THE INHERITOR OF KUNG FU (1983)

 

PHENOMENALITY: *marvelous*
MYTHICITY: *poor*
FRYEAN MYTHOS: *adventure*
CAMPBELLIAN FUNCTION: *metaphysical*

This bargain basement Taiwanese production is mostly notable for teaming up two of Hong Kong's notable martial arts talents, Ti Lung and Chang Ling. 

Unfortunately, it's hard to talk about the movie for a couple of reasons. One is that the English dub seems inconsistent about attributing the characters with names. Chang Ling is Princess Chin Chin, at least to my ears, but I think Lung's character is called both Chin and Shu. I'll use "Shu" just because it doesn't sound like the other character's cognomen.

Shu meets the princess when she and her handmaid are traveling alone in Shu's country. Brigands attack the two women, and Shu tries to defend them, only to get beat down because his kung fu is no good. However, Chin Chin's is excellent, and she routs the bandits all by herself.

After praising Shu for really trying hard, she reveals that she represents a foreign clan, and that she wants to establish good relations with the head of Shu's clan, who is both Shu's kung-fu trainer and his father. However, Shu's father believes that Chin Chin's people are devoted to "devilish arts," so he refuses her diplomatic mission. Chin Chin and her servant take their leave, and the father punishes Shu for getting things wrong.

While in isolation, Shu falls down a rabbit hole (or something) into a snowy domain. He meets a weird old monk who trains him in kung fu, and then leaves. Then Shu's father summons him, claiming that for some reason he thinks Shu has a priceless book of mystical kung fu practices. Shu tries to prove himself innocent, and when his father tries to kill him, he flees. Then fighters from other lands assail him, particularly one sneering creep who apparently can do real magic, since he briefly takes on the form of Shu's beloved sister.

Chin Chin appears to help Shu, and eventually the hunt for the book leads to a major battle between clans. The payoff, such as it is, is the reveal that Shu's father was hoping to use the mystic techniques to dominate every one else. In a subplot that probably suffered some sizable cuts, Shu's sister loses her mind Ophelia-style for some reason, and she "accidentally" causes her evil father to fall on a stake and impale himself, while he apologizes for causing her insanity-- I think.

Aside from the magical masquerade, the only other fantastic content is a moment when Chin Chin and an opponent fight each other while gliding across the surface of a river. This one's purely for devoted fans of the two principals.