Overview: Sequel to DUEL OF FISTS (1971) re-teams director Chang Cheh with stars David Chiang and Ti Lung in a modern-day martial arts actioner featuring fighting villains played by Bolo Yeung, Chen Sing and Japanese martial arts star Yasuaki Kurata in his first Shaw Brothers film. Chang makes a rare cameo appearance as a Japanese crime boss.
Detailed Synopsis: Having previously broken up a criminal Muay Thai boxing circuit in Thailand while meeting for the first time, brothers Fan Ko (Chiang) and Wen Lieh (Ti) are living in Hong Kong where Fan Ko continues to work as a civil engineer and Wen Lieh has taken over their deceased father’s martial arts school. Wen Lieh sends one of his pupils to Thailand to bring his mother back to live with him but tragedy strikes first. Qiagren (Chen Sing), the Thai crime boss the brothers helped put in jail escapes and is looking for revenge. He kills Wen Lieh’s mother and his pupil and kidnaps his girlfriend Yulan (Ching Li). Qiangren is forced to send her to his superior in Tokyo, the head of a Japanese crime syndicate named Yamaguchi (Chang Cheh). Despite a crippling leg injury, Qiangren travels to Hong Kong and begins single-handedly killing off Wen Lieh’s students. Fan Ko and Wen Lieh manage to stop Qiangren just as they receive an invitation by Akiko (Fang Jen-tsu), a female judo expert to meet with Yamaguchi. Yamaguchi uses Yulan as bait to try and convince the brothers to join his organization but they have other plans. In a daring assault, Fan Ko and Wen Lieh rescue Yulan and return to Hong Kong. Yamaguchi puts his best man, Katsu (Yasuaki Kurata), in charge of a team of fighters to follow the brothers to Hong Kong and kill them. After two failed attempts, the criminals dress as construction workers to assault Fan Ko on the job. However, Fan Ko and Wen Lieh are tipped off by Akiko. Joined by Wen Lieh’s students, the brothers take on the criminals in a final bloody fight.
Notes: The film’s English title “The Angry Guest” is a reference to the Japanese criminals whom Fan Ko refers to as “angry guests” that he expects to see shortly after his return to Hong Kong. Apart from Kurata, all of the “Japanese” thugs in the film were portrayed by Chinese stuntmen and choreographers working for Shaw Brothers. While a popular martial arts actor in Hong Kong who appeared in dozens of martial arts films, Kurata only appeared in two other Shaw Brothers productions, Chang Cheh’s FOUR RIDERS and Lau Kar-leung’s HEROES OF THE EAST. Despite the focus on Muay Thai boxing in DUEL OF FISTS, there is little emphasis on Muay Thai fighting in this sequel. Ti Lung’s character, a Muay Thai fighter in the first film, mostly uses nondescript fighting moves.
AKA: E ke, Kung Fu Killers, 《惡客》
Genre: Crime, Martial Arts
Companies: Shaw Brothers
Release Date: February 29, 1972
Producer: Run Run Shaw
Director: Chang Cheh
Action Director: Tang Chia, Lau Kar-leung
Cast: David Chiang (Fan Ko), Ti Lung (Wen Lieh), Ching Li (Hu Yulan), Yasuaki Kurata (Katsu), Fang Jen-tsu (Akiko), Chen Sing (Qiangren), Chang Cheh (Yamaguchi)
