July 20th 1973. A date shrouded in mystery as it is tragedy. The world lost a hero, but created a legend, one that thrives to this day. However, as with most legends, the story varies greatly from storyteller to storyteller, each version getting more lurid and conspiratorial in nature, until the truth eventually reveals itself and is far less fantastical than the stories had led us to believe. Whatever the truth or the legends say, what happened that day left a hole the size of a galaxy in the Hong Kong film industry, one that has never truly been filled. It also lost someone that gave this borrowed cinematic output a sense of , because say what you will, Bruce Lee was the real deal.
Following Bruce Lee’s passing the hunt was on to fill the void, not with clones (although, there would be plenty of those) but with Martial Arts masters that could show their skills on the Jade screen and maintain that level of authenticity. One such martial artist was Taekwondo Grand Master Jhoon Rhee. A man with all the skills to match the very best in the fight department, but all the charisma of a potato. Case in point, Wong Jung’s 1973 film When Taekwondo Strikes.
Having already directed the wonderful trio of Angela Mao Ying, Carter Wong and Sammo Hung in Lady Whirlwind and Hap Ki Do (both in 1972), getting the gang back together seemed like a no brainer. With Jhoon Rhee’s skills and the charm of Mao Fu Ying, Huang Chia Ta and Hung Kam Bo (to give them their proper names), this should be a sure fire hit… and despite all its faults, of which there are oh so many, When Taekwondo Strikes actually works rather well.
represents a film industry reeling from the loss of its brightest star and trying to find ways of luring audiences back with the promise that the future still looks bright, despite the passing of their favourite son.
Now, there comes a huge caveat with that statement. This is far from top tier Fu Fisticuffs, especially when compared to the likes of the aforementioned Lady Whirlwind and Hap Ki Do, it does seem uneven and pedestrian at times (particularly when Jhoon Rhee is given lines to say), but when it hits its stride it does so with power and accuracy. Add into this the curiosity that is Anne Winton (Hong Kong’s first Woman from the West to have a prominent role in their movies, making her a precursor to the likes of Cynthia Rothrock… but more on her later), and When Taekwondo Strikes becomes a little more than just another fight movie, but one that represents a film industry reeling from the loss of its brightest star and trying to find ways of luring audiences back with the promise that the future still looks bright, despite the passing of their favourite son.
Eureka once again work wonders with their transfers, especially when dealing with a film industry notorious for not looking after their catalogue. It also contains the guilty pleasure that is the original English dub (for those that like to find the films sampled by the Wu Tang Clan). Also contained is an audio commentary by film historian Samm Deighan and, something worth the price tag alone, the documentary The Best of the Martial Arts Films, presented by the legendary John Saxon.
When Taekwondo Strikes is not a classic, but it is fun and it holds its own against many of its peers in the early Golden Harvest catalogue… but they were fools for thinking they could ever replace Bruce Lee.
Before I end this though, a moment of remembrance for Anne Winton, who in 1982, along with her five year old son, was murdered by her husband in a murder/suicide. Whilst she only starred in two Kung Fu films (the other being Bruce Lee: A Dragon Story, alongside Bruce Li), she should never be forgotten for being a trailblazer and as a reminder of the destructive nature of domestic violence. May she be gazing down upon us all, enjoying that people are getting a chance to rediscover her work.
When Taekwondo Strikes is out now on Eureka Blu-Ray
Ben’s Archive – When Taekwondo Strikes (1972)
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