The Loot (1980)

Story-wise, The Loot (a.k.a.) Bloody Tattoo (US title), is a fast-paced whodunit, in which a private detective/fortune seeker (David Chiang) and a mysterious fighter (Norman Chu) constantly cross paths as they try to find a killer and jewelry thief named “Spider”. They are hired by a local authority (or at least so I think) played by Kwan Yung Moon, who together with ascendants of previous companions have received death threats from the aforementioned Spider. The plot is quite complex and moves at a daunting pace, but is nevertheless fun to follow. The first time you watch the movie, finding out who the Spider is and what everyone’s motives are is actually quite intriguing and even upon second and third viewings, you’ll still reckon how cleverly the plot is played out. I just wish my Joy Sales VCD had more coherent subtitles, since my Mandarin and Cantonese is rusty to say the least. The subtitles are like a language of their own and make it harder than necessary to follow the already convoluted story.

The Loot is an amazing “feel-good kung fu-movie” if there ever was such a thing. The plot moves at a fast pace, the characters are plenty and interesting, the comedy is strikingly good without being goofy and the fights are flawless throughout. Even though the movie deals with rather dark subjects like theft, torture and death, it’s never heavy or sad, but somehow manