played by a cameo; should have been played by Wang Li, though), and Short Axe (Chiang Sen).

There are one-to-one mortal combats that are, as usual, exciting to watch - the one between Silver Spear and Short Axe, another with the Iron Robe and Constable Hai To, then the climax between the Golden Arm and Constable Hai To.

A little twist at the end is the appearance of a mysterious character the Iron Feet, known to have been one of the deadly duos of the Deadly Valley before the Golden Arm established his reign of terror. He, too, demands his share of the gold.

Who, then, will be the last man standing ?

Colorful comic book violence from Chang Cheh

[venoms5 · 7/10 · 10 September 2007]

An escort service must transport a large shipment of gold to a famine stricken location. A number of martial artists are also on hand as it is learned that the dreaded Death Valley Gang, led by Golden Arm (Lo Mang) plan to intercept them and steal the gold for themselves. Another villain, Iron Feet, waits in the wings for the opportune moment to strike.

Another of Chang Cheh's comic book laced adventures. This one is especially colorful with every character having his own signature color. The fights are plentiful as the evil gang battles them or simply leaves deadly poison traps for the heroes to fall into. This is one of the most beloved entries by fans. I never cared much for this movie as the only print available was a badly cut TV version. Seeing it now in its new uncut, remastered and widescreen glory, it's much better but I still wouldn't call it a favorite as so many others do. Supposedly, Celestial has a scene out of sequence in this Chinese version. The same scene is featured differently in the US cut. Either way, it's not distracting and it's not noticeable if you've never seen the English dub version.

Lo Mang is excellent as the righteous villain Golden Arm. His arms are invulnerable to weapons attacks but his body is not. His final fight between the Drunk, Hai To (Kuo Chui) is a highlight as well as the late appearance of the villain Iron Feet, who is discussed several times by various characters during the film. Lo could successfully portray heroes or villains. He played a lot of both throughout his 30+ year career.

Kuo Chui is also memorable as always as the sheriff Hai To (pronounced 'toe') who drinks in nearly every scene he is in. His near constant confrontations with Swordsman Li (Wei Pai) are quite amusing. Pai's character could be viewed as a parody of Chang's heroes seen in his many bloody chivalry movies during the late 60s thru the 70s. He is the epitome of the stubborn, arrogant and righteous hero whose doom is foretold early on.

Chiang Sheng and Sun Shu Pei are also funny as Long Axe and Short Axe. The two are in constant competition over who kills the most bad guys. These two are involved in the best fight scene in the entire film. The duel between Short Axe and Silver Spear (Lu Feng).

The other gang members are the above mentioned Silver Spear who uses trick spear weapons as well as a waist belt armed with smaller spear projectiles, Iron Robe (Wang Lung Wei) whose coat is made of Iron and he also uses an Iron Fan with tips like razors. Brass Head (Yang Hsung) wears a lethal head piece as well as his great strength. There's another gang called the Seven Hooks and an assassin known as the Black Sand Palm among the many characters.

This is probably Chang's most comic styled movie. Not just in the colors, but the extravagant characters as well as their weapons and outfits. Truly a comic book come to life. The gore is also OTT and gives the film a comic book feel. Some of the death scenes of the characters are simply outrageous and if you've never seen any of Chang Cheh's films from this time period, you'll be amazed by what you see.

A very enjoyable movie whose recent restoration adds immensely to the viewing experience.

Gotta Get The Gold

[tzer0 · 8/10 · 25 April 2021]

The Good Guys try to send gold the the starving people in a famine stricken region but it's stolen by a gang of ruthless War Lords along the way. It's basically the Kung Fu version of Live Aid.

Metallica

[masercot · 4 May 2004]

I LOVE this movie. It is one of the few violent movies "grandfathered" into my children's approved stack (Master Killer is another). The movie is a fantasy with superheroes such as Short-axe, Long-axe and Hai-Toh; and, super-villans, such as Brass Head, Iron Robe, Iron Feet, Silver Spear and the Kid with the Golden Arm. Many may disagree with me, but I find this movie better than The Five Deadly Venoms, mostly because it is a lot less sadistic...

It is an easy movie to make fun of, I'll grant you; but, there is a solid, if simple, plot line. Agent Hai-Toh is the main hero and easily the most charismatic character. The Kid with the Golden Arm is a less compelling character, with a face that makes you think that he was hit squarely with a board BEFORE becoming invulnerable...

