Bullet Points: Dirty Ho
In this edition of Bullet Points I will be reviewing 1979’s Dirty Ho… I will pause now for sophomoric giggling… a movie that I have seen praised by martial arts movie enthusiasts despite its English title not necessarily aging well.
After hearing of its greatness for years, I sat down and finally watched Dirty Ho, thanks to Arrow Video’s amazing Shaw Scope Volume One release… which is quite possibly the most photographed movie box set in the history of social media. At this point I question if I even own the set since I didn’t feel the need to take a picture and share it on social media when it arrived. It is kind of like the gym selfie, if you don’t take one every time you go to the gym, does your workout even count? But I digress…
- Girls, Girls, Girls: Master Ho (Wong Yu), a local boy, and Master Wang (Gordon Liu), a visitor from Beijing, are both spending the evening at a Canton brothel and both men are flaunting their wealth to impress the courtesans working there. It becomes a pissing contest between the two and Ho is ready to fight, but Wang is trying to reason with him. The whole game of one upsmanship between the two big spenders ends abruptly when the authorities show up which is bad news for Ho, who obtained his recent wealth through stealing (which would explain the Dirty Ho name I suppose)… but in an interesting twist Wang steps in and says all the jewels that were being flaunted that night at the brothel belong to him and produces some official paperwork to prove it to the constables. This gets Ho off the hook, but the unpredictable Wang then tells the constables that “his friend” Ho is extremely drunk and asks that they escort him back to his home to ensure he gets there safely.
- Enjoy the Show: Once Ho shakes his police escort he goes looking for Wang, who is now in possession of Ho’s ill gotten gains (until he donates it to the village)… but before Ho can get a resolution, four members of the family that Ho stole the jewels from show up looking for a fight… there’s a blind guy, a one legged man, a hunchback and a one armed man. It is one entertaining fight after another as Ho runs the gauntlet while Wang sits back and enjoys the show.
- Try, Try Again: Later Ho attempts to confront Wang yet again, this time where they first met at the brothel… but Wang once again outsmarts Ho and with some “assistance” from Crimson the courtesan, Wang bests Ho and during the skirmish Ho receives a cut on his forehead… after a few days when the wound has not healed and actually gotten worse, Ho finds out that the sword that cut him had poison on it. It just so happens that Wang has the antidote, so a deal is made… Ho agrees to be Wang’s disciple and Wang will provide Ho with the antidote.
- The Artist Currently Known as Prince 11: At this point we find out more about Wang, he is actually the 11th of 14 sons of the Emperor… an Emperor who is in the twilight of his years and about to name his successor. Wang aka Prince 11 really has no desire to be Emperor, but that doesn’t prevent one of his brothers for putting a hit out on his brother to get him out of the running PERMANENTLY. The would be assassins try to lure Wang in with his love of liquor, antiques and art (the whole reason he traveled to Canton to begin with) This leads to some more intricately choreographed fights that are smoothly pulled off by Gordon Liu and his dance partners (including Johnny Wang of Chinatown Kid and Shaolin Temple fame), which turn out to be an eye opener for Wang’s new disciple Ho. While none of the assassins manage to get the job done, Wang does not come out unscathed… as he takes a blade to his leg. But with Wang on the sidelines it is the perfect time to impart his martial arts knowledge on his disciple and that means…
- The Ho Train: …training sequences! This turn of events comes just in time… because with a price on his head, Wang is going to need a skilled an able bodied fighter to help him fend off those looking to take him out and just as importantly someone to get him from Canton back to Beijing for the Emperor’s succession ceremony.
Things I learned from watching Dirty Ho… Gordon Liu is the master of “Covert Kung Fu” with multiple fight scenes that are unlike any fight scenes I had seen before… Liu also had great chemistry with the Dirty Ho himself, Wong Yu… I am a Dirty Ho fan.
Things I still haven’t quite figured out, why did Wang take such a liking to Ho and if there are 14 possible successors, why was Wang the one singled out by his brother!?!? Fortunately these are minor issues and don’t take away from the entertainment that Dirty Ho provided.
Now allow me to provide you with some Bonus Bullet Points…
- Familiar Face: Lo Lieh played General Liang, a co-conspirator of Prince 4 to eliminate Prince 11. Lo Lieh is no stranger to classic Kung Fu film fans with appearances in dozens and dozens of movies including King Boxer, The One-Armed Swordsmen and Fatal Needles vs. Fatal Fists.
- Make My Day: Apparently the Dirty Ho title for the English release of the film was inspired by the success of the Dirty Harry movies starring Clint Eastwood, even though the plot of Dirty Ho has nothing in common with a Dirty Harry movie. But this was not uncommon… just look at The Chinese Connection and The French Connection or Iron Dragon Strikes and The Empire Strikes Back.
- If You Ever: …wanted to see Gordon Liu and/or Wang Yu offer to give a woman a pearl necklace, then Dirty Ho is the movie for you.
