The Prodigal Son

Dir: Sammo Hung
Scrs: Sammo Hung, Barry Wong
Cast: Sammo Hung, Yuen Biao, Lam Ching-ying, Frankie Chan
1981 / Colour / DCP / Cantonese / Chi & Eng subtitles / 105min

Turning the story of wing-chun practitioner Leung Jan into The Prodigal Son, Sammo Hung directed his last period kung-fu film at Golden Harvest. Through two young martial arts fanatics – one good, one bad – Hung described his own growing pains. He makes the point that walking in a father's footsteps is more a curse than a blessing while honouring the pragmatist values of the self-made warrior. The film demonstrates Hung's mature skills as a director, who delivers a solidly structured plot, in particular, the parts combining Chinese opera and martial arts. Showing Leung training under two masters and alternating between strength and grace, solemnity and comedy, the film is no doubt a remarkable work from Hung's early career.

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