The fight scenes are long, even for a Chinese movie; but, for a colorful piece if violent escapism, this is unbeatable...

I'd give it, for its genre, three out of four stars...

Light on plot, heavy on fighting.

[BA_Harrison · 7/10 · 27 August 2015]

The storyline for The Kid With The Golden Arms is about as basic as can be: the good guys are escorting a shipment of gold to a famine-stricken region and have to stop the bad guys, a collection of broad, colourful comic-book style bandits with self-explanatory names (eg. Bronze Head, Silver Spear, Iron Robe), from stealing it along the way. Makes a change from all of those old school kung fu films that require an in-depth knowledge of Chinese political history in order to understand what is going on, I suppose.

Fortunately, what director Chang Cheh's film lacks in plot development, it more than makes up for with awesome kung fu action, the film comprising of one expertly choreographed and flawlessly executed martial arts scene after another, with a wide variety of impressive weapon work, lots of breath-taking acrobatics, and a surprising amount of bright red gore (characters are regularly sliced and impaled). Philip Kwok, as drunken Agent Hai Tao, proves particularly impressive with his amazing athleticism and impeccable timing.

Give Me the Venoms!

[gavin6942 · 6/10 · 18 November 2016]

Director Chang Cheh reunites the Five Venoms in his second biggest cult hit in the West. It is Lo Meng's most memorable performances whose showdown (as Golden Arm) with fellow Venomand drunken master Kuo Chui is artistically violent while being graphically artsy.

Paste Magazine included "Kid with the Golden Arm" at 20 in their list of the 100 best martial arts films. In their review, they wrote, "Honestly, Kid With the Golden Arm isn't particularly complex or even all that original, but it's pure, unadulterated old-school kung fu fun." Stan Hall of called it a "surreal, action-packed period piece" with impressive fights, highlighting Silver Spear's final battle.

Despite the same shallow sets of all Chang Cheh movies, it really does come down to the fight scenes, doesn't it? Of course. The sets can be awful and the plot can be weak, and as long as we get some good flips and slaps, we're happy. This is definitely a solid addition to that. It is not by any means as good as "Five Deadly Venoms", but still a solid second-tier movie.

Wild

[BandSAboutMovies · 6/10 · 3 December 2022]

Any time you see the words Chang Chen and Venom Mob together, well, you can ignore all the words I will write after this and just run and watch the movie. I've never been let down and this one is really something else.

Yang Hu Yun (Sun Chien) has been assigned to safely take a cargo of gold to a poor area of the country dealing with famine, which is all the Chi Sha gang - Iron Robe (Wang Lung Wei), Brass Head (Yang Hsiung), Silver Spear (Lu Feng) and Golden Arm (Lo Meng) - need to hear. They're taking that gold and there's nothing that Yang and his crew - Li Chin Ming (Wei Pai), Ming's girlfriend Leng Feng (Helen Poon), Long Axe Yang Jiu (Shu Pei Sun), Short Axe Fang Shih (Chiang Sheng) and Hai Tao (Kuo Chui) can do about it.

This movie is filled with twists, turns, poison darts, axe martial artists fighting over who can kill more enemies, Golden Arm unarmed combat so powerful he can bend weapons and shatter swords with his body, a rivlrey beween Hai Tao and Li Chin Ming, a mystery fighter called Iron Feet, flirting between Hai Tao and Leng Feng, roasting someone alive to get the poison out of their system, the gang carving their name into someone's back, blood spraying all over the place, a spear impalement, a bad guy reconsidering his ways and a shock ending. Seriously, this is a movie filled with death, heel turns and yes, so much fighting.

It's just as awesome as it sounds. I've seen some say the story is pretty thin but when there's this much going on, I doubt you'll notice.

My Favorite Kung Fu Movie

[cortezjagger · 10/10 · 29 August 2005]

I saw this movie on "Kung Fu Theatre" when i was an early teen and just fell in love with this action/adventure! I found a copy on VHS a few years back and have damn near worn out the tape playing it... Anyone who has been over for an extended time has been shown this and for the most part the reaction is solid: This is a great film.

One of the shortcomings is also what makes it so powerful: It's a comic book style with a very simple storyline... on the surface. With characters like Brass Head (who gets killed off way to early!), Silver Spear, Iron Robe and the title character, there are very visual and easily digestible stereotypes to hook the young viewer. But on a more subtle lever there are sub- plots galore and of course lots of twists and intrigue woven into this chop-opera...

