#1197c: CHAN, Jackie: The Fearless Hyena (1979)

CHAN, Jackie (Hong Kong)
The Fearless Hyena [1979]
Spine #1197c
Blu-ray


An auteur emerges as Jackie Chan—working for the first time as director, in addition to serving as cowriter, lead actor, and martial-arts choreographer—takes full charge of his on-screen image. Perfecting the archetypal Chan character, he stars here as a rapscallion student of his martial-arts-master grandfather (Hong Kong cinema legend James Tien) who uses his kung-fu prowess to fight challengers for money—until a personal tragedy forces him to get serious. Experimenting with various lenses and camera setups, Chan maximizes the action’s visual impact, while unleashing some of his most innovative fight choreography in a stunning, whirlwind display of “emotional kung fu.”

97 minutes
Monaural
Color
In Cantonese
2:39:1
Criterion Release 2023


Director/Writer

Jackie Chan was 25 when he directed The Fearless Hyena.

Other Chan films in the Collection:

#1197e: The Young Master (1980)
#971: Police Story (1985)
#972: Police Story 2 (1988)

The Film

a

Film Rating (0-60):

60

The Extras

The Booklet

Commentary

Video tribute

Documentary 1

Documentary 2

Documentary 3

Controversial altered ending

Theatrical trailer


Extras Rating (0-40):

39

60 + 39 =

By Spine #

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