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Review by
Calvin
McMillin: |
As far as plots
go, Jackie Chan's Fearless Hyena is nothing special.
Here, Chan plays yet another country bumpkin whose venerable
master gets killed by a dastardly villain. This, of course,
leaves Chan no other option but to train under a new sifu
to avenge his teacher's death and vanquish all evildoers
by the final reel. Sounds like a real yawner, huh? But surprisingly,
the film never fails to entertain. What sets Fearless
Hyena apart from the substandard chopsocky fare of its
day is the manner in which the film executes its formulaic
storyline. From the fine comic performances to the well-timed
stunt choreography, Fearless Hyena manages to become
a winning example of a tired cliché done well.
Chan stars as Shing Lung,
a cheeky rascal who trains under the expert guidance of
his wizened grandfather (James Tien in old age makeup).
Though quite good at fighting, Lung is forbidden to use
his skills publicly, much to the young man's dismay. Gramps
has his reasons for being so strict, but Lung doesn't realize
the gravity of the situation and starts brawling to earn
some extra cash. What Lung doesn't realize is that ol' Grandpa
is actually one of the few remaining practitioners of an
ancient martial arts style, and the evil, cape-wearing Yen
Chuen-Wong (Yen Shi-Kwan of Once Upon a Time in China
fame) wishes to obliterate all the survivors of this nearly
extinct clan. Sadly, Lung's disobedience of his grandfather's
"no fighting" rule results in his master's identity
being revealed to the enemy, and subsequently, his untimely
death as well.
Though craving revenge, Lung
eventually realizes that he is unable to defeat Yen with
his comparatively feeble skills, so he trains under his
gimpy, cane-wielding uncle. In a series of textbook Jackie
Chan exercises (see Drunken Master and Snake in
the Eagle's Shadow for similar grueling sessions), Shing
Lung tries to harness the power of "emotional kung
fu." Masters of this elusive style will find added
strength and endurance while seemingly falling apart at
the seams. That is, they end up either crying profusely
or laughing uncontrollably (hence the film's "fearless
hyena" moniker). With his new fighting style downloaded
the old-fashioned way, Shing Lung seems ready for the final
showdown. You don't have to be a Hong Kong film aficionado
to guess what happens next.
To tell the truth, I had my
doubts when watching Fearless Hyena for the first
time. Would this be yet another uninspired flick reminiscent
of some of Chan's Lo Wei films? Or would it be something
more? I'm glad to report that it was most definitely the
latter. Fearless Hyena has so many memorable moments
and performances that it's tough to figure out which ones
to single out for praise. Fight-wise, the choreography is
intricate, boasting an inventive chopstick foodfight that
puts the fly-catching shenanigans of Mr. Miyagi to shame.
The cast is populated with a variety of interesting characters,
led by James Tien's great turn as Chan's elderly master.
But of course, the real star of the show is Chan himself,
who finds numerous ways to keep the audience entertained.
For example, while trying to hide his new job from his disapproving
grandfather, Jackie dons quite a few disguises, including
a delightfully amusing, but admittedly disturbing, escapade
in drag.
Despite my high praise, I
in no way mean to suggest that Fearless Hyena is
on par with a film like Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
(drag queen is more like it!), but it's certainly worth
a look for any HK movie fan. Here, we get an early glimpse
of Jackie Chan just as he began his evolution as a physical
comedian. With its old school charm, winning performances,
and complete lack of a hip-hop soundtrack, Fearless Hyena
is most definitely a crucial episode in the Jackie Chan
canon. (Calvin McMillin 2003)
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