
Two rivals, Sheng from the South and Shao from the North, have one common enemy, the Silver Fox. The Silver Fox killed Shao's parents and robbed from Sheng's palace. When each one fails to defeat Silver Fox, the two decide to team up and win.... (Full plot summary below)
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Two rivals, Sheng from the South and Shao from the North, have one common enemy, the Silver Fox. The Silver Fox killed Shao's parents and robbed from Sheng's palace. When each one fails to defeat Silver Fox, the two decide to team up and win.
Leave your thoughts about The Secret Rivals.
| User ReviewSteve WThis is a classic 70's film which I have seen too many times in Chinatown theaters while growing up. This film was post Bruce Lee and pre-Jackie Chan and definitely one of the classic films coming from an independent studio with a low budget. The fights choreographed by Taiwanese Fight Director Robert Tai, are very reminiscent of Bruce Lee's bravado and macho posturing, while being simple and to the point, without using any excessive esoteric or intricate moves compared to other kung fu films of the time. What also makes the fight choreography fun to watch is the sheer athleticism of the main performers Wong Tao, John Liu, and Hwang Jang Lee. To the casual viewer the fights might seem slow or dated because there was no use of wire gags or CGI. However, hard-core Kung Fu film fans will appreciate this film much more, because they are able to visually take in and appreciate the long series of difficult techniques from the performers, without the distracting intrusion of manic editing or distorted-jerky frame composition (like we see in a majority of fight scenes in the West), which obscure and actually take away from the actual choreography and performances by the actors. |
| User ReviewMannie LIndependent fu (at least not a Shaw Bros. or Golden Harvest production) from the Golden Era, done spaghetti western-style (even the theme music of this movie and its sequel is very Morricone-like, as another review has pointed out). Made in â??76 as Seasonal Film Corp.â??s first feature, â??Secret Rivalsâ?? if oft touted as one of the films that resurrected interest in HK martial arts films after Bruce Leeâ??s untimely death in â??73. To be somewhat â??provincialâ??, one should probably keep in mind that â??Secret Rivalsâ?? was filmed in Korea and starred many Korean actors. Whether â??Secret Rivalsâ?? really deserves such high credit is debatable, what is not is that this film is one of the cult classics of the era. Clearly low budget and slow to get moving, â??Secret Rivalsâ?? possesses a decent plot and choreography that builds in intensity to the explosive climax. In the end â??Secret Rivalsâ?? is carried by the solid acting and action (in that order) performances by a trio of relative unknowns: Don Wong Tao, John Liu, and Hwang Jang Lee. So while we can debate whether â??Secret Rivalsâ?? revitalized the fu genre in the late seventies, it unquestionably sent the careers of the three stars into the stratosphere, gave credibility to Seasonal Film Corp. as a â??new kidâ?? on the HK scene, and brought high kicking Tae Kwon Do to the masses as a new alternative to the classic Shaw Bros. Shaolin and various animal styles of gung fu. The sequel to â??Secret Rivalsâ??, â??Secret Rivals 2â?? is more explosive and rewarding in terms of fight intensity and quantity, but less balanced and enjoyable in terms of overall story and acting performances (especially the replacement of Wang Tao with Tito Wong). â??Secret Rivalsâ?? is a solid 4-star cult film that should be seen by all old skool fu fans! |
| User ReviewMatt Wsilver fox is the vilain so you can be sure you're going to have a lot of really good fight |
| User ReviewSamurai JNot a very good movie. I wouldnt ever watch this movie again. |