KIM MO DUK KU KAU PAI (1989)
CAST
BACKGROUND This Serial was filmed in 1989 and was 20 episodes long. Wong Yat Wah was the lead as Duk Ku Kau Pai, and Ng Dei Yung was Bak Seng Jong. Siu Mei Kei was Lan Ji Yin, Duk Ku Kau Pai's wife. Choi Kan Lei played Bak Seng Jong's wife. I don't who wrote this novel, but I do know that it is based on the character created by Jin Yong. References where made on this character in Jin Yong's novels "Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils", "State of Divinity" and "The Return of the Condor Heroes". He was known as the best swordsman in the world during his era. In this story Duk Ku Kau often used three swords, Mo Ming Kim, Mok Kim and Duk Ku Gow Kim. Other TVB Series also made references to this character. In "The New Adventure of Chor Lau Heung", they found his Mok Kim. In the "The Condor Heroes 1995", Yeung Gor found all his swords and used the heaviest sword. In "Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils 1982", Duk Ku Kau Pai's writing helped Hoi Juk, Kiu Fung and Din Yee escape from the deadly cave. SERIES REVIEW SUMMARY The story begins with the leader of Mor Gow, Tin Mor killing a leader from of Jing Pai. He forced the Jing Pai person to hand over his martial arts manual. Later the leaders of the 6 major Kung Fu schools of Jing Pai chased after Tin Mor in an attempt to kill him. They used dirty tactics and was able to injure Tim Mor and his wife. In desperation, Tim Mor's wife switches her baby with that of a peasant lady and kills the peasant lady's husband. With no where to go and no where to run, the baby in Tim Mor wife's hand is killed. She then falls down the cliff. Later Tin Mor is captured and imprisoned in a secret hide out by the leader of Mo Dong and Tin San Pai. They want to force Tin Mor to hand over all is Kung Fu manuals, so they can become the best Kung Fu expert in the world. Twenty years later Lum Hong (Wong Yat Wah) is already a grown man. He is a very good natured person and a very good son. He works as a delivery person, selling all of his mothers home made food. One place he delivers to is Tin San Pai, and the oldest daughter, Lau Mok Seng, has a crush on him. One day during his routine delivery he runs into a hitman, who poisons and uses him to get into Tin San Pai. The hitman's attempts to kill the leader of Tin San Pai, Lau Wong San, is foiled. He suffers an injury and makes a quick retreat. On the way back home Lum Hong sees the hitman injured and because he is good natured carries him home on the cart. Immediately he attempts to save the hitman's life. He takes off the hitman's clothes and using his inner strength heals the hitman. He uses up all his power and falls asleep. His mother then realizes that the hitman is actually a woman. At first the hitman wanted to kill Lum Hong to save her face, but then decided not to. Infact Lum Hong falls head over heals for her and they later decide to get married. Her name is Lan Ji Yin. On their wedding day, Tin Mor's wife and her 3 students come for her. Lan Ji Yin refuses to leave but is taken away by force. They also burn down Lum Hong's house. A Jing Pai leader comes across this and decides to take Lum Hong into his Kung Fu school as a servant. His son Bak Seng Jong is always creating trouble and bullying Lum Hong. He looks down upon Lum Hong and is a typical rich snob, useless to the world. One day Lum Hong's wife, Lan Ji Yin, sees Bak Seng Jong bullying Lum Hong and decides to teach him a lesson. This did not change Bak Seng Jong though. Tim Mor's wife loves her 4th student, Lan Ji Yin, the most and hates Lum Hong. Seeing that her fourth student really loves Lum Hong she secretly plans to kill him. At this time Bak Seng Jong decides to push Lum Hong into a secret hide out in the house. He starts beating Lum Hong and inside they both see Bak Seng Jong's household being killed off by Tim Mor's wife and her students. Lum Hong realized they are after him and feels responsible for causing all the trouble. Bak Seng Jong meanwhile hates him to the bones, not that he liked Lum Hong in the first place. Bak Seng Jong is absolutely useless without money and it is up to Lum Hong to help him survive the tough life in the streets. Eventually they are accepted as students in Tin San Pai. The eldest daughter of the Lau Wong San, Lau Mok Seng, has a crush on Lum Hong and treats him very well. Bak Seng Jong is also in love with her. To add another twist to the plot the younger daughter is in love with Bak Seng Jong, however Bak Seng Jong is uninterested. Bak Seng Jong is in such a hurry, to learn great kung fu to get revenge for his parents, that he convinced Lum Hong to help him release Tin Mor. He planned to have Tin Mor accept him as a student. However Tin Mor, flees without doing so. This plan having failed, next he planned to steal his