FEARLESS HYENA PART II

Now I've heard of a scaredy cat, a rabid dog, and a very angry tiger. But for the life of me, I have never heard about a fearless hyena before! I mean, what's that all about? My local veterinarian hasn't got a clue about this 'animal slanted' expression. And I bet you anything neither does the Director: Lo Wei; or the Actor: Jackie Chan; especially for 90 minutes in 1983.


The Fearless Hyena Part 2

THE STORY:

Alright. So let me get this straight. Heaven and Earth are a couple of bad-ass mother-f*ckers, who go round frugal China, killing off members of the Beggar Clan. Whilst the Beggar Clan are a couple of ying-yang martial-artists, comprising of a lazy son called Ah Tung (Austin Wai), a silly friend called Frog, a sullen mentor called Chan Chi Pai (Hui Lou Chen), plus an automated cabin, situated somewhere in the forest.

OK. So now that's cleared up a bit. What I need to know next is what does that big-nosed chap have to do with any of this?

Yeah. You know the one I'm sure. That big-nosed hippy who can't hold down a job in a restaurant, and scams people out of their money by kicking and whipping his way through this rustic province.

Huh? What's that you say? His name is Chin Lung (Jackie Chan), and he's the wayward son of Ching Chun Nam (James Tien), that's also a secret member of the Begga Clan?

Oh! That it explains it then. That explains why what next transpires all goes to Hell in a handbasket when Heaven and Earth stroll into town. As a Beggar girl shows pluck - Chin Lung doesn't give a f*ck - a lazy son has to fight - and even though some people die, at the end of the day everything turns out alright.   

THE REVIEW:

Now before I commence my review on 'Fearless Hyena Part II'; please allow me to give you a bit of back-story about this production first.

Basically, the director of this film, Lo Wei, and the then fledgling movie star, Jackie Chan, started to make this sequel some time after the previous movie was released. However, mid-way through production, the producer, Willie Chan, encouraged Jackie to break his contract with Lo, and then join the more prestigious studio that he himself recently joined, 'Golden Harvest'.    

He did. Despite Mister Wei trying to blackmail him with a 'triad' threat, as well as blaming Willie for his departure, Jackie left this project as soon as he possibly could. Furthermore, it was only thanks to the actor / director, Jimmy Wang Yu; that Jackie was able to safely stay at 'Harvest', whilst Lo was able to complete this film with the use of some stunt doubles, plus some reused footage from the first flick.

OK, so with that out of the way with, I'm sure you're wondering to yourself what the end result was like? Right? Well, some people must have enjoyed it -- because it grossed one point nine million Hong Kong dollars at the Hong Kong box office. Jackie Chan didn't -- and that was why he tried to stop its release once it was made. And as me on the other hand -- err -- how can I put it?

Now I tried to like this movie. Honestly I did. Yet I sat through the majority of it, trying to figure out what the hell was going on.

It started off with the BeeGee twins killing anyone they saw. It then continued with a bit of Jackie and James Tien doing what they do best. After that, though, the overall production just swayed between people I didn't care for, plus some clips which I wasn't sure was part of this piece or not!

Yeah. I'm not messing about, folks. In essence, the first half of this film was like a mixture of scenes that didn't really explain what the f*ck was happening. Moreover, it wasn't until I got to the latter half of this movie, that I could even understand what it was all about.

Listen. That's not to say that this flick was totally pants. No. Of course not. On a more positive note, I did like Pearl Lin's and Hui Lou Chen's contribution to this piece: both of them were quite good considering the small roles they had. Plus whenever they were on screen, I have to say that same think about James and Jackie too.

But as for the rest of 'Fearless Hyena Part II' on the other hand, I'd have to agree with Jackie stance on this matter. This movie wasn't worth releasing, and in my most humble opinion is a piss poor imitation of its predecessor.

Hey! Sorry about that Hong Kong movie pals. All I can say is try to think of this project as a collection of odds and sods you might find in a thrift shop (which I'm sure is where Lo bought most of the costumes and wigs for this film), all bungled together with the intent of cashing in on what has come out before.

It's a shame really. Because a small part of me would have liked to have known how this film would have turned out if Jackie never left it when he did. Still, what can you say. C'est la vie?

Hmmm? Yeah. That sounds about right.

THE RATING: C