A tribute to Wing Chun, Warriors Two is a top pic from the late 1970’s directed and starring Sammo Hung which I have to say – was done incredibly well.
It starts off with Cashier Hua (Casanova Wong), going about his business when he overhears a group of men talking about assassinating the head of the village. Doing the right thing, he goes to tell the village head, but is stopped at the door by a man. He meets the man the next morning is nearly killed by the group of other men (working with him) to prevent him from warning the village head.
The evil men then find and kill Hua’s mother.
Hua is then taken to a Wing Chun practitioner, Mr. Tsan. He is brought there by his friend Fei Chun to learn Wing Chun, in order to take revenge.
Initially refusing to teach, Mr Tsan is eventually convinced and teaches Hua Wing Chun. When Mr Tsan is killed by Hua’s attackers, Hua then goes out to with Fei Chun and Tsan’s niece to take revenge on the group of corrupt men.
A Simple Plot
The plot of this movie is simple – bad guys kill the main characters mother, good guy trains up in martial arts an exacts his revenge. That’s it.
There’s quality action, as well as some comedy (something Sammo’s pretty good at with his movies). The value in a simple story is very high when you realise just what it has the ability to express.
The difference is the plot houses good action and more importantly – a platform for other themes to come to surface and be demonstrated to the audience – such as martial arts approach and philosophy.
A True Tribute to Wing Chun
The Choreography of this movie does include Wing Chun style movements – they’re not exactly as smooth as the Ip Man movies (they match the fight scenes of the time – 1978), but it’s still present.
What’s most interesting is the training of Hua to learn Wing Chun. They talk about building the bridge and going over the bridge (trapping an arm to open for an attack) and other technical parts of Wing Chun. Just as interesting is the discussion of vital points strikes, attack from multiple opponents and the nature of their strikes.
A lot of the movements taught aren’t just simple strikes, but have focused force that causes more damage. With the Wing Chun punch used to combat the Iron Shirt style of one of Hua’s enemies, or the staff technique used to smash a nut on the ground, they demonstrate a higher level of mastery in the strikes of this movie, rather than simply throwing a punch or whacking something with a stick.
Another interesting point covered is the sticky hands of Wing Chun. Mr Tsan demonstrates that they eye is not fast enough to react to quick punch. Using sticky hands to keep contact with an opponent and ‘feel’ the movement being set up for is a faster an more efficient way to predict an opponents move – using the feel of his weight and body mechanics.
All of these themes are demonstrated magnificently and make for a really thought provoking movie, especially if you are a martial artist or Wing Chun practitioner.
The Martial Arts & Fight Scenes.
As mentioned above, the philosophy and technical moves of Wing Chun are present. The action is very 70’s stop and go – the rhythm is very step by step with each movement clearly defined through the use of the fighter’s bodies. Having said that though, some of the acrobatic movements and pace of the fights make this a pretty solid action film.
The main action takes place near the beginning and at the very end of the film and shows off a variety of martial arts technique.
Using various methods of Wing Chun, Hua devises a plan for each person they must fight. Using methods that would counter-act their opponents strength – what’s cool is that they all end up fighting the wrong opponents and must adapt their strength to an entirely different situation – a really well thought out approach to the final fight sequences.
Would I Recommend it?
This is one of the better movies from Hong Kong in the 70’s, and is a classic for anyone who enjoys Kung Fu cinema. If you’re not a fan of 70’s Kung Fu movies, you may still get some enjoyment out of the themes expressed in this movie so if you get the chance – check it out!
It’s On DVD –
Region 1 (US & Canada)
Warriors Two on DVD
Region 2 (UK, Germany, Europe, etc)
Warriors Two on DVD
Region 4 (Australia, New Zealand, etc)
Warriors Two on DVD
