Kung Fu Girl (DVD) (Hong Kong Version) DVD Region All

Set during the early years of the Republic of China, the film sees Cheng Pei Pei as Ying, a patriotic young woman who goes undercover to try and find out where a student revolutionary leader called Choi is being imprisoned. Coming up against the invading Japanese and their puppet government, she works her way into the favour of Lui, the Peking Bureau Chief of Security (played by Au Wai, Fallen Petals) by pretending to be his long lost younger sister. Her investigations pull her deeper into the revolutionary struggle, and she puts her life on the line as she faces off against deadly enemies on all sides.

The plot of Kung Fu Girl is surprisingly complex and involved, with plenty of political intrigue and two-faced scheming, even though most of the spying succeeds thanks to the fortunate fact that Ying’s targets don’t seem to mind her sitting around in the same room while they discuss supposed secrets. Although things get a little confusing at times, this does make for a change from the usual revenge quests and training scenes, and the film is generally engaging.

Perhaps inevitably, film is a fiercely patriotic affair, being filled with speeches of revolutionary zeal, and with noble self-sacrifice rearing its head several times, frequently recalling Fist of Fury. As usual, the Japanese make for amusing villainous stereotypes, stopping at nothing to put the Chinese down and to arouse righteous anger in the heroes. All of this works well in the traditional style of the genre at the time, and the flag-waving never gets in the way of the action too much, which comes thick and fast in the form of multiple mass brawls. Despite being prolific, Lo Wei was never one of the more dynamic directors of the period, especially during his later career, and at over 2 hours the film is somewhat too long, with the pace sagging somewhat in places, at least until he has the good sense to throw in another scuffle to keep the viewer engaged. The fight scenes are well handled and exciting, with brief appearances from a host of future stars, including Jackie Chan, Corey Yuen, and Yuen Wah that are sure to keep fans happy.

Cheng Pei Pei is on good form, and although arguably lacking the fierce intensity and beauty of Angela Mao, she brings a wide eyed sense of mischief and fun to the role, switching to indignant righteousness and steely determination as required. Although famous for her sword skills at Shaw Brothers, most of her scenes here feature more basic fisticuffs, though she certainly has plenty of chances to show off her talents, frequently coming up against hordes of opponents. She also performs quite a few decent stunts, making for an acrobatic and energetic performance, and does seem to be having a good time with her role.

As such, she effectively carries Kung Fu Girl, and lifts it from being a fairly standard martial arts caper into something more enjoyable. Whilst not offering anything particularly new, it delivers the goods and is sure to please fans of the form or the star.

by James Mudge - BeyondHollywood.com