You ling shen (1979) User Reviews

50/50...

[poe-48833 · 7/10 · 8 January 2016]

PHANTOM KUNG FU is a curious mixture of psychological drama and Fantasy. Cha, who boasts an impressive handlebar mustache, is the master of the "Palm of Death" technique (which consists of smoldering palms). He's tasked with obtaining a list of Ming rebels. He attacks suspected rebel Pai, ripping the head off of a carrier pigeon in the process. Pai escapes (putting him one up on the poor pigeon), but he's mortally wounded and throws himself into the river. He washes ashore near the hideout of the rebels (a hillside cave) and whispers a secret into the ear of the rebel leader with his dying breath. "Fighters are all strange," the old Master says: "They are nervous people..." This, it turns out, is in reference to CHA. It's at this point (after far too much TALK) that PHANTOM KUNG FU becomes genuinely interesting: Cha is haunted by the spirit of Pai, which he sees floating over a courtyard into darkness to the tune of howling wolves and some very eerie music. Cha gives chase and AGAIN kills Pai... Or DOES he...? It's rumored that Pai was a practitioner of "Magical Spiritual Kung Fu." At one point, we see TWO Pais sitting side by side in an EXCELLENT split screen shot that seems to belie the movie's low budget. There are also some sudden winking-out-of-existence shots and some superimposed moaning dead faces that send chills down the spine. THESE scenes are some of the best in the movie and make PHANTOM KUNG FU worth seeing. MAJOR SPOILER ALERT! Undercutting these scenes, however, is the revelation that not twins nor even triplets but a QUARTET of Pai brothers have been at work trying to drive Cha insane (which they do). Despite this, PHANTOM KUNG FU is an imaginative little movie well worth a look.

One of the best Kung Fu movies of all time

[christos200 · 10/10 · 13 October 2013]

This movie is a classic. It has everything. Great settings, nice music, well developed characters, a good plot and awesome Kung Fu battles. Cha Ta-chu (Chang Yi), master of the 'Palm of Death, is recruited by a Qing government official to find a manuscript. In order to do this, he has to fight against the Ming Union, a rebel group that wants to overthrow the Qing and restore the Ming.

The Kung Fu fights are very good, with awesome choreography. You should see the Monkey and Mantis style that provide the best battle of the movie. Also, this movie has a good plot. It is not just fighting, like in many Kung Fu movies, but it has character development. Chang Yi is the true protagonist in the story and he is awesome. Lee Kwan is also quite good and provides a lot of comical scenes.

All in all, this film is a classic. 10 of 10. If you have not seen it yet, then go and buy/rent it now.