Bullet Points: Six Directions of Boxing
Everytime I watch a kung fu movie I ask myself why don’t I watch more kung fu movies. I am always entertained, either because of the martial arts action or because the story is so bonkers you can’t help but have a good time. I recently sat down to watch Six Directions of Boxing and right from the start the movie decided to remind me I was crazy for not watching sooner as a cuckoo is singing its cuckoo song, almost in a mocking fashion right towards me. Sorry for skipping Six Directions of Boxing until now, but I can make up for it with some Six Directions of Boxing Bullet Points.
- North – As if a cuckoo calling me crazy to start a movie wasn’t enough, Six Directions of Boxing decides that a plot featuring gun smuggling is the way to go. Capt. Ai (David Chiang), also known as Sheng Peng to his friends, is the head of a special police task force in charge of stopping the gun smuggling. I recently learned the fact that Capt. Ai constantly wears a hat throughout the movie is to show he is a lawman. I respect consistency and professionalism. I also really enjoy the fact that when a gun deal goes south, the players decide to settle their differences with hand to hand combat. No need to dirty up the smuggled guns when kung fu is just as deadly.
- South – When Capt Ai captures one of the bad guys, he can’t take him back to the police because there is someone dirty in the department. He takes the prisoner to his old kung fu master, played by Simon Yuen, who also happens to be the father of Ai’s main squeeze, played by Nancy Yen. I love coming into a kung fu movie expecting to see something crazy and unexpected and still having my mind blown. Enter Chief Inspector Monkey and Sargent Detective Dog (a chimpanzee and a dog) pets of the old master and his daughter and the two of the best/funniest characters in Six Directions of Boxing who also help out quite a bit. And yes, the chimp urinates on the bad guys.
- East – When the movie is called Six Directions of Boxing, you better believe we get to see different styles of kung fu. The old master is an expert in drunken boxing, but my favorite is an outlaw who practices the snake style, with a real life venomous snake for extra danger. Of course we also get to use the famous saying live by the snake, die by the snake when he is hoisted by his own petard. It was also around this time that a kung fu movie that really wants you to know it is about gun smuggling hasn’t had a single firearm on screen. We do get the classic father/daughter kung fu fight which makes up for the lack of guns.
- West – Six Directions of Boxing features a lot fighting, some good and some bad. I still haven’t seen any guns, but there are some very big knives (or small swords, who is to say) and some giant swords. I really enjoyed the bean curd fight, very tasty. Six Directions of Boxing is winding down and we get resolutions, police corruption resolved, chimps and dogs fighting together but what about… guns! I see guns! I love guns in my kung fu movies. Ok, so they still haven’t shot anyone, but it is comforting knowing they are there.
Six Directions of Boxing proved again that I shouldn’t be sleeping on kung fu movies. There are a ton of fights, a little animal humor mixed with the basic corrupt police storyline, and did I mention that it dealt with gun running. If there are any other kung fu movies that you think we here at BPA should be watching let us know, and in return I will give you some Six Directions of Boxing Bonus Bullet Points.
- Thou Shall Not Steal – After Six Directions of Boxing opens with the cuckoo, the opening credits play with music from The Ten Commandments.
- If You Ever…- Wanted to see a chimpanzee be jealous of a dog, then Six Directions of Boxing is for you.
- Bastard Count – Definitely on the low end of the scale, but there are a few people being called a bastard.
