Odd Couple (1979) Masterpiece of Action… there’s also some Comedy (Blu-ray Review)

A few short years ago, if you were a fan of Hong Kong Action or Martial arts cinema – the blu-ray market that has been in such a boom era for the small but avid base of collectors elsewhere, saw you overlooked. Hong Kong action hasn’t improved much, but Martial Arts cinema is feeling as loved as ever thanks to 88 Films and Eureka sparing no expense in reintroducing these movies to a new generation. The latter of the two has been on a considerable run of Sammo Hung releases with all of his big hitters hitting store shelves and their latest is 1979’s Odd Couple, directed by Bruce Lau Kar-Wing (Skinny Tiger, Fatty Dragon & City Cops).

Sammo Hung and Lau Kar-Wing play dual roles – they star as grizzled old masters, King of Sabres (Sammo) and King of Spears (Kar-Wing) and their young disciples – Ah Yo (Sammo) and Stubborn Wing (Kar-Wing). The King of Sabres and Spears have been duelling for 15 years with every fight ending in a draw. Hating one another, each of them is frustrated at being unable to kill the other, so together they agree to take on a student who they’ll train and manipulate into fighting the other, therefore, finally finding a winner – thanks to a helping hand from Spears man-slave (Mars) – sporting his best Minoru Suzuki haircut.

As an action movie, there is nary a step out of place save for the all-too-late arrival of Bryan Leung’s antagonist. Yet that is a problem all too common in many 1980s Martial Arts Films, barely enough to single out [the] Odd Couple. To have Sammo and Lau Kar-Wing adopt dual roles is taken in stride by the talented duo. The students move differently from their older counterparts, even if the master’s scenes are undermined by speeding up the frames in the edit, hidden in there, however, is a consideration into the presentation of action. Where other movies would approach such a treatment as fighting for fighting’s sake, Odd Couple mostly rises above that. Unfortunately, that reductive view of screen-action rings truer in regards to Bryan Leung’s face-offs. Leung’s scenes are good – as ever with such the hugely under-rated performer – he deserves much more than being an afterthought. Credit has to go the final fight – one devoid of stakes between the students, Ah Yo & Stubborn Wing. For that, I have to reference Odd Couple’s Letterboxd entry: this is “hailed, by some, as possibly the greatest classical weapons movie ever made”. Something I have to agree with, and while it only lasts a few short minutes – fight co-directors Yuen Biao, Billy Chan & Lam Ching-Ying went above and beyond in their depiction of weapons’ destructive capabilities.

In my Skinny Tiger Fatty Dragon review, I talked about the film being let down by its awkward, smug comedy. I hate repeating myself but here we are again with another weak Bruce Lau Kar-Wing comedy.

If you’ve watched enough Hong Kong action comedy, you will be somewhat up to speed, yet understanding the sense of humour doesn’t save [the] Odd Couple’s graces. Two scenes exemplify this best. One stars the ubiquitous Dean Shek as Master Rocking, I don’t know how to process that comic creation, but I’ll try. Master Rocking is a lecherous creep who does rowing movements to rock drum beats on the score as he attempts to force himself on women – he also appears to have influence and money due to the number of men he has in tow. Music is the motif of Master Rocking’s unfunny comedy. Broken and battered by Ah Yo (Sammo), Rocking returns with two martial arts masters, unluckily, they are performers fired by the Opera. Neither being a fighter, each strike is accompanied by a musical sting in what amounts to no more than a cute visual gag. Only one dragged way past the point of funny by Ah Yo picking up on this and endlessly and ironically playing it up (Opera was part of Sammo’s apprenticeship).

Second is the lengths that the elder, sabre-wielding Sammo goes to get a disciple under his wing. He burns down his would-be student’s house, forces him to destroy a shrine and gets him near enough exiled. No wonder the younger Lau Kar-Wing character, Stubborn Wing, wants to kill him. Beyond that, young Sammo is fat and stupid and the young Kar-Wing is stubborn. Which is supposed to be funny? This is as pure an example of comedy being in the eye of the beholder, whilst also lost in translation. The Odd Couple is a comedy that never once made this reviewer, with a long, beloved history with this type of film, laugh.

As a comedy, this is a bust, yet as a martial arts film, it must surely count among the best of the late 70s. Fortunately, as bad as the comedy is, it takes a lot more than that to capsize a film housing two prodigiously talented performers at the peak of their powers. To channel Joe Pesce a moment, this all presents a funny proposition. Enjoyment of the action is universal, but the comedy can only be forgiven, overlooked or enjoyed by those who are neck-deep in the cult of Hong Kong action cinema. I hate to say this is one for the completist, only the likes of Master Rocking makes such a statement unavoidable.

Extras are slim, as is often the case with Eureka Classics, with a handful of archival interviews and two expert commentaries. More impressive than what is on the disc is what wraps around it. The new artwork by Darren Wheeling is the latest in a long line of excellent works of box art. And Eureka? As part of this Sammo run, can we please have the Victim (1980) next?

ROB’S ARCHIVE – ODD COUPLE (1979)