In which the killer kung fu acrobatics turn super silly!
Directed by Chen Chi-Hwa (Snake and Crane Arts of Shaolin) and starring a young Jackie Chan (who had complete creative control over the project), Half A Loaf Of Kung Fu is probably not going to be for every one out there. Its comedy is Looney Tunes inspired and doesn’t always work as the strokes are very, very broad but, thanks to the talent assembled, it remains entirely watchable . . . if only to see Chan’s first foray into stunt comedy.
Half a Loaf of Kung Fu, written by Chan, is what happens when a bumbling oaf (Chan) turns bodyguard - as he is skilled with kung fu theatrics - and doesn’t listen to the man who hired him, spying on a guest of the house and discovering that - SHOCK! - she’s a witch! What transpires involves more mistaken identities, a lot of silly takes on training - egg-throwing kung-fu? Why not?! - and Chan, in a prolonged opening which lampoons much of what Shaw Brothers was doing at the time in their intros, chopping wood, harnessing what he would eventually be master of.
But here? It’s sort of a big ol’ mess. The comedy is very broad and, unfortunately, pretty base in its associations. There are farts, pissing, and three stooges-like humor throughout. Now, I can’t tell you what you will find funny because this comedy is too entirely goofy but, if you watch, you’ll see Chan get mistaken as the celebrated “whip hero” and wind up guarding a princess and her valuable items as they journey to the next jade empire.
But, wow, it’s a trek and a half for the viewer. And not always worth it. But, as Chan’s take on Bugs Bunny is pretty funny, this film, produced by Lo Wei, does have its moments.
According to Jackie Chan’s autobiography, Half a Loaf of Kung Fu, originally released in 1978, was the first film to poke fun at the genre tropes of a typical martial arts movie. It is a comedy which sees Chan grabbing another man’s hair, ripping it off by the ponytail, and then using the same hairpiece as if it were nunchucks before slapping himself in the eye. The film, being released from Criterion Collection, is a part of a 6-film release celebrating Jackie Chan as he perfected his comedy.
Originally tapped as a potential successor to Bruce Lee, Hong Kong martial-arts phenom Jackie Chan soon established his own unique screen persona, blending goofball slapstick and bone-crunching kung fu into intricate feats of supercharged athleticism. Tracing his rise from breakout star to full-fledged auteur, these six unabashedly silly, unstoppably entertaining early-career highlights find Chan refining the lovably mischievous image that would make him a global icon, while also assuming greater creative control over his projects—first as his own martial-arts choreographer, and later as a writer-director who set a thrilling new standard for daredevil action comedy.
Time to get CHOP SOCKY SILLY!
Digipak
Home Video Distributor: Criterion
Available on Blu-ray - November 7, 2023
Screen Formats: 2.39:1
Subtitles: English
Video: MPEG-4 AVC
Audio: Cantonese: LPCM Mono; Cantonese: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Discs: Blu-ray Disc; four disc set
Region Encoding: Region-free Playback
Like a live-action comic book, this antic farce lets Jackie Chan, choreographing his own fight sequences, cut loose with a wild parody of the martial-arts genre. He plays a bumbling wannabe kung-fu master who, when he assumes the identity of a dead hero, finds himself embroiled in a series of absurd misadventures and the search for a pair of mystical artifacts. Cartoon sound effects and send-ups of everything from Popeye to Jesus Christ Superstar are part of the lighthearted fun—not to mention Chan fighting a bald adversary with his own wig!
Video
Half A Loaf Of Kung Fu arrives on Blu-ray from Criterion Collection sporting an HD remaster sourced from the original 35mm camera negatives and looks as good as this low budget affair is going to look. Interiors are strong. Colors don’t exactly pop throughout. It’s full of great atmosphere thanks to the quick-footed script and looks visually eye-popping due to the 1080- upgrade. Black levels are pretty strong throughout, bringing out nice details in both the loud and quiet moments of this Chan offering. Even the costumes are noted stitch by stitch.
Audio
Audio choices include the original Mandarin mono 2.0 with newly-translated English subtitles or an English mono 2.0 dub.
Supplements:
Get ready to rumble with these supplemental items!
Commentary:
- See Special Features for the breakdown.
Special Features:
Featuring new cover art from Kyle Baker, get ready to rumble with these supplemental items!
- 2K digital restorations of Spiritual Kung Fu, The Fearless Hyena, Fearless Hyena II, The Young Master, and My Lucky Stars and high-definition digital restoration of Half a Loaf of Kung Fu, with uncompressed monaural soundtracks
- Alternate stereo and 5.1 surround Cantonese soundtracks
- Classic English-dubbed tracks for Half a Loaf of Kung Fu, Spiritual Kung Fu, The Fearless Hyena, and Fearless Hyena II, plus an English-dubbed alternate track for Fearless Hyena II
- Contemporary English-dubbed tracks for The Young Master and My Lucky Stars
- New audio commentaries for The Fearless Hyena and The Young Master featuring Hong Kong cinema expert and producer Frank Djeng (Enter the Clones of Bruce)
- Interview with author Grady Hendrix (These Fists Break Bricks) about actor-director Jackie Chan
- Archival interviews with Chan, actor-director Sammo Hung, actors Michiko Nishiwaki and Hwang In-shik, and more
- The Young Master promo reel from the 1980 Cannes Film Festival and deleted scenes from the film
- Interview from 2005 with Hong Kong cinema critic Paul Fonoroff about producer-director Lo Wei
- NG shots from The Young Master and My Lucky Stars
- Trailers
- New English subtitle translations
- PLUS: An essay by Alex Pappademas
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Composite Blu-ray Grade
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MPAA Rating: Not Rated.
Runtime: 97 mins
Director: Chi-Hwa Chen
Writer: Jackie Chan; Ming-Chi Tang
Cast: Jackie Chan; Chun-Erh Lung; Cheng-Lan Chin
Genre: Action | Comedy
Tagline:
Memorable Movie Quote: "If I'm lying, then I'm a son of a bitch"
Theatrical Distributor: Lo Wei Motion Picture Company
Official Site: https://www.criterion.com/films/29549-half-a-loaf-of-kung-fu
Release Date: 1985 (United States)
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date: November 7, 2023
Synopsis: Like a live-action comic book, this antic farce lets Jackie Chan, choreographing his own fight sequences, cut loose with a wild parody of the martial-arts genre. He plays a bumbling wannabe kung-fu master who, when he assumes the identity of a dead hero, finds himself embroiled in a series of absurd misadventures and the search for a pair of mystical artifacts. Cartoon sound effects and send-ups of everything from Popeye to Jesus Christ Superstar are part of the lighthearted fun—not to mention Chan fighting a bald adversary with his own wig!
