Much like Jade Leung a decade later, Kwong-Li has the looks (and the height) of a model, and combined with a bubbly screen presence, she’s a joy to watch. Luckily in The Leg Fighters he doesn’t have to, thanks to a charming turn from Ha Kwong-Li, an Opera Troupe trained actress that was discovered by Tso-Nam. Basically what you’re left with is a plank of wood that can kick, and that’s not enough to carry a movie. While his bootmaster peers like Hwang Jang Lee and Casanova Wong got to work with the likes of Yuen Woo Ping and Sammo Hung in their prime, Tao-Liang stuck mostly to working in Taiwan, and for whatever reason there’s no real standout fight in his filmography that delivers that wow moment. In fairness, the blame for the latter could be placed at the foot (no pun intended) of the choreographers he was working with. Perhaps it’s that he has all the charisma of a plank of wood, or simply that as powerful as his kicks are, it takes more than legwork to be an effective screenfighter. Much like his student, I’ve been doing my best to get into Tao-Liang’s movies for a long time, but there’s something that gets in the way of me really enjoying them. Tao-Liang is one of the most recognizable names from the golden era of kung fu flicks, known for his powerful kicks, and also being John Liu’s taekwondo teacher. He shared top billing alongside Don Wong Tao (no relation) in 1976’s The Hot, The Cool and The Vicious and 1978’s Challenge of Death, as well as teaming up with Jim Kelly in The Tattoo Connection, also from ’78. When dealing with kung fu flicks Korean born superkicker Dorian Tan Tao-Liang, or Flash Legs as his fans affectionately refer to him, was a frequent collaborator with Tso-Nam. In 1980 alone The Leg Fighters was 1 of 5 movies he’d direct, with a trio of dramas, and another slice of ‘fu with The Woman Avenger. Tso Nam was rarely out of work, and comes with a filmography which seems to indicate he said yes to anything he was offered, with the 70’s also gifting us with such Bruceploitation fare as Exit the Dragon, Enter the Tiger, Fist of Fury Part II, and Edge of Fury, all starring Bruce Li. Fatal Fists, Phantom Kung Fu, and Shaolin Invincible Sticks to name just a few of them. In the previous decade Tso Nam’s name was behind many of the kung fu flicks that had come out of Taiwan – The Hot, The Cool and The Vicious, Fatal Needles Vs. A Taiwanese indie, at the helm was journeyman director Lee Tso Nam, a name synonymous with Taiwan’s indie scene.
The Leg Fighters | Blu-ray (VCI Entertainment)Ĭast: Ha Kwong-Li, Dorian Tan Tao-Liang, Peng Kang, Wang Yao, Lui Wan-Biu, Chin LungĪfter 1978 gave us The Zodiac Fighters and 1979 delivered Five Superfighters, in 1980 it was the turn of The Leg Fighters to kick off the new decade.
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