It starts with "Introducing Meng Fei" and that says a lot. This movie is a serious attempt to launch Meng Fei as the next kung fu hero. That makes me ask "Why him?" I have never found information about his life. From his credits, he did start with this movie. He also slipped into Shaw Brothers for a movie or two. He lowered himself to doing a ninja movie in the early 1990s. I have read he has been on Taiwan television since then but cannot confirm.
This movie has many alternate titles. If your copy stars Meng Fei and Kurata Yasuaki and it opens with a long travelogue of Thailand then we are on the same page. Most people seem to hate the travelogue but it amuses me. There are other moments of Thai culture that drag down the story.
Meng Fei watches Thai boxing and meets a guy who will teach him "knife fist". Kurata Yasuaki is presented as the martial artist who is always looking to challenge someone. He hears about :King Boxer" and comes looking. He is smitten by Meng Fei's sister.
It all comes down to the fighting. Meng Fei is introduced as the next big thing in kung fu. Does he measure up? Yes, he can fight, better than average. He can also act, average. I imagine a few hundred other Asian actors could also fight and act. Why him? Problem is if you want to launch the next big thing then "better than average" falls short. You also need a movie that is entertaining. Bottom line: they put a better than average martial artist in a less than entertaining movie. Result: Meng Fei? Who is that?
I rate this just average. I do recommend it for fans of the genre only simply because a fan would appreciate seeing this in context to the entire genre and the actors who played in it.
