Movie Review: Fearless Hyena

Fearless Hyena (Hsiao chuan yi chao) 

Starring: Jackie Chan, Peng Kang, James Tien Chun, Dean Shek Tien, Yen Shi Kwan, Lee Kwan, Chan Wai Lau, Cheng Fu Hung, Ma Cheung, Wang Yao 

Director: Jackie Chan
Goodyear Film Co., Hong Kong, South Korea, 1979. 

(Sidestepping a bit from the Jackie Chan Early Collection, this review is based on Ultra-bit edition DVD published by Hong Kong Legends. The picture quality is excellent).

Yen (Yen Shi Kwan) betrays other kung fu clans and sends assassins to kill them. Only clan leader left is Chen Peng-Fei (James Tien) from Xinyi Clan. Chen's grandson Shing Lung (Jackie Chan) is more interested in gambling and having fun than practising kung fu. Casino entrepreneurs Great Bear (Cheng Fu-Hung), Rocky Egg (Wong Yiu) and Iron Head (Ma Cheung) are not content about Jackie winning a shell game so an amusing fight follows. 

Yen destroys the other clans

Iron Head, Great Bear and Rocky Egg

Only one to surpass Shing Lung's kung fu skills is grandpa. Grandpa wants Shing Lung to hide his kung fu skills and find a job, so he ends up working in a funeral office. That's not a long lasting job because the boss gets trapped in a coffin. 

Grandpa Chen giving Shing a lesson

Shing meets the three casino guys again and they help him get a job at Ti Cha's (Lee Kwan) lousy kung fu school. Shing renames the school as Sinyee Clan (after Xinyi Clan). Shing disguises as a cross eyed cleaner and beats the leader of a rival school and a swordsman so that the Sinyuu school can get new students. Then Shing disguises as a woman to beat a lusty fighter. However the grandpa finds about Shing Lung's new profession and he is not happy. 

Jackie makes lots of funny faces

Still he can beat almost any opponent

Jackie as a lady

As so often happens in Hong Kong comedies, the light-hearted story turns into a tragedy when Yen and his assassins murder grandpa. Shing Lung wants to intervene but grandpa's old friend Eight-Legged Qilin (Chan Wai-Lau) stops him so that Shing doesn't get hurt by Yen. Qilin starts training Shing Lung so that he can avenge grandpa. Training makes Jackie look like slim Stallone. He also learns breathing techniques. 

Yen finds grandpa Chen

Training with Qilin is not easy

Jackie getting ripped

Qilin teaches him the Fists of Basic Emotions style. It uses Joy, Anger, Melancholy and Happiness to confuse enemy. Who wouldn't be confused by an opponent who starts to laugh or cry in the middle of the fight? In the end there is also a funny Lone Wolf and Cub reference with Shing Lung pushing Qilin in a cart. 

Shing Lung fights the tree assassins

Jackie using Anger technique

Lone Wolf and Cub- style ending

Fearless Hyena was Jackie's directing debut. Good cinematography uses also ultra wide lens effects. Jackie makes lots of silly faces. The first half of the movie is pure action comedy, and the second half is bit more serious but still has a funny training sequence. Fight scenes are long and well choreographed. Jackie inserts a lot of classic slap-stick comedy into fight scenes. In this movie Jackie defined the style he is known for. 

Rating:Very good