Beggar
Su (Gordon Liu) is the rambunctious son of a famous winemaker. When he’s not out getting drunk, Beggar is
getting into brawls. While he’s away at
school, a crooked villain makes a play to take over his father’s winery. After he kills Beggar’s brother and
girlfriend, Beggar goes out for revenge.
The
Young Vagabond is a Shaw Brothers production that is similar in some ways to
Drunken Master. Unlike most Drunken
Master knockoffs, it’s fairly successful when it’s trying to be funny. I liked the part where Beggar and a
schoolmate fight at their desks whenever the teacher’s back is turned. Some sequences aren’t very funny or go on too
long (like the extended soccer game), but it all works more often than not. Although it looks like a period piece, one
guy makes a random Miami Vice reference, which is probably the funniest thing
about the movie.
All
this is entertaining for the most part.
There are also plenty of Kung Fu battles throughout, which certainly
helps. However, the uneven tone prevents
it from really kicking into gear. The
first half is dedicated to a lot of slapstick humor while the final act is
awfully dark and violent. The last shot
is rather over the top and gory for what was initially a silly and lighthearted
movie too.
Lui
gives a great performance. He combines
his badass martial arts expertise with a light comic touch and is a lot of fun
to watch. I can’t say it’s one of his
best, but The Young Vagabond should please most of his fans.
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