There are actors that just become synonymous with certain roles. For instance, if I were to mention Sherlock Holmes then many would think of Benedict Cumberbatch, whilst others would think of Basil Rathbone, and for a character that has appeared in over 250 screen adaptations, that isn’t bad going. The same could be said for James Bond. Some will immediately think of Sean Connery, others Roger Moore and more modern audiences will think of Daniel Craig. It’s the same with the historical figure of Wong Fei Hung. Many will automatically recall the wonderful performances of Jet Li in the Once Upon a Time in China series from the early 90s, or maybe Jackie Chan in The Drunken Master films, and whilst the character of Wong Fei Hung has appeared in more than 120 films to date, there is one actor that truly embodied everything that would make him so popular, an actor that would play the character more than 80 times, that actor was Kwan Tak-Hing and in the hearts and minds of many, he will always be the definitive Wong Fei-Hung.
The Skyhawk (aka Wong Fei-Hung Shaolin Fist) is nothing new within the boundaries of the Kung Fu genre, it very much fits into a tried and tested mould that would be rolled out time and time again. However, when it comes to these films it isn’t always the end result that gives the complete picture. When looked at under a microscope with the elements that make it what it is, there is a slice of history going on – a handing over of the torch to a new generation that would become a golden era unlike anything Hong Kong, or even the world, had seen before.
Directed by Cheng Chang Ho, who would bring the first ever smash hit Kung Fu film to the west just a couple of years prior with the Shaw Brothers all time great, King Boxer (aka Five Fingers of Death), and would also give Angela Mao Ying arguably her best role in Broken Oath. You also had a young talented fight choreographer that also had charisma to burn (even if they couldn’t see the leading man status he would later become) in Sammo Hung. A steely edge in the form of Carter Wong (who would later become a cult icon in John Carpenter’s Big Trouble in Little China), and of course, there is the real star, the name on the marquee that would draw the audiences in, that of course being Kwan Tak Hing. Add all these names to the melting pot that was Golden Harvest in the early 70s, which includes probably the most iconic Martial Artist to grace the Jade screen in Bruce Lee, and it soon becomes clear that The Skyhawk isn’t just a movie, it’s a slice of King Fu history.
Stepping away from that weight of gravitas for a moment, for anyone familiar with the Angela Mao set released by Eureka Entertainment a few months back, you will be oh so familiar with The Skyhawk. Many of the sets and actors are the same across many of these films, whilst productions seemed to be camped in Thailand (in particular in and around the Lost City of Ayutthaya), but this just adds a certain charm, even if it is all a little predictable.
This familiarity will work for many, but will also become tired for others. For the true connoisseurs of Fu though, The Skyhawk is a treasure trove of gold, of classic actors coming to the end of their careers, of legends taking their first steps into the light, it also has plenty of “blink and you’ll miss them” cameos, my favourite being from Mr Vampire himself, Lam Ching Ying.
With a cluster of commentary tracks, The Skyhawk is a tough one to recommend as a film on its own, but as a slice of Kung Fu cinema history, it’s near essential.
The Skyhawk is out now on Eureka Blu-Ray
