Let’s not beat around the bush. When a film named When Taekwondo Strikes is in your Blu-ray player it’s probably not in there for witty dialogue. It is very doubtful the play button was for award-winning performances or socio-political commentary (although the film has a strong streak of Korean patriotism).
When Taekwondo Strikes is in your media player for a simple reason: someone wants to watch the graceful, deadly martial arts ballet. Or perhaps a blunter way of saying this is someone wants to see some beatdowns. When Taekwondo Strikes is full of beat downs. And the ultraviolence is plentiful.
Other reviews have found the film insightful, with Japan’s occupation of Korea in the 1930s heavily situated within the film’s plot. Jhoon Rhee plays a Korean resistance leader who bands his group of followers together and attempts to smuggle information to Chinese sympathisers. This small amount of plot sounds as if the film could be more expansive. It is not.
The most insight When Taekwondo Strikes gives lies in the insults the film’s protagonists give the roundly demonised Japanese villains. You’d do better by going to the library (if you still have one close by) and dusting off the history books if you want to learn anything in depth. However, kudos must be provided to the film for bringing the conflict to the attention of this writer. That is something to be said.
The joy in this film is watching its cast partake in beautifully choreographed fight sequences. These scenes are not as sophisticated as what comes later from the Far East, yet have the type of geography that modern action films can sometimes take for granted. There would be no surprise if younger audiences find the action a little slow. Yet the fights in When Taekwondo Strikes still feel more impactful than many features because of the strength of the transition.
The audience is not watching the cast for their renditions of Shakespeare in the Park. And some of the dramatic editing of reaction shots does them no favours. But viewers are here for their fighting prowess, which they have by the bucketful. Seeing a young Sammo Hung is enjoyable. But Angela Mao dominates all the best moments, with the actress delivering smackdowns that reverberate for days.
A lot of humour is mined from the idea that Mao’s Wan Ling-ching is an innocent wallflower, hiding her martial art skill like a slightly ill-fitting suit. The pleasure comes from the waiting before Mao slaps the taste out of some mouths. And the world’s first prominent female martial arts star does this with gusto.
When Taekwondo Strikes is not the most impressive martial arts feature of its or any era. The Blu-ray’s main extra, an aged, feature-length documentary on the genre’s history, is full of sequences from more accomplished films that will whet the appetite of more versed fans. Such scenes keep reminding a viewer that there are more films out there which are more memorable.
Despite this, When Taekwondo Strikes is a nicely captured distraction full of solid fight work which rolls at a decent pace and does not outstay its welcome. The disc bonus content will keep hinting at more of the genre masters, but this remains an accessible entry point for those who may not have caught those entries yet but are ready to dip their toes into the martial arts.
When Taekwondo Strikes is out now on Blu-ray from Eureka Entertainment.
