''Duel of Fists'' (; ''Quan Ji'' or ''Kuen gik'') is a

1971 * The year 1971 had three partial solar eclipses ( February 25, July 22 and August 20) and two total lunar eclipses (February 10, and August 6). The world population increased by 2.1% this year, the highest increase in history. Events Ja ...

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...

martial arts film Martial arts films are a subgenre of action films that feature numerous martial arts combat between characters. These combats are usually the films' primary appeal and entertainment value, and often are a method of storytelling and character expres ...

directed by

Chang Cheh Chang Cheh (; 10 February 1923 – 22 June 2002) was a Chinese people, Chinese filmmaker, screenwriter, lyricist and producer active in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. Chang Cheh directed more than 90 films in Greater China, the majority of them wi ...

and starring

David Chiang use both this parameter and , birth_date to display the person's date of birth, date of death, and age at death) --> , death_place = , death_cause = , body_discovered = , resting_place = , resting_place_coordinate ...

and

Ti Lung Ti Lung (born 19 August 1946) is a Hong Kong actor, known for his numerous starring roles in a string of Shaw Brothers Studio's films, particularly '' The Blood Brothers'', '' The Avenging Eagle'', ''Clans of Intrigue'', '' The Duel'', ''The Senti ...

. Filmed on location in

Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai language, Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estima ...

, the story concerns a

engineer Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who invent, design, analyze, build and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while considering the l ...

(Chiang) who goes to

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...

to find his long-lost half-brother (Ti Lung), who is a

Muay Thai Muay Thai ( th, มวยไทย, , ), sometimes referred to as Thai boxing, is a combat sport that uses stand-up striking along with various clinching techniques. This discipline is known as the "art of eight limbs", as it is characterised ...

boxer.

Plot

Fan Ko, an

engineering Engineering is the use of scientific method, scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad rang ...

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

who is also highly skilled in

martial arts Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defense; military and law enforcement applications; combat sport, competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; a ...

, is called to the bedside of his dying father, who reveals that he long ago had an affair with a woman in

, who bore him a son. He begs Fan Ko to go to Thailand and find the young man, and shows him an old photo, taken when the brother was perhaps 10 years old. But even then, the fierce-looking boy was training in the Thai martial art,

, and sported a

tattoo A tattoo is a form of body modification made by inserting tattoo ink, dyes, and/or pigments, either indelible or temporary, into the dermis layer of the skin to form a design. Tattoo artists create these designs using several Process of tatt ...

on his left arm of a ship's

anchor An anchor is a device, normally made of metal , used to secure a vessel to the bed of a body of water to prevent the craft from drifting due to wind or current. The word derives from Latin ''ancora'', which itself comes from the Greek ἄγ ...

and a

swallow The swallows, martins, and saw-wings, or Hirundinidae, are a family of passerine songbirds found around the world on all continents, including occasionally in Antarctica. Highly adapted to aerial feeding, they have a distinctive appearance. The ...

flying underneath. So Fan Ko catches a

Cathay Pacific Cathay Pacific Airways Limited (CPA), more widely known as Cathay Pacific (), is the flag carrier of Hong Kong, with its head office and main hub located at Hong Kong International Airport. The airline's operations and subsidiaries have sc ...

flight to Bangkok Airport and is met by a family friend and booked into a room at the

Dusit Thani Hotel The Dusit Thani Bangkok, often referred to simply as the Dusit Thani Hotel ( th, โรงแรมดุสิตธานี), was a luxury hotel in the Thai capital's Bang Rak District. The original hotel was the country's tallest building ...

. Leaving behind the suit-and-tie of his job, he's dressed in the colorful fashions of the day. At that moment in Thailand, it is

Songkran Songkran is a term derived from the Sanskrit word, ' (or, more specifically, ') and used to refer to the traditional New Year celebrated in Bangladesh, Cambodia, Thailand, Laos, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, parts of northeast India, parts of Vietnam and ...

, the Thai new year, when revelers splash water on each other. However, at

Lumphini Boxing Stadium Lumpinee Boxing Stadium ( th, สนามเวทีมวยลุมพินี) is a sporting arena in Bangkok, Thailand. The stadium is named after Lumbini, the birthplace of the Buddha. Opened more than a decade later than Rajadamnern ...

, the atmosphere is decidedly less festive, as another young boxer has been killed in the ring by the current champion, Cannon, who is backed by the local

Triad Triad or triade may refer to: * a group of three Businesses and organisations * Triad (American fraternities), certain historic groupings of seminal college fraternities in North America * Triad (organized crime), a Chinese transnational orga ...

boss and a crooked fight promoter, Qiang-ren. Using tactics of intimidation and with crooked officials on their payroll, the mob keeps supplying fighters to face the brutal Cannon. Among them is Wenlie, who needs to raise money to pay for an operation for his sick mother, despite the objections of his girlfriend, Yulan. Fan Ko, meanwhile, is nosing around at Lumpini stadium, and thinks that a fighter named Miller may be his brother after he sees a large plywood cutout of the boxer and notices the anchor-and-bird tattoo. He asks a bystander, an old fighter-turned-

alcoholic Alcoholism is, broadly, any drinking of alcohol that results in significant mental or physical health problems. Because there is disagreement on the definition of the word ''alcoholism'', it is not a recognized diagnostic entity. Predomin ...

