Friday, May 07, 2010

"Shaw Bros" Bizarre Flix 3/3 - Mo aka The Boxer's Omen - Chih-Hung Kuei - HK - (1983)




Plot from Imdb:"The plot is about a Hong Kong gangster discovering a supernatural connection with a deceased Thai monk after the monk's spirit saves him from an ambush from a rival gang. Ignoring the spirit's pleas, the gangster goes home to his beautiful (and frequently naked) girlfriend. The gangster then goes to Thailand to challenge a cheating Thai kickboxer who gravely hurt his best friend in a match. After disgorging a live Moray eel in a hotel, the gangster decides that it's a good time to find the temple that the monk resided in. The gangster learns that he was a twin brother to the dead monk in a previous life and therefore their lives are forever intertwined! The monk was about to achieve immortality but a crazy Thai dark warlock poisoned his eyes with spiders and the monk died. The gangster's life is at risk if he can't defeat the warlock and break the poison spider spell."

Holly motherfucking sheeeeeee--aaaaaat ! This movie is one mesmerizing visual experience and definitively the best thing that came out of this "Shaw Bros. bizarre flix" week. Shot in Thailand, HK and Katmandou, from the director of "Killer Snakes" and "Bamboo, House of dolls" comes this Buddhist tale, mixed with black magic and Thai boxing. One have to recognize that mixing exploitative subjects together with spiritual paraphernalia is risky at best. Not everybody can pull out movies that stays interesting, like the ones from Alejandro Jodorowski. In this case; it works perfectly, as the cheesy, funny,  disgusting, bizarre aspect of the magic is perfectly balanced with a non stopping action storyline and an amazing art direction, that creates  some of the nicest flashy images I've seen in a while. Did I mentioned it has crocodile cranium animated, bat's sacrifice, snakes blood, human cranium filed with a dirty unknown mix, birth of a female demon from the body of a crocodile, an immortal Buddhist monk held in a jar, ridiculous Thai boxing matches with no else than Bolo Yeung (unforgettable bad  guy from "Bloodsport"), lasers of goodness coming out of Monks, etc., etc... Enough talking, you HAVE to watch that movie, it's like a giant lollipop for a deepthroating artist: it's unmissable and highly desirable!

MASTERPIECE !   




Trailer:


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