In 1974, Hong Kong director Gui Zhihong filmed "Cheng Ji Tea House", which tells the story of the eldest brother Cheng leading the tea house guys to fight against the little gangsters who are not doing evil, punishing evil and promoting good. Although the film is recognized as the "originator of Hong Kong-style gangster movies", it is actually the "chivalrous core" that runs through.
Among the younger generation of filmmakers who have been deeply influenced by it, the young Hong Kong director Guo Zijian, who has made films such as "Moss" and "The Legend of Wukong", is a fan of this film, so in 2010, with the support of investor Andy Lau, he used a group of Hong Kong film veterans such as Chen Guantai, Leung Xiaolong, Teddy Robin, Gu Guanzhong, Luo Mang and Chen Huimin to make a tribute to "Chengji Tea House" and other films, aiming to make a deep look back at the glory days of Hong Kong kung fu films in the past.
The story tells that the cowardly and timid company employee Liang Jingxiang (Huang Younan), after being bullied by Cong Shengmeng (Ouyang Jing), who learned martial arts at the "Pang Qing Wuguan", had to go to the Luo Xinmen Martial Arts Hall for help.
After being rescued by Luo Xinmen's senior apprentice Lin Liangchun (Liang Xiaolong), Liang Jingxiang, who deeply admires him, longs to worship Lin Liangchun as a teacher, but at this time, Luo Xinmen is already in a state of twilight and slump: his leader Luo Xin (Teddy Robin) has been in a coma due to a stroke in a competition, and in order to make a living, his apprentices Chen Decheng (Chen Guantai) and Lin Liangchun have also renamed the martial arts hall "Luo Ji Tea House".
The arrival of Liang Jingxiang also led to the entanglement between "Luo Xinmen" and the founder of Pang Qing Wuguan (Played by Chen Huimin) for many years ago, in order to revive The prestige of Luo Xinmen, Chen Decheng, Lin Liangchun and Liang Jingxiang' two generations of disciples decided to participate in the martial arts ring held by Pang Qing, vowing to make a break between the two sides.
But anyone who likes Hong Kong-style kung fu films will definitely be excited by this "Fight in the Ring" to see the movie: the old film effect of deliberately "old" at the beginning of the film, quite retro subtitles, instantly pulled the audience back to the "Shaw era". And when Liang Xiaolong returned to the martial arts hall carrying the plaque of "Luo Xinmen" and finally sang the classic song "The Great Wall Never Falls" with the three of them, it seemed that people saw the shadow of "Chen Zhen's rebirth".
Although at the time of starring in this film, Liang Xiaolong was over sixty years old, although his skills were not comparable to those of his prime, he was still agile and flexible, and several of the main scenes in the film were picked by him, especially when he played against Li Haitao, his volley kick came from Bruce Lee's "Big Brother Tangshan" in terms of shooting methods - it can be said that it pays tribute not only to the film "Cheng Ji Tea House", but to the most representative and iconic kung fu film elements in Hong Kong at that time.
However, after all, the prosperous era of kung fu films has changed with the times, and the martial arts masters who once had unlimited scenery and majestic styles in the movie have also become "old people", they are no longer heroes who cannot die, but have become ordinary people who have to rub their wounds after a few dances. And they also can't get rid of the world's troubles, they are all running for chai rice oil salt sauce vinegar tea, all because of their own "old age and decline" and distress.
Because of this, these old predecessors are not willing to count the time to live, but use the way of gambling on their reputation and dignity, hoping to bloom the second light in their lives. The most brilliant part of the film is that the concepts of "the rise of kung fu films" and "the rise of veterans" are equated, but in the end, it is not the body that the veteran wins, but the "spirit and will" - when Liang Xiaolong has exhausted his physical strength and completely collapsed, Chen Huimin told his apprentice: "In a few decades you will understand." This spirit of never accepting defeat is exhilarating but also lamentable: when the kung fu (film) era of the older generation ends, who can open the next era?
Rather than saying that "Fight in the Ring" is a kung fu genre film, it is better to say that this is an inspirational film that reveals the meaning of self-reflection, Guo Zijian skillfully and without trace the two themes of "inspirational" and "inheritance" are skillfully and without trace, interspersed with the new and old generations of martial arts practitioners, of which the new generation is represented by Liang Jingxiang, played by Huang Younan, "confused about the road ahead" is a clear feature of him, and the older generation is represented by Teddy Robin, Liang Xiaolong, chen Guantai, although later they have been hidden in the city. However, he has never forgotten the sense of responsibility and mission of the honor and disgrace of the teacher.
These two completely different principles of doing things can't help but make people associate with the reasons for the decline of kung fu films, and this kind of "don't say it thoroughly" theme expression is exactly the effect that Guo Zijian wants to achieve.
Nowadays, kung fu films are no longer as "mysterious" as usual for audiences around the world, especially in the era when "motion capture" technology has been so developed, even Hollywood can shoot wonderful kung fu scenes without relying on traditional martial arts fingers, in such an environment, who can remember the real spirit and essence of Chinese kung fu films? The appearance of this "Fight in the Ring" that year may be to find this lost feeling.
For kung fu film fans, this "Fight in the Ring" is definitely a work not to be missed.