, what the man's name is. "People call him 'dead man'," the old drunk says, because he's the next to face Cannon. When Miller faces Cannon, Fan Ko tries in vain to stop the fight, and Miller is pummeled – another fighter killed in the ring. Fan Ko checks the tattoo. It's a ship's anchor alright, but the bird flying underneath is an

eagle Eagle is the common name for many large birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of genera, some of which are closely related. Most of the 68 species of eagle are from Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, just ...

. Miller was not his brother. By now Fan Ko has become acquainted with a young

Thai Thai or THAI may refer to: * Of or from Thailand, a country in Southeast Asia ** Thai people, the dominant ethnic group of Thailand ** Thai language, a Tai-Kadai language spoken mainly in and around Thailand *** Thai script *** Thai (Unicode block ...

woman named Mei-dai, who shows him more sights around Bangkok, including the

Grand Palace The Grand Palace ( th, พระบรมมหาราชวัง, Royal Institute of Thailand. (2011). ''How to read and how to write.'' (20th Edition). Bangkok: Royal Institute of Thailand. .) is a complex of buildings at the heart of Ban ...

. And, through his investigation around Lumpini stadium, he's met Wenlie, but he's not seen Wenlie's left arm. Then Wenlie gets in the ring against Cannon. Fan Ko is watching the fight and sees the tattoo on Wenlie's arm – it's a ship's anchor with a swallow underneath. Wenlie is Fan Ko's brother. The fight against Cannon is a tough one, but Wenlie is a strong fighter and he comes back from a savage beating to win. Fan Ko runs up to the ringside and tells Wenlie that they are brothers. Miller's brother Misao kills Cannon after the match, incurring the wrath of the villains. They storm Wenlie's place when he is not at home and kidnap Misao. When the brothers are ambushed, the two brothers are formidable and beat down the thugs and the main stooge. He tells them that they have kidnapped Misao, so the two brothers go to fetch him. At the house, Misao is beaten and killed, and the two brothers face off against a large group of weapon wielding henchmen. Fan Ko takes on the goons while Wenlie faces Qiang-ren. When a henchman cuts Wenlie's arm, Fan Ke disembowels the man with his skills and the henchmen run off. Fan Ko takes on Qiang-ren and breaks the villain's leg, and the police arrive to arrest the villain.

Cast

as Fan Ko *

as Wenile *

Ching Miao Ching Miao (March 15, 1913 – 1989) was a Taiwanese actor born in Shandong, China. He had appeared in over 190 films, mostly in Hong Kong for the Shaw Brothers Studio. He won the Best Supporting Actor for Golden Horse Awards twice, for ''Betwe ...

as Dying father *

Ku Feng Chan Sze-man (born 3 July 1930), better known by his stage name Ku Feng, is a Hong Kong actor. Background He studied in Beijing, and has appeared in hundreds of films, many of which were produced by the Shaw Brothers Studio Shaw Brothers ( ...

as Cannon *

Ching Li Ching Li () (1945-2017) was a Hong Kong actress popular in the 1970s. She appeared in more than 60 films, mostly by Shaw Brothers Studio. Early life On October 29, 1945, Ching was born in mainland China, grew up in Taiwan, and moved to Hong K ...

as Yulan *

Pawana Chanachit ''Pawana'' (or: ''Awaité Pawana'') is a short story written in French by French Nobel Prize in Literature, Nobel laureate J. M. G. Le Clézio. Historical basis According to the author this is a true story about the whaler Charles Melville Scamm ...

(Lau Lan Ying) as Mei-DaiNakhon Pathom: Former actress Pawana found dead in pond
/ref> *Wang Chung as Misao *

Chan Sing Chan may refer to: Places *Chan (commune), Cambodia *Chan Lake, by Chan Lake Territorial Park in Northwest Territories, Canada People *Chan (surname), romanization of various Chinese surnames (including 陳, 曾, 詹, 戰, and 田) * Chan Caldwe ...

as Qiang-ren *Woo Wai as Xu Qiu *Canong Daech as Miller *Yueng Chi-hing as Old drunken fighter

References

External links

Review at KungFuCinema.com
* * {{Chang Cheh 1971 films 1971 martial arts films Shaw Brothers Studio films Triad films Hong Kong action films Hong Kong martial arts films 1971 action films Films directed by Chang Cheh Kung fu films Muay Thai films 1970s Hong Kong films