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It's hard not to lament the state of kung fu movies
After decades of brilliance
Today, outside of Donnie Yen's persistence
The genre seems all but dead in Hong Kong
Yet, here we are, still talking about them
Like it was yesterday
Clearly, the interest is still here
So, what's up with that?
This is why Gallants was made
A 2010 kung fu comedy featuring a bunch of washed-up has-beens
In the film, small-time real estate worker, Leung
Is sent to settle a dispute in a village
He meets a bunch of old-timers who were once kung fu masters
Which inspired Leung to pick up the practice
And through his eyes
We see the story of Hong Kong kung fu cinema unfolds
The film examines the state of kung fu cinema with love and care
For that, this indie film
Won the Hong Kong Film Award for best picture
Trumping Ip Man 2, Detective Dee, and Reign of Assassins
Needless to say, this is a film well worth a watch
So, let's do just that today
let's see what the new generation of Hong Kong filmmakers
Think of the genre
[Gallants: The Best Kung Fu Film You Haven't Watched]
[Chapter One]
The film begins with our loser of a protagonist, Leung
Being sent to a village
Almost instantly, he gets bullied
And had to be rescued by a passerby
Tiger, an aging kung fu practitioner
Who still believes in helping the weak and fighting injustice
Yes, that is Leung Siu-lung
Most famously known as the Beast from Kung Fu Hustle
He was one of the four dragons in the 1970s
Along with Jackie Chan, Ti Lung, and Bruce Lee
And he for sure can fight!
But awesome fight scene aside
Take note of the story
It's a classic setup from classic kung fu movies
A remote village is where you find masters
But of course, set in modern times
The look of a village is drastically different
This incongruity of a classic story in modern society
Is how the film expresses its humor
And more importantly
Points out how out of place classic kung fu films are in today's world
Indeed, as Tiger leaves
We see that he walks with a limp
Just as the state of the genre in Hong Kong
Still very much capable, but not without a lot of difficulties
Later, Leung arrives at a tea house
Yet another classic location in kung fu movies
Here, he meets Dragon
Tiger's senior under the same master
Turns out, at a fateful duel
Their master fell into a coma for 30 years
To support their master
The two converted their kung fu school into the tea house
Much the same way how Hong Kong cinema changed
From making grand kung fu epics
To day-to-day local indie films
In fact, Dragon even wants to sell the tea house
But Tiger still cares about their master and refuses
The glory day of old appears the be
The last thing keeping the tea house around
Anyway, because of Tiger's earlier heroic deed
The bullies come looking for trouble
And a brawl breaks out at night
This fight really shows how age and old injuries
Affects the old fighters
Which parallels how it affects kung fu stars in the real world
Hong Kong kung fu films were made with blood and sweat
One look at Jackie Chan's career is enough to let you know
Just how dangerous it was to make movies in Hong Kong
"In America, they use airbags"
"But we cannot afford these kind of expensive things"
"We still use cotton boxes and mattresses"
As Leung looks on with horror
It makes us want to ask
Do we really need such a dangerous commitment?
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[Chapter Two]
In an accident, the grandmaster, played by Teddy Robin
Gets dropped on his head
"Let go of him!"
He miraculously wakes up from his 30-year coma
With their master awoken
The aging fighters decide to restart their kung fu school
At least for a bit, just so their master is happy
In a joking manner, the grandmaster proclaims
"Our school has three rules!"
"No long hair!"
"No practicing for fitness!"
"No ugly people!"
The second one is particularly intriguing
As it goes against the usual philosophy of kung fu
"Master said, martial arts are for fitness and defense"
"There is no prestige to speak of"
We won't get to know what the master really means until later
But we do get a hint
The film contrasts the kung fu taught in this school
With their rival's modern gym
Where kickboxing is taught as a form of fitness exercise
It is presented as lacking in... something
What does that mean?
For now, let's put a pin in it
Speaking of the rival school
They are holding a tournament
Upon seeing a younger fighter with impressive moves
Tiger wants to give it a shot
This younger kickboxer may represent the newer action flicks
Or the increasingly sophisticated actions of Hollywood
Which are flashier and shinier than the dusty old kung fu cinema
Indeed, one of the big contributing factors
To the fall of Hong Kong cinema
Is the growing dominance of Hollywood
In the 90s, many Hong Kong filmmakers
Migrated to the US film industry
The audience interest also shifted away from local productions
It's not so different from how younger martial artists in this film
Prefer modern kickboxing
Rather than kung fu
With the conflict established
"Do it"
Tiger decides to join the tournament
What follows is a montage sequence
That comes right out of the 80s
[Chapter Three]
Unfortunately, the rival school
Which is also the tournament runner
Deliberately harasses the main characters
And disqualifies them after they fought back
As expected, the rival school won their own tournament
Much to the disappointment of the younger fighter
"Some tournament. Pointless"
This statement might as well be a commentary
On the state of the genre
"Punches and kicks are old news"
"It's about publicity these days"
Gallants came out in 2010
Right around the time when action cinema was transitioning
From old-school physical performance
To visual effect enhanced fantasy
It felt like people aren't going to the cinema
To see actions being performed
Corporate IPs chasing became the new norm
It's all about that hype and publicity
Anyway, despite being disqualified
Both Leung and Tiger still want to fight
So, what did they do?
"If you want to fight"
"Everywhere is an arena"
Here, we finally understand what the "no fitness" rule means
"If you want fitness, go hiking, go swimming, go cycling"
"Kung fu is for fighting"
The purpose of kung fu is a spiritual one
It's not for physical benefits, at least not just that
It's also about fighting, about competition
About challenging others
And challenging yourself
In a way, this speech is also about the difference
Between the old and the new action films
These new actions may be slick to look at
But it lacks the challenge
When we see golden age kung fu films
We see them for how much the martial artists can push themselves
Doing feats that seem humanly impossible
And it's that fighting spirit
That makes kung fu films so special
Anyway, Leung goes to the rival school
And challenge them privately
Thus, we come to the final showdown
It's the young fighter from the rival school
Against Tiger
It's a straightforward brawl
With no special effects
Just punches and kicks
And the occasional subtle insults
Like a golden age kung fu film
It's all about the martial artists and their physical performance
Knowing that, makes this simple fight so much more enjoyable
Of course, Tiger loses
He is, after all
More than twice the age of his opponent
But he does win his opponent's respect
Tiger falls down and laughs
While the head of the rival school asks his disciple:
"Did you get it?"
"You'll get it when you are older"
[Conclusion]
As the film draws to a close
We are left to digest that complicated statement
"You'll get it when you are older"
Tiger's defeat is the film's way
Of lamenting the death of the golden age kung fu cinema
Tiger is happy that he has what he had
And is happy that he is still respected
Even if he is no longer relevant
But more importantly, his defeat is a hopeful one
Because, as we see with Leung and the young rival fighter
The interest and talent are still here
These young people are us
Martial arts cinema is technically still going on in Hong Kong
With Zhang Jin being one of the new talents
Well, "new".
Dude's 47
The genre may not have the relevancy it once had
But as long as people are talking about it
And as long as there is love for it
Then there is a place for it
As the credit rolls
We see the tea house changed its sign
It's now, once again
A kung fu school