Bravest One
AKA: The Bravest One
Year of release: 1980*
Genre: kung fu
Director: Faan Daan
Stars: Charlie Chin, Tong Tin-Hei, Wong Yuen San, Lee Kwan Yee
Not rated; contains IIA-level violence and language
Version reviewed: ACM VHS (US dubbed version; it was actually in a box for "Shaolin Kung Fu Mystagogue")
Bravest One isn't anything great, but at least there's a lot of fight sequences. The basic plot has Charlie Chin as a Triad who wants to go straight by running a ranch, but his boss won't let him. There is also an undercover cop (Tong Tin-Hei) on Charlie's tail who seems determined to put him in jail, even though he hasn't been doing anything wrong.
The boss sends groups of henchmen after Charlie and they eventually destroy his ranch. So of course, he sets off for revenge which leads to the big final confrontation. As you can see, the plot is pretty thin, but here the plot is just an excuse to get to the next brawl. The fights in Bravest One are by no means extraordinary, but they get the job done.
Like I said, there's nothing too special about this movie, but nothing that horrible either. It's a decent low-budget kung fu movie that should provide some rainy day entertainment if you've exhausted the supply at your local video store. If you're getting the dubbed version, at the least, you'll get a kick out of the cheesy disco soundtrack (the theme uses a re-mix of "Shaft") and voices that sound a lot like other actors (the big boss sounds like Marlon Brando, and his sidekick sounds like Jimmy Cagney).
RATING: 7