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The Italian westerns and the old school kung fu movies have a lot in common. They both emerged during a markedly creative period in their industries, were both innovative yet low budget, and had no sound in the recordings and were dubbed in post. They also produced many mediocre, if not outright bad films, due to overwhelming demand and both genres were part of a movement that experimented with new ways of portraying violence. Traditional kung fu films took inspiration from Italian westerns; they transformed the American Wild West and Chinese province eras into vivid, imaginative settings. As far as I’m aware, 7 Commandments of Kung Fu, the late 70’s film starring Lee Yi Min, was the only kung fu film to genuinely mimic the style of an Italian western.
While the film does use many story points from Valerii’s Day of Anger, I prefer to think of it as a re-imagining. What is most fascinating about 7 Commandments is how it blends these narrative points with the kung fu genre, and the mentor/student relationship that permeates through many of the old school films.
Also, there is a deep connection to the rich feelings it conveys, with the subversion of the role of the villain by the magnificent Chang Yi.
Hsiao Peng (portrayed by Li Yi Min in Drunken Master’s World) Mantis Kung Fu expert Lung Szu-hai (Chang Yi, Lady Whirlwind) moves from town to town to make a living and runs a Chinese medicine shop, all while living with his uncle (Ku Cheng, Crippled Kung Fu Boxer) who is a kung fu instructor. In the process, he meets Ho Chien-Tien (Lung Fei, One Armed Boxer), the antagonistic trademark moustache wielding genre classic. Now, in the midst of the fight, he picks up an injury and some rold bangs into Hsaio Peng, who decides to be helpful. Later on, Peng stalks Lung and starts picking up kung fu. When the chance for their engagement to come out becomes plausible, he jumps at it.
In the first third of Day of Anger, it is easy to appreciate how Giuliano Gemma’s weaker character is scorned by the townspeople only to later be picked up by Lee Van Cleef’s gunfighter. In contrast, the opening segment of 7 Commandments of Kung Fu is primarily one enormous laxative joke. Even for an accustomed audience of the genre, it is tedious and uninviting. Moreover, the low-brow humor seen in this segment is tonally inconsistent with the rest of the film, which is done in a more serious manner. I had the misfortune of seeing this movie for the very first time only a year ago, and boy was I irritated after the 20 minute mark. Lee throwing some shapes while room filled with large papier mache mantises was entertaining, but the comedic relief was severely lacking. There is a split screen section where Lee moves in two different styles as other cameras record the strikes and blocks. It is truly something else. The rest though is just pathetic comedy. I would assume the addition of this was due to Lee Yi Min’s pet name that lasted for a couple of years: ‘Taiwanese Jackie Chan’ amplifying the inclusion of Drunken Arts & Crippled Fist.
Rest assured, however, Lee’s martial skills have never been in dispute, neither was his, nor Jackie’s, education in Taiwan’s opera school.
His classmates included the colorful Robert Tai, the creator of the eccentric Ninja Final Duel. There are times when Lee performs physical humor perfectly. For example, in the World of Drunken Master he portrays his character very well. There are also times when it is difficult to watch, for instance the first part of 7 Commandments. However, at the 25-minute mark, it surprisingly transforms into classic kung fu. Ho’s ambush on Lung is a spectacular later scene. That ant is on top of a wall that is about forty feet tall. Now, setting the camera on a low side angle is great for distance. Lung Fei’s stunt double is side flipping off the wall to the floor while changing a few moves, and it is super cool! That moment, along with the similar jaw-drop Chin Kar Lok’s moment in Bury Me High with turned the remote over while being stunned goes on the forehead, is a must-add in every film montage. Also, big props to that stuntman, no matter who he is.
That was too overheated and negative, me watching a movie and claiming it was the nadir just confirms how self-destructive it became for me to obsess over looking at everything as a critical case study. And, in this battle scene onwards, the relative comparative analysis of shape patterned warfare that the movie portrays is at a very high level, which says a lot about the capabilities of the low-tier filmmakers within the industry of Taiwan and Hong Kong during the period. The choreographer in this case is Sun Shuen Pai, who also worked on projects with other Lee Yi Min cars as Secret of Shaolin Kung Fu. For Lee, the beginning of the film has papier mache mantises, and the ending has giant mantises stuffed with straw that Lee trains and fights with. He is, once again, inspired. The flashback cliche of him destroying them while using the same moves on Lung is once again brilliant. Although they do not quite reach the level of his attempts in the 7 Grandmasters, and Mission Kiss and Kill, its a good day for Lee. His acrobatic and handwork skills are certainly challenged in those works. The latter is arguably the best of His underappreciated masterpieces and its one of those finds that has reinvigorated my passion for this old school.
Chang Yi is among the best old school villains and his mastery of screen combat is given a good showcase in 7 Commandments. His portrayal of the character is striking in its intensity because of how strongly the film is starting to pay attention to this section of the story, Day of Anger. Lung in fact is fond of Hsiao Peng and later agrees to teach him so that he passes on his abilities and has someone to support. Pure abstraction is the villain in most of the old school kung fu films, a parody that is left for the viewer to complete. However, in 7 Commandments Lung is shown as a weary master of martial arts who has become a killer, but not lost the appreciation for other beings. This complexity differentiates 7 Commandments from the rest of the pack. Sadly, Chang’s stunning execution and fresh take on his character gets lost in the multitude of poor plot points that are downright stupid. One of them happens a year later when Hsiao Peng starts following Lung, and someone brings up Hsiao’s Uncle. To which he reacts with surprise and exclaims he completely forgot about the man.
It’s all very interesting that a person can be as close as a guardian to someone and then, goes ahead and spends a whole year chasing after people that murder folks. Right. Makes sense.
While 7 Commandments of Kung Fu is not a classic, it is still more than a little interesting and earns its credit for the ambitious way it tackles the original material. In terms of dramatic acting, Chang Yi gives one of the best in this movie. With white hair and a devilish grin, I found myself cheering for him in the final duel. It shocked me how multifaceted his character was in all its villainy. Now, try to forget the first twenty minutes and those awful laxative jokes.
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