ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Michael P. Gallen is a genre movie fan who lives in Philadelphia.
Lost Kung Fu Secrets is a fun, if mediocre, martial arts film offering all the action that fans of the genre could want. It keeps the fights coming at a fast pace and has an engaging story. It follows a military officer acting as a princess’s bodyguard while he tries to protect her from a rebel group after her and her father, a Qing military commander. The rebels, a group of rogue Christians, want to avenge the death of one of their officers while fighting the commander’s army.
The film benefits from some interesting historical detail in the premise. Nineteenth-century China’s biggest rebellion, the Taiping Rebellion, involved an army of fanatical Christians who believed Hong Xiuquan, the rebellion’s leader, was the younger brother of Jesus. Under Xiuquan’s command, they tried to establish a new state, the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom. The rebellion ravaged China during the 1850s and 60s, causing the deaths of at least 20 to 30 million people. Although Lost Kung Fu Secrets makes no claims to historical accuracy (it’s an action film, not a documentary), the historical grounding lends it some extra interest.
The film also benefits from a steady pace, with regular fight scenes. The fights feature both hand-to-hand combat and swordplay. The fight choreography and sword fights, while not on a Shaw Brothers or Golden Harvest level, are competent, with few obvious pulled punches. One fight scene set on a boat is especially memorable, with our hero fending off a group of bandits, dismantling the boat with his fists in the process. The scene brings to mind the slapstick work of Jackie Chan.
Not all the fights are up to this standard. For example, in one scene, our hero finds himself surrounded by a group of rebels armed with, of all things, flags. They proceed to try to beat him to death with the flag poles, a sight more unintentionally comical than exciting. Furthermore, there are a few scenes where the weapons and armor are obviously fake.
The film is undermined by a weak ending that will leave viewers scratching their heads. Without spoiling too much, the conclusion leaves the fate of a major character in extreme doubt, as they fall after a fight. The film does not clarify whether they are dead or simply injured, nor does it give any indication of what will happen after. The movie just stops, leaving one to wonder if the filmmakers just ran out of money. The lack of a proper conclusion weakens the film overall.
Flaws aside, the film is still worth watching and provides a solid hour and a half of entertainment. Lost Kung Fu Secrets is available on Tubi and is featured on Retro TV’s Dracula’s Kung Fu Theater.