master's highest kung fu manual. However in the process he kills his master’s wife, and later frames Lum Hong for the crime. Lum Hong is forced out of Tin San Pai. Lucky Lum Hong ran into two strange old men, who's kung fu is really great, and is accepted by them as a student. One day while out fishing with one of the old masters, Lum Hong, swims into a cave where many swords and martial arts manuals are kept. He learns really great sword skills during his time trapped in the cave. Later his master's help him to learn the kung fu in the martial arts manuals which he found. Meanwhile Bak Seng Jong goes crazy trying to learn the kung fu from the manual that he stole. His hand becomes poisoned, and he marries his master's second daughter in order to obtain another kung fu manual which can save him. His master Lau Wong San, then finds out that it was Bak Seng Jong, who killed his wife and he too is kicked out. He seeks refuge in Mor Gow where he is thought to be Tin Mor's son. Bak Seng Jong then realized that Lum Hong is the true son of Tin Mor. He then tricks Lum Hong's mother to call him son, so that Tin Mor would believe him. He then kills Lum Hong's mother. Tin Mor then heals Bak Seng Jong, and teaches him kung fu. He and Tin Mor plot to get revenge on Jing Pai, however on the side Bak Seng Jong went back to Tin San Pai, framing Lum Hong for every bad thing that is going on. Lum Hong got wind of Bak Seng Jong's plans and sets out to save all the leaders of Jing Pai. He then becomes known as the, masked hero or Mo Ming Hak Hup, who foils the plans of Tin Mor. However Lum Hong did a stupid thing and reviewed his identity to Bak Seng Jong, telling him to quit his evil plans. At once Bak Seng Jong plots to have Lum Hong killed by his own farther, Tin Mor. While leading Jing Pai to wipeout Mor Gow, Lum Hong learns from Bak Seng Jong that Tim Mor is his farther. Lum Hong was shocked, however he saves his parents, and later changed his name to Duk Ku Hong. Jing Pai then chased after Lum Hong attempting to kill him. This despite the fact that Lum Hong had previously saved their lives. Later all of Jing Pai later name Bak Seng Jong as their leader. This after he killed his master, Lau Wong San. At once he plotted to take revenge on Duk Ku Hong (previously named Lum Hong). Bak Seng Jong killed Duk Ku Hong's mother and later forced Tim Mor to commit suicide. At the end Duk Ku Hong goes into hiding living in a cave (probably the same one that Yeung Gor lived in), learning kung fu after regaining his purpose and motivation. He then changed his name to Duk Ku Kau Pai, who's sole purpose is to become known as the world's best swordsman by defeating all martial artists in the world. Having achieved his goals, defeating all of China's kung fu experts, Duk Ku Kau Pai returns to the cave. However Bak Seng Jong kills his two old masters, rapes and kills his wife, Lan Ji Yin, etc., to force Duk Ku Kau Pai out of hiding. They meet and duel in the mountains where Bak Seng Jong is killed by Duk Ku Kau Pai. In the end he gives up his title as the best swordsman in the world and leaves with Lau Mok Seng. RATING (5) By now you should know that I'm a very tough critic. I gave this movie 5 out of 10 because it was an average TVB Serial and did very little to hold my attention. Going by the title, I thought that this series was going to focus on how Duk Ku Kau Pai became the world’s best swordsman. However only towards the end of the series does Duk Ku Kau Pai achieve this feat. Little focus was placed on it. There were many dead spots throughout this series as well, as one would expect from TVB Serials. For example Duk Ku Kau Pai loosing his motivation and grasp on life. The cast was good and the acting was pretty good. To sum this was just another of the growing list of kung fu serials where, evil guy kills of 90% of the cast, evil guy is really powerful, however at the end good overcomes evil. Once again TVB scriptwriters proved thier inability to create a good and original story. WONG YAT WAH AS DUK KU KAU PAI Wong Yat Wah was exceptional in this series as was the rest of the cast. Ng Die Yung played a superb Bak Seng Jong. Of all the actors in the 1980's at that time, I don't think any other actor could portray Duk Ku Kau Pai as good as Wong Yat Wah. Duk Ku Kau Pai is a difficult character to play, he begins being a good kind hearted person, to being the son of Tin Mor. He was also betrayed by those he saved, and he became a vengeful man, with the purpose of becoming the best swordsman in the word. Therefore this character requires a multi-talented actor and Wong Yat Wah fills this bill. However despite the superb acting of Wong Yat Wah, this series will never be a classic, because the plot is very similar to other kung fu serials.
SCENES
CREDITS KangKang's
Felix Wong Yat Wah Homepage
[HOME] |