Compared to "Five Deadly Venoms", which on some levels is a more richer and stronger storyline, "Kid With The Golden Arm" is less dark and brooding. All of the actors seem to play similar characters in both but this one there is a charm to the ones here that still resonate with me to this day...

I totally recommend this if you like fantastical kung fu, especially in light of movies like "Crouching Tiger..." or "Shaolin Soccer..."

Flawed, but fun

[Jeremy_Urquhart · 7/10 · 1 September 2023]

To be perfectly blunt right from the get-go, Kid with the Golden Arm is not one of the best Shaw Brothers movies, but neither is it anywhere close to one of the worst. I feel like it's somewhat middle of the road, but as it turns out, middle of the road for the greatest martial arts movie production company in history is still very good overall, when all's said and done. There are problems, and there are nitpicks, but I feel like for this specific movie, it's so direct and unapologetic about delivering almost nothing but action that most flaws are quite easy to forgive.

This is usually the part in a review where I'd try to summarize the plot, but it's too hard to do for Kid with the Golden Arm. There is a bunch of gold being transported, and slightly too many characters are all wanting to obtain it. Some want it for selfish reasons, and some characters seem more altruistic (even if it's not always clear who's who - there are so many characters here, and they're really only distinguishable by their fighting styles, which you do get used to as the movie goes on).

People in this film all vaguely want the same goal, and the movie is 86 minutes of them competing for it. It feels like a 120-minute-long movie edited down so that most dialogue scenes that don't involve people expressing a desire to fight were cut out, leaving the movie clocking in at under 90 minutes. There's one stretch shortly after the halfway point where it feels like about 15 to 20 minutes pass without any action, and that's the closest things come to feeling boring (honestly, just take the opportunity to have a toilet break here without pausing, or top up your beverage of choice if you like to indulge in a drink or two when watching martial arts movies).

As for the action, I don't think it's top quality by Shaw Brothers standards, but it's fun. I liked certain characters having certain physical quirks/fighting styles, and there were a few wild moments that surprised me and made me laugh. It's a good time if you're a fan of classic martial arts movies, but it's certainly not representative of 1970s Hong Kong martial arts cinema at its very best.

One of the Greatest Kung Fu movies Ever

[hotbodtodd · 10/10 · 28 February 2002]

The Kid With The Golden Arm was produced in the late 70's by Shaw Brothers in Hong Kong. At the time, their "A-list" group of kung fu actors were a top notch crew who their fans have since labeled "The Venoms" (after the first movie they starred in together, "The Five Deadly Venoms"). The Venoms were all EXTREMELY talented (although some more than others), and their skills elevated virtually every movie they appeared in to the classic status. Golden Arm is one of the best. Vastly superior to Five Venoms (IMHO), it has an excellent story (which Five Venoms did, as well), but it also has many fight scenes (which Five Venoms does NOT have), and every fight scene is EXCELLENT. The true highlight of the movie is Silver Spear's (Centipede) battle with Short Axe (Hybrid Venom) **For those not in the know, the Five Venoms each had a "poison", or venom, style of kung fu that they had mastered in that movie. Their style in the movie gives rise to the name the fans affectionately give to the actor who portrayed that character I.E.- Wei Pei portrayed the Snake in the Five Venoms movie, so Wei Pei is called "Snake".** An awesome display of weapons prowess, Silver Spear vs. Short Axe will leave you reeling! Anyone who thinks that a Jet Li movie contains 'awesome' kung fu fights has never seen a Venoms movie, PERIOD! How these guys are humanly capable of some of the things they do in their movies is beyond me, they are true athletes in every sense of the word. Of course, do not expect a movie with Hollywood production values to come out of Hong Kong for this time period. Part of the charm of real kung fu movies is their slight air of corniness. Still, I would stack Golden Arm against ANY Steven Segal movie, any day! Lizard and Toad (the titular Golden Arm)also put on an awesome display in the movie's final fight scene. As a side note, if you think Jackie Chan is the best Drunken Boxer out there, he is NOTHING compared to the Lizard!!!! Watch this movie and find out what I am talking about. There is no "wire fu" in this movie (something that has inexplicably become all the rage these days, wire fu is the use of wires on the actors to suspend them in mid-air while they fight or allow them to "fly", wire fu is ridiculous and it SUCKS, watch any Jet Li movie for copious examples of wire fu), just old fashioned kung fu A*S KICKING. The costumes are also excellent in this movie. If all of this does not convince you, how is this: The venoms are FAR more talented at making movies, and produced FAR better fight scenes than Bruce Lee EVER did *GASP!* Its 100% true, Bruce Lee can't hold a candle to these guys, although he was definitely an awesome martial artist (and a VERY tough guy).

