One of My All-Time Favorites

Chinatown Kid (1977)

I’d be hard-pressed to think of a seventies kung-fu movie that I actually like better than this one. It stars Alexander Fu Sheng, it’s directed by Chang Cheh, and it’s pure fun.

The Shaw Brothers studio released some of the best martial arts films ever, a large chunk of their choice product was directed by Chang Cheh, and Chinatown Kid is probably the finest modern setting kung-fu film ever. Fu Sheng shines throughout and the picture serves as a sad reminder that the youthful martial arts star’s life and career were cut tragically short.

The story centers on a young man who is framed for a crime that he did not commit and he escapes prosecution by leaving Hong Kong and illegally taking up residence in America. Eventually, he gets mixed up with the street gangs, and finds some financial success from his criminal activities. But, when he discovers that one of his friends has become hooked on the drugs that his gang sells, he declares war on the gangsters, and violence ensues.

Every aspect of the story works, its low budget, but charming nonetheless, and its surprisingly artistic as well.