Bolo (film) - Misplaced Pages

1979 martial arts comedy film

Bolo
Lobby card for Bolo

Traditional Chinese	白馬黑七

Hanyu Pinyin	Bai ma hei qi


Directed by	Bolo Yeung (credited as Yang Sze)
Screenplay by	Yeung Hon Ning
Produced by	Raymond
Starring	Bolo Yeung Jason Pai Piao
Cinematography	Yu Tsin
Edited by	Cheung Kok Cheng
Music by	Chow Fook-Leung
Production company	Star Film (H. K.) Co.
Release date	1979 (1979) (Hong Kong)
Running time	90 minutes
Country	Hong Kong
Languages	Mandarin Cantonese

Bolo (Chinese: 白馬黑七; pinyin: Bai ma hei qi; lit. 'White Horse Black Seven'), also known as Bolo - The Brute, Fists of Justice (or Fist of Justice) and Beast Fighter, is a Mandarin-language 1979 Hong Kong martial arts comedy film directed by Bolo Yeung (credited as Yang Sze) in his directorial debut.

Plot

Following the murder of a succession of sheriffs in Wu Yu village, the mayor has prisoners draw lots to be the next two sheriffs. The marked lots are drawn by Ma, a trickster, and Bolo, a brute. They pay a blind farmer to take them into town on his wagon.

Once in the village, Ma stops the mayor's son Pao Jan Ken from harassing a priest's niece. Bolo tells the priest that he wants to become Christian because he heard Christians can talk well, while Ma gambles to try to win money but ends up in a fight instead.

Bolo is framed as a human trafficker and imprisoned. He ends up eating so much that the mayor pays him to leave the prison. Bolo is convinced my Ma to rob the bank, where he kills the mayor's son. They give the money to the priest to build a hospital.

Human trafficker Shu Fu and his brother Half Lotus attack Bolo and Ma. After Bolo and Ma win, they are confronted by the mayor, who is mourning the death of his son and is accompanied by his other son, the "Champion of Japan", whom they quickly defeat. The cook who was carrying the mayor's son then steps in to fight them using the pan he was wearing on his head, but is also defeated when Bolo and Ma join forces.

Attempting to leave the village, Bolo and Man knock over the blind farmer's wagon and discover a bag full of gold.

Cast

Jason Pai Piao (白彪) as Ma
Bolo Yeung (楊斯) as Bolo (credited as Yang Sze)
Huang Ha (黃哈) as Man Fighting with Pan (credited as Wong Ha)
Chin Yuet-Sang (錢月笙) as Undertaker (pole fighter) (credited as Chin Yet Sun)
San Kuai (山怪) as Man Who Attacks Sleeping Bolo (credited as San Kwei)
Lau Yat-Fan (劉一帆) as Mayor Pao (credited as Lau Yet Fan)
To Siu-Ming (杜少明) as Mayor's Cross-Eyed Son Pao Jen Kan (credited as Tog Siew Meng)
Milan (米蘭) as Priest's Niece
Na Na (娜娜) as Prostitute
Fung Ging-Man (馮敬文) as Half Lotus
Eric Tsang (曾志偉) as Brothel Madam
Yue Tau-Wan (魚頭雲) as Champion of Japan
Chin Ti (金帝) as Poisoning Waiter
Lau Hok-Nin (劉鶴年) as Man on Crutches
Addy Sung Gam-Loi (宋金來) as Cross-Eyed Waiter
Sai Gwa-Pau (西瓜刨) as Old Bucktooth
Peter Chan Lung (陳龍) as Doctor
Lee Sau-Kei (李壽祺) as Priest
Yam Ho (任浩) as Detective
Luk Chuen (鹿村泰祥) as Messenger
Aai Dung-Gwa (矮冬瓜) as Blind Farmer Lai Lau (a.k.a. Blind Mai Lai)
James Nam (南宮勳) as Service Charge Captain
Chen Yuwei (陳玉薇) as Brothel Chambermaid

Lau Tak-Man (劉德敏) as Tall Woman

Production and release

Bolo was filmed in Hong Kong.

The film has been released under the English titles Bolo also known as Bolo - The Brute, Fists of Justice (or Fist of Justice) and Beast Fighter.

Reception

Reviewer Jedadiah Leland of the website unobtainium13.com wrote, "Bolo is like a Kung Fu version of the type comedic spaghetti westerns that Bud Spencer and Terrence Hill used to make in the 70s, with the exception that it's far more incoherent than anything that ever starred Spencer and Hill." The review concludes, "Even if it's never clear why anyone's fighting and the sound effects often don't match the actions of the combatants, some of the fight scenes are exciting. That's really the main reason why anyone's going to watch something like Bolo and in that case, the movie doesn’t disappoint. The fights are cool. It's just too bad that the plot keeps getting in the way.

Mitch Reviews Everything stated that the film "fell a little bit short on the comedy dynamic" and that "there's a lotta bad cuts during the actual fights so you get kind of a choppy feel to a lot of the fights in this one". The review concludes that "all in all, it was highly entertaining."

References

^ "Bolo (1979)". hkmdb.com.
"Jason Pai Piao". hkmdb.com.
"Huang Ha". hkmdb.com.
"Chin Yuet-Sang". hkmdb.com.
"San Kuai". hkmdb.com.
"Lau Yat-Fan". hkmdb.com.
"To Siu-Ming". hkmdb.com.
"Mi Lan". hkmdb.com.
"Na Na". hkmdb.com.
"Fung Ging-Man". hkmdb.com.
"Yue Tau-Wan". hkmdb.com.
"Chin Ti". hkmdb.com.
"Lau Hok-Nin". hkmdb.com.
"Addy Sung Gam-Loi". hkmdb.com.
"Sai Gwa-Pau". hkmdb.com.
"Peter Chan Lung". hkmdb.com.
"Lee Sau-Kei". hkmdb.com.
"Yam Ho". hkmdb.com.
"Luk Chuen". hkmdb.com.
"Aai Dung-Gwa". hkmdb.com.
"James Nam Seok-Hoon". hkmdb.com.
"Chen Yuwei". hkmdb.com.
"Lau Tak-Man". hkmdb.com.
Leland, Jedadiah (1 March 2020). "Bolo (1977, directed by Bolo Yeung)".
"Bolo (1979) Movie Review aka Fist of Justice 白馬黑七 Bolo Yeung Sze Jason Pai Piao". 30 June 2024 – via YouTube.

External links

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