The Chinese Mack!, He Fought Dirty. Money Corrupted His Fists While Family Revealed His Past!

1974 · KonCategoryIII

Real-life Triad leader and Hong Kong action star Chan Wai-Man headlines The Chinese Mack, a fight-filled martial arts slug-fest from the golden year of 1974! In the scenic countryside, an expert kung fu student is taught the deadly art of the “death blows.” With his schooling finished, he heads to the big city to earn his fortune. But when he’s seduced by the sins of the flesh, he’ll have to battle his way out of the darkness. The Chinese Mack "It's like sitting through an alternate reality version of Magnificent Butcher where there's no reason for the film to continue..." - Ningen The Chinese Mack (1974) Director: Herman Hsu Cast: Chan Wai Man, Travador Ramos Running Time: 97 min. Plot: Michael Chan (Wai Man) plays a man who works his way to the top of the ladder. But once there, he gets corrupted and his family must show him the error of his ways. Chan Wai Man is fantastic as the fighter who takes the wrong path. Availability: This title is available at HKflix.com Reviews NINGEN'S REVIEW: I saw this turkey dubbed at that Grindhouse screening "presented by" Quentin, and I was wondering why he'd want to be associated with it, even if it were subbed. The Chinese Mack is about a martial arts student who fights gangsters in a local village, and rises to the top as a gangster himself. However, he gets too thick-headed for his own good, and loses it all to his rivals. The plot is muddled by slow pacing, while the fights are clearly not done by professionals. The characters are one-dimensional, and are just thrown in to pad the time, while the action scenes lack any sense of choreography or urgency. It's like sitting through an alternate reality version of "Magnificent Butcher" where there's no reason for the film to continue other than to make a quick buck from some "chop-socky" nut who can't tell the difference. You can't even appreciate The Chinese Mack in an ironic sense, since it's more unintentionally sad than funny. NINGEN'S RATING: 5/10 The Chinese Mack is one of those Kung Fu movies where "good" and "bad" are marred together because it's so wildly entertaining in both directions. The outright weird acting, writing, and editing makes it preciously awkward, and that's coupled with some genuinely cool and gratifying martial arts spectacle. But at one point, the roof caved in. If you've ever wondered what it's like to see abject animal cruelty occurring on screen in a theater full of patrons, let me tell you, it sucks the energy right out. Everyone was hooting and hollering at this obscure piece of Hong Kong cinema until the six-minute long dog fight happened. Fucking heinous and unpleasant and we had no warning. There were walk outs. I considered it. But I mustered up all my forgivingness and stuck through. Ultimately I'm glad I did because the third act is absolutely fucking insane. We're in the midst of a climactic battle, and I was quite confident the movie was ending, but I was so wrong. There's a surprise third act morality play in which our hero Michael Chan gets depressed over the death of his girlfriend, succumbs to the pleasures of the flesh, sleeps with two prostitutes, and gets caught by his mom. It's a whole other movie that comes barging through the door. Then The Chinese Mack suddenly tries to execute a big twist and a Shakespearian tragedy all in about six minutes and fails hilariously. I wish there were no dogs getting maimed because then I could recommend this wholeheartedly. But nevertheless, this is a special movie and a wild journey.