Good film of that period

[clubhonda · 10/10 · 13 June 2004]

Although the martial arts choreography isn't as snazzy as it is in modern martials arts film, the movie has a few interesting twists to it.

I was mildly surprised at the end and which was rather novel and refreshing. My only grouse is that the love interest isn't developed more. I would have loved to see a more concrete expression of development, but the portrayal in this film is probably more accurate of the period in which women were not expected to express feelings of love.

If you're a wuxia fan, you will probably add this to your collection as a comparison to modern wuxia. There are enough suspense in it to make it interesting too. Worth a watch.

Quite overrated, I'm afraid

[sarastro7 · 5/10 · 22 December 2004]

The Kid With The Golden Arm is definitely NOT one of the better kung fu movies I've seen. Although the lead hero is very charismatic, no one else is very interesting, and while I often appreciate kung fu campiness, these supervillain guys (Iron Robe, etc.), and their fighting, just seem silly to me. In fact, I find most of the fight scenes in this movie quite bad. The moves tend to lack technique and precision, and stuff that is clearly impossible - like rolling a sword around your arm - further ruins the experience. Not that I am against supernatural kung fu; I'm not, but it has to be consistent with the overall style and mood of the movie. In this movie, I am just not effectively entertained. If you want to see great fight scenes, get 7 Grandmasters or Shaolin: The Blood Mission.

The Kid With The Golden Arm gets from me a 5 out of 10 rating.

The Best Kung-Fu Has To Offer!

[premiumcream · 17 June 2001]

The Kid With The Golden Arm is easily the best Kung-Fu movie ever made. It was made by the Shaw brothers, the same people who made the classic Five Deadly Venoms. It also stars many of the same people as FDV.

The movie has no main character but is more or less centered around the main villain Golden Arms (played by Meng Lo, Toad in Five Deadly Venoms) and his efforts to steal a wagon full of gold. Golden Arms is the leader of a gang called the Chi Saw gang. It has four cheifs. 1 is Golden Arms who is such a kung-fu master that he doesn't need weapons. 2 is Silver Spear (Feng Lu, Centipede in FDV) who weilds a spear and throwing darts. 3 is Iron Robe (Lung Wei Wang, the Judge in FDV) who wears an iron robe and fights with a fan. And 4 is Brass Head who headbutts people with a brass helmet. Chien Sun (Scorpion in FDV) leads a band of guards who try to protect the wagon. Also, Sun's friends Long Axe and Short Axe (Sheng Chiang, Yan Tien The Disciple in FDV) and Li Chin-Ming (Pai Wei, Snake in FDV) a master swordsman help to protect the gold. Another character, Agent Hi Toe (Philip Kwok, Lizard in FDV) who fights better drunk, is hunting down Golden Arms with hopes to defeat him in battle.

With all these characters you know a lot of ish goes down.

FDV featured mostly hand-to-hand combat while TKWTGA has mostly weapon-based fights, and I like the weapons much better. All the battles are exciting and the plot moves fast without leaving the viewer behind. The acting is even pretty good and Hi Toe is a pretty funny guy. I recommend this movie for anyone who has ever enjoyed a chop socky flick. 10/10 Go Get It!!!!!

The best movie Chang Cheh ever made is Golden Arms, not 5 Deadly Venoms.

