Notable Cast: Dennis To, Zhuang Han, Li Ruoxi, Naomen
Eerdeni, Li Mengmeng, Liu Aiguo, Gao Xuepeng, Yang Yongfeng, Chu Pangching
For martial arts actors, there are a few roles that one can
snatch which immediately put them on the map. Most of them are folk heroes of
the past, but when Dennis To snagged a role as a “young” Ip Man, he went to
A-tier for the fans - even if that film was one of the first Ipsploitation
films. Not only did he succeed in that role for the film Ip Man: The Legend
Is Born, but he has also returned to the role multiple times and
continually found and grew his fan base.
Thus, a few years ago when Dennis To leaped into another key
folk hero role as Huo Yuanjia for the film The Grandmaster of Kung Fu,
it was easy to feel pretty excited about the prospect. Unfortunately, the film
- which was initially released as a streaming exclusive in China - did not
receive a US release until 2022 via the Hi-Yah streaming service and through
our friends at Well Go USA.
Yet, here we are, The Grandmaster of Kung Fu has
finally dropped. While the film suffers from some of the usual issues of modern
streaming films, it’s also surprisingly solid and entertaining in how it goes
about telling a story that any self-respecting kung fu fan has seen 2000 times.
It’s action-packed, tight in its storytelling, and features a handful of great
screen performances.