Sammo Hung is full of surprises. First off is how people can’t believe that a someone as bulky as Sammo can be such an amazing fighter. We’re used to martial arts stars to be thin and muscular such as Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan and Gordon Liu. Sammo might be as big as all three of them put together yet he can match them chop to kick. Sammo became one of the hottest action choreographers in ’70s Hong Kong cinema before becoming an action star. While it’s easy to think of him as a major actor, people are surprised that Sammo directed quite a few films including ones that he co-starred with his old Peking Opera star pals Jackie Chan and Yuen Biao. Knockabout is one of Sammo Hung’s early solo directorial efforts and features Yuen Biao’s first starring role.
Yipao (Wheels on Meals‘ Yuen Biao) and Taipao (The Thundering Mantis‘ Bryan Leung) are small time hustlers. They pull a major scam selling gold to a greedy exchanger. Before they can enjoy their loot, they meet up with Jia Wu Dao (Master of the Flying Guillotine‘s Lau Kar Wing). The duo think they can handle the old man, but he proceeds to kick their butts and swipe their booty. Instead of plotting revenge Yipao and Taipao beg to old man to be their teacher. They want to learn his Snake style of marital arts. After the two get very good, Yipao discovers a very bad thing about their teacher. This leads to a very nasty outcome. Yipao has to learn a new form of kung fu to take on Jia Wu Dao. He finds a new mentor in a beggar (Sammo Hung) who knows Monkey style. Will monkey style really defeat the lethal Snake style?
Knockabout is a great film with Sammo not overshadowing his real star Yuen Biao. He could easily steal the show by making his character even more colorful when he’s demonstrating the Monkey Style Kung Fu. Sammo makes sure that we don’t forget Biao’s character is who needs to confront the evil teacher. There’s plenty of training scenes in the film yet they don’t seem repetitive whether it be with Sammo or Lau Kar Wing. Even the strangest of exercises finds its way into the massive and intricate fight scenes. The action is top notch with the Snake and Monkey fighting getting deadly. The monkey style has fantastic tandem moves. Knockabout works because the two main characters view themselves as scamming outlaws, but they discover they aren’t even close to the badness of their future teacher. Even more import is seeing that Sammo Hung is as badass as a director as he is an actor and fighter. The man never cease to surprise on the screen.
Knockabout was cut differently for certain markets. There are two cuts on the disc. The Hong Kong Theatrical Cut that runs 104:46 and an Export Cut that’s 93:06 and only comes in the English dub. There’s also a fighting style demo opening that was used in Japan included in the bonus features. You’ll get knocked out by the various cuts of Knockabout.
The Video is 2.35:1 anamorphic. The transfer brings out the details in both the fighting and the locations used. Monkey Style comes out extra sharp. Audio for the Hong Kong Cut is in DTS-HD MA Cantonese mono, DTS-HD MA Mandarin mono, the original DTS-HD MA English dub in mono and a DTS-HD MA 5.1 English dub that was made for the DVD release. Both movies have English subtitles.
Commentary on the HK Theatrical Cut by martial arts cinema experts Frank Djeng & Michael Worth. Djeng is always great at giving information about the film including what’s written in notes on the screen. They give the Hong Kong box office returns. They get into the deception and cons being pulled off in the film.
Commentary on the Export Cut by action cinema experts Mike Leeder & Arne Venema has the duo reveal that monkeys are native to Hong Kong. You’ll find them in the oddest places. The two have experiences with various actors in the film from their time there. There’s even a discussion about the character just called Beardy.
Heavy Hitter with Sammo Hung (7:11) is an archival interview from 2006’s DVD. He talks about Yuen Biao being his younger brothers. Sammo gets into how their Peking Opera training worked in bringing their stage talents to the screen. He gets into the different styles used in the fight scenes.
Above the Law with Bryan “Beardy” Leung Kar-Yan (7:21) is also an interview from 2006. He talks about Chang Cheh hired him to be an actor after an interview two days before. He had no prior Kung Fu fighting experience. This was his first comedy.
Monkey Magic with Grandmaster Chan Sau Chang (24:43) has The Monkey King explain how he mastered Monkey Style kung fu. He gets into Drunken Monkey Style. There’s more than just staggering around like a monkey that got into the vodka bottle.
Deleted scene (3:52) is the prologue for the Japanese release. This is a “Red Room” has Yuen Biao and Sammo Hung in a fight showing off their skills.
Original theatrical trailer (4:08) shows off the action and the comic touches to the beatdowns.
Image Gallery has 90 press photos, lobby cards, posters, VHS sleeves, press kit, DVD cover, press from when it was called The Fearless Master and a poster from when it was called The Jade Warriors.
Arrow Video presents Knockabouts. Directed by Sammo Hung. Screenplay by Louis Lau and Haung Chik-chin. Starring Yuen Biao, Sammo Hung, Liang Chia-jen, Lau Kar-wing, Karl Maka, Hoi Sang Lee and Fo Sing. Running Time: Hong Kong Cut – 104:46 Export Cut: 93:06. Rating: Not Rated. Release Date: March 28, 2023.
