Reviewed by: MrBooth Date: 02/10/2025 The Master And The Kid clearly owes a debt to LONE WOLF & CUB, thematically and stylistically - though it is much less bloody. I had the sense from the name that this would be a cheapo chop-socky kind of film and put off watching it for literal decades, but it is actually surprisingly artfully shot. The opening sequence is particularly striking - the narrative setup is conveyed with fast cuts and minimal exposition, dialogue used like punctuation. The film has a strong visual style with dramatic use of lighting and framing that is reminiscent of Japanese Samurai films, whilst showcasing Taiwan's natural beauty to great effect. The film maintains quite a dark, serious tone - Yueh Hua's character is earnest and grim, and whilst there are some delightfully extravagant villains, they are still very menacing and the world is one of violence and brutality, where life is cheap. Action from Leung Siu-Chung is in the "shapes" style but quite technical, with lots of intricate attacks and blocks leading to joint dislocations and bone-breaking. It's quite grounded at first but gets more extravagant as the film progresses, leading to a pretty extravagant showdown at the end (perhaps not with who you expect!). All told this is a very likeable film, and I kind of wish I'd watched it 20 years ago - though I'm probably better equipped to appreciate it now. Reviewer Score: 8

Reviewed by: STSH Date: 04/20/2003 Summary: Hypnotic I stop short of describing this film as great. However, I found it to be hypnotic for the first 2/3 of the screen time. I can't precisely say why, but here are a few of the good things. The cinematography and scenery are superb. Just shows what can be achieved with A-grade production values and a top crew. The influence of the 70s Lone Wolf And Babycart is very strong, and helps give the film a Japanese ambience, which only helps. The top cast of fighters and swordplayers is as joyful to watch as they are violent. And Yueh Hua is no great one for expression, but that is an advantage in this film, as he plays things Japanese style. And much the music is toe-tapping and enjoyable. There's even some brief discreet nudity at the beginning, where most of the hero's family is killed. A few things distract. For instance, the theme from Days Of Our Lives pops up twice, destroying what are meant to be tender moments. And when the head villain is finally confronted, his explanation of motive doesn't gel with the rest of the story. No matter. Highly recommended. Reviewer Score: 9

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