Save your money for something good and enjoyable

This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

Hit-man IN THE HAND OF BUDDHA is an almost unique film in the kung fu genre, for it stars famed high-kicker Hwang Jang Lee in a role very different from the norm. Jang Lee is normally seen popping up as the master villain at the end of the movie in countless genre films, the most famous of which are the two featuring Jackie Chan, DRUNKEN MASTER and SNAKE IN THE EAGLE'S SHADOW. Anyone who watches the genre regularly will soon recognise the Korean expert thanks to his massively imposing nature and his incredible kicking abilities which are unmatched in cinema.What a treat, then, for this film to feature Jang Lee as the hero rather than the antagonist. He rarely got the chance to play the good guy - you could count the times he did so on the fingers of one hand - so it's a delight to see him playing the protagonist for a change. In this one, he plays a country bumpkin who arrives in town to meet his sister and her family, only to fall foul of a criminal organisation which makes short work of him. After some time spent training in the Shaolin temple, Jang Lee goes on a vengeful killing spree.The story is fine and Jang Lee makes for an excellent hero; he's second only to Lo Lieh in terms of my favourite 'underrated bad guy' actors in action cinema. There's a multitude of fight scenes to enjoy and only the occasional slow moment, like the Shaolin temple scenes which feel like they belong in a different movie. Eddy Ko makes for a thoroughly imposing villain which is another plus. The only problem I had, and it's not a huge one, is that Jang Lee doesn't get to kick enough here. He absolutely destroys his opponents with his power kicks in the opening sequence, but he then saves the rest of them for the final fight. I suppose having him use those killer moves throughout the movie would have left all of the bad guys dead very quickly.

Hwang Jang Lee, the famed villain from Drunken Master and Snake in the Eagle's Shadow, actually plays a good guy in this film. This film contains the best kicking scenes in any movie ever made...or most movies ever made. No wires, just pure kicks. The movie felt like any other kung fu movie in terms of plot, music, and dubbing. However, Hwang Jang Lee astounds us with his great martial arts skills. A true martial arts classic.

the version fo this film i saw suffered from two things: a very poor dub and lack of widescreen. that said, it is one of the best exhibitions of kicking in kung fu film history. if you like that sort of thing then watch it, if not its not worth the effort.

This is one of only two films where Hwang Jang-lee is the good guy and he is impressive in both the beginning and the finale of the film. He clearly shows why he is the best kicker Hong Kong cinema ever experienced. The amazing amount of jumping kicks he throws to his opponents are so amazing for old HK films, you have to see it for yourself. Check this film out for kicking to the max!!!