[macnjnc · 9/10 · 21 May 1999]

Kid with the Golden Arms is a superb and classic kung fu movie. If you want to know what old 70's Kung Fu flicks are all about, this is your reference point. This is the movie that highlights the Toad (Lo Mang) from the 5 Deadly Venoms. It's cast of of characters is unparalleled and are excellent examples of the Kung Fu genre. Members of the "Chi Saw Gang" are 1. Golden Arms( Lo Mang): who doesn't need weapons because he is so good, he's virtually unbeatable. Golden Arms depicts the ultimate Kung Fu Warrior whose strength is unbelievable; 2. Silverspear played by the centipede displays flawless swordplay, and totes a menacing silver tipped pole used to perfection 3. Brass Head played by another Shaw Brothers strongman; smashes opposition with a steel crown that he wears on his head; 4.Iron Robe wears a Iron Robe that protects his body and yields and intimidating steel Fan as a weapon. Then there is special agent Hi Toe who fights best when he is drunk. Hi Toe is hired by the Gov't to help protect a sizeable shipment of gold that needs transported. Hi Toe is played by the Lizard in the Venom movie (Phillip Kwok). Also in the Movie is Lee played by the snake in 5 deadly Venoms. Lee teams up with an admiring female and is dealt a deathblow from the Poison "Sand Palm" technique, yet somehow excretes the poisons from his skin. Lee wants very badly to be remembered as a hero and feels he can beat Golden Arms only to fall short. Long Axe Short Axe played by the student in the venom movie also graces the screen. The ending fight scenes are classic with agent Hi Toe spitting wine in Golden Arms eyes to blind him. Golden Arms asks Hi Toe that he be spared due to his blindness so he can live the remainder of his life quietly. Lee's girl shows back up at a most unfortunate time to deal Golden Arms his demise. Almost a perfect flick, as good as it gets for Kung Fu Movies. A Shaw Brothers Masterpiece. Also the introduction of the movie when the Gov't Agent (Scorpion) introduces the vicious Chi Saw Gang ; this is a superior lead on into the movie and individually demonstrates the text of their skills. Excellent Chang Cheh production.

Jin Bi Tong

[skullfire-48012 · 9/10 · 4 April 2019]

Plenty of action all of the way through, with a U. S. western style plot. Great use of foreshadowing the entrance of the final villain, with a twist at the end. A very enjoyable film, I would highly recommend this to fans of the genre.

Terrific Venom Mob Action!

[a_chinn · 8/10 · 9 May 2017]

"You must have heard of the Iron Feet." "The Iron Feet!"

Director Chang Cheh and the Venom Mob make yet another amazing martial arts film! Our hero is hired to protect and deliver a shipment of gold to a famine stricken village. As you might guess, plenty of bad guys want the gold and many amazing fight scenes ensue. The story isn't all that clever or original, but the fight scenes are amazing, as you might expect from the Venoms.

Shaw Bros. classic

[dworldeater · 10/10 · 16 January 2014]

The Kid With The Golden Arm is a classic kung fu flick with the Venom mob reunited once again in front of the screen and the legendary Chang Cheh calling the shots behind the camera. There are many collaborations between The Five Deadly Venoms cast and director Chang Cheh during the 70's and early 80's. All that I have seen are of similar quality to this and deliver. TKWTGA is also the name of the title villain, played by Lo Meng. Meng is a nearly invincible warrior with a muscular build and deadly martial art skills. He also leads a vicious gang who sets to rob a shipment of gold to a famine stricken area. Philip Kwok is the hero of the show. He plays a drunken constable that is quite clever and awesome at kung fu that shows up to help the gold courier escorts guard the gold. The story unfolds with non stop kung fu action. Well choreographed and photographed under the familiar backdrop of the Shaw Bros. studio set. There is an abundance of superhuman kung fu fighting, fights with fists, kicks and a variety of weapons. The action is often bloody with Chang Cheh's signature stomach wound happening frequently. In summary The Kid With The Golden Arm has everything a kung fu movie needs and a top quality entry in the golden era of Hong Kong martial arts cinema.

Venoms comic strip

[Leofwine_draca · 8/10 · 16 September 2021]

The most famous Venoms film outside of their debut, THE FIVE DEADLY VENOMS. KID WITH THE GOLDEN ARM is a near plotless series of fight spectacles with a garish, comic strip feel to them. The larger than life characters are separated into heroes and villains, and the story is about a gold shipment waylaid by bandits. Each character has his own specialism with a big emphasis on weapon play throughout. Needless to say, the stars are at the top of their game here, at the peak of their athleticism. I particularly liked Lo Meng's titular badass and Phillip Kwok's drunken sheriff. Chiang Sheng has less to do, but then he was choreographing the fights, and Lu Feng is back to the spear play again. Violent, heavily stylised, thoroughly entertaining, this one.

The Venoms truly put on a show

[kevin_robbins · 10/10 · 25 April 2022]

The Kid with the Golden Arms (1979) is a movie in my DVD collection that I recently watched on Prime. The storyline follows a an imperial shipment of gold that a ruthless gang of martials arts outlaws are targeting. An inspector and some friends try to protect the stash from the gang and others.

This movie is directed by Cheh Chang (Five Deadly Venoms) and stars Chien Sun (Five Deadly Venoms), Meng Lo (The Grandmaster), Feng Lu (The Masked Avengers), Sheng Chiang (The Flag of Iron), Phillip Chung-Fung Kwok (Hard Boiled) and Lung-Wei Wang (Hong Kong God Father).

This is a martial arts genre masterpiece in every way. The introduction of the characters during the opening credits was amazing. The sword sound effects are legendary. There's some fun blood spray sequences, good use of various weapons and the dialogue is fantastic. The choreography is mesmerizing and sheer perfection. The cast is wonderful from top to bottom and the Venoms truly put on a show.

Overall this is an all time martial arts genre classic that is an absolute must see. I would score this a 10/10 and strongly recommend it.

"Real men don't torture..."

[poe426 · 10/10 · 17 February 2012]

Hu Wei Security, headed by Yang (Chien Sun), is tasked with taking 200,000 taels of gold to a famine-stricken area. Needless to say, every wanna-be thief worth his weight in taels wants to get his hands on the loot. Chief among them is The Deadly Valley gang, led by Lo Mang, the titular Golden Armed Kid. (His arms, it seems, are nigh invulnerable, allowing him to take on armed opponents with his bare hands.) Unfortunately for fans of Lo Mang, he doesn't have a whole lot of screen time- but when he's on stage, he's "on," as they say, and his final battle with Kuo Chui alone is worth the price of admission. It's Kuo Chui, in fact, as the "sheriff," Hai Tao, who once again steals the show (a common occurrence in Chang Cheh films, simply because Chui was THAT good- at everything): he's a heavy drinker- lending real meaning to the term "drunken master"- who seems to inadvertently intervene whenever members of the security force are attacked by bandits. "We always get what we want," Copper Head boasts at one point: "That's our motto." The road to the famine-stricken area is paved with poison and booby traps and the sinking suspicion that someone among the security force isn't who he pretends to be- but who could it be...? THE KID WITH THE GOLDEN ARM is a great deal of fun, with some outstanding performers performing outstandingly- and all under the artistic aegis of one of the true masters of the genre. A very solid ten.

Engaging performances and strong, frequent fight sequences

[bob the moo · 1 January 2014]

I recently watched The Five Deadly Venoms and, not knowing much about this genre, did not realize that the general group of actors from that film stayed as a group for other projects; so it was merely by chance that I watched The Kid with the Golden Arms and found that many of them were here again. As with Wu Du, the plot here sets up a series of strong characters and then sees them battle each other; in this case the plot device is a transportation of gold with a collection of people responsible for it while the Che Sa gang are out to get it. Those responsible include Hero Li and Miss Leng who are both skilled with the sword, two skilled axe-men and one drunken sheriff called Hai Tao. On the other side is a collection of chiefs including Silver Spear, Brass Head and of course old Golden Arms himself.

In terms of characterization and narrative, it is as simple as a series of confrontations but it still works very well as a plot because this is what the viewer is after and this is what is delivered. What plot there is does move along pretty well and keeps the characters busy, but it is the action and the characters that sell it. In terms of the use of the same actors I saw before, it is easy to see why this group are popular because they are very effective and engaging both in the action and in their performances. Meng Lo is imposing as the title character even if he seems very similar to his Toad. Kwok is a lot of fun with his character and also has a great closing line. Pai Wei and Helen Poon are a bit too po-faced for the rest of the film and their bits feel a little less fun as a result. Sheng Chiang, Feng Lu, Chien Sun and others are equally more in keeping with the action and fun and their deliveries are good. The fight sequences make the most of their skills too and there are many impressive combat sequences with great moves – the camera as ever sits back and we get good steady shots which show off the actor's skills (as opposed to frantic edits like you get in some Hollywood films, which are to hide the lack of skills!). The action is frantic and fun.

The Kid With the Golden Arms is not quite as good as Wu Du but it is still very enjoyable with lots of good performances from a strong cast and lots of engaging and well executed action sequences. I look forward to seeing the group in action again.