Bullet Points: Sleeping Fist
Whether it is something to pass the time on a lazy Sunday afternoon or entertainment for an insomnia filled night, classic Kung Fu Theater movies are a “go to” that I never tire of. On average I probably watch two Kung Fu flicks per week thanks in large part to the abundance of chopsocky options on Tubi and YouTube.
Watching as frequently I do, it is easy for many of these Kung Fu movies to get lost in the shuffle in my mind. But every now and again I will watch one that absolutely shines and leaves an indelible mark on my memory… like 1979’s Sleeping Fist.
- Let’s Get It Started: Sleeping Fist opens like many movies from this genre open spotlighting some of the main characters’ martial arts skills under the opening credits and the skills I was impressed most with were those of Huang I-Lung, who plays The Kid, and his series of flips! I flipped my lid watching him do his thing and once the opening credits were done, I didn’t have to wait long to see what other skills The Kid brought to the table as we see The Kid helping himself to some “free” dumplings much to the dismay of the street merchant selling them. This leads to a cleaver wielding merchant chasing The Kid around the town square while The Kid ducks and dives under tables and even rides a unicycle for a while. The Kid makes an absolute fool of the merchant time and time again and it all ends when The Kid makes his way on to one of the rooftops, the merchant follows him and The Kid pushes the ladder and the merchant sending him crashing through a table below!
- I Feel For You: In addition to some food, The Kid manages to snag some cash during all the chaos, so he visits a restaurant where he has plans on partaking in a fish feast. But those plans change when The Kid witnesses Chin Ta-Khan (Leung Kar-Yan, Knockabout) being attacked by multiple assailants in the restaurant… not one to shy away from trouble, The Kid gets involved and helps Chin Ta-Khan… during the fight Chin Ta-Khan is injured pretty severely, so The Kid gets him out of the restaurant and into a safe place where Chin Ta-Khan can rest up. We learn that Chin Ta-Khan is a police captain who has obtained evidence against the nefarious Boss Chow, but before Chin could file his official report Chow had his henchmen hunt down Chin and kill him and they may have succeeded if not for The Kid’s help. Speaking of The Kid, Chin can’t help but ask about his family and that’s when we learn that The Kid does not have a family… but he’s not an orphan, he was abandoned like a Melon Patch Kid.
- Separate Ways: Chin and The Kid make for a good combination… they end up taking out two of Chow’s assassins and even save a damsel in distress as a team. So it is no surprise when Chin Ta-Khan tells The Kid they should go their separate ways, that The Kid is opposed to the idea, in his world view… the two are now brothers, while Chin Ta-Khan is looking out for The Kid and not wanting to have to be involved in any more of his troubles. Things escalate and The Kid inadvertently reaggravates Chin Ta-Khan’s wound from the earlier restaurant rumble, so once again The Kid has to find a safe spot for his “brother” to rest up… but Boss Chow himself has tracked down Chin Ta-Khan and is looking to take care of his Chin problem himself…
- Mr. Sandman: …at this point I was saying to myself “I was told Simon Yuen was in this movie” and wouldn’t you know who wakes up from his secluded slumber just in the nick of time to prevent Boss Chow from eliminating Chin Ta-Khan, the Old Fox himself. The Old Fox was in fact played by the perfect actor to play someone named the Old Fox, Simon Yuen of Blind Fist of Bruce and The Mystery of Chess Boxing fame. The Old Fox manages to fend off Boss Chow at least temporarily and then turns his attention to nursing Chin Ta-Khan back to health. Once he is well, The Old Fox trains Chin Ta-Khan in the art of The Sleeping Fist and eventually The Old Fox even gets The Kid on board and provides him some martial arts training. Both Chin and The Kid have plenty of chances to put the skills they’ve learned from The Old Fox into practice as the movie rolls on… but Chin Ta-Khan still has to file his report on Boss Chow so he can be brought to justice.
- Hello, Goodbye: This leads to a tearful goodbye between the students and their master… on their way out of town, Chin Ta-Khan and The Kid stop to say goodbye to the damsel in distress they helped earlier (Chin was sweet on her) at her uncle’s restaurant, where she works. When they spot two of Chow’s hired goons there, they let it slip that Boss Chow is going back to the Old Fox’s to look for Chin Ta-Khan and finish him once and for all… that means the Old Fox is in danger and there’s no way Chin Ta-Khan and The Kid aren’t going to go back to help their master and really put his teachings to the ultimate test!
Action. Heart. Memorable Characters. Sleeping Fist provided all three but for me the MVP is The Kid. More often than not child actors are the worst part of an action movie, but Sleeping Fist was an exception to that rule. It helps that The Kid was an impressive athlete who could do some amazing things, plus he had a foul mouth and he’d fight dirty when needed, like punching a guy straight in the balls dirty.
I don’t think I even hit the 20 minute mark of the movie, during my initial viewing, before I was already adding Sleeping Fist to my Amazon cart so I could add it to my physical media archives. If you’re a fan of Kung Fu flicks and you’ve slept on this one, stop sleeping on it at your earliest convenience.
Don’t sleep on these Bonus Bullet Points either…
- Name That Tune: The music of John Williams has shown up in many a chopsocky movie, but this is the first time I recall hearing music from Jaws 2, specifically “Attack on the Helicopter”… Henry Mancini’s “The Masterpiece” is also used during the training montage where The Old Fox is really putting The Kid through his paces… much to The Kid’s chagrin.
- AKA: Sleeping Fist is also known as The Roaring Kung-Fu Fighter.
- Bastard Check: I counted at least 8 “bastards” said in Sleeping Fist.
- If You Ever: …wanted a martial arts movie to end with a golden shower, then Sleeping Fist is the movie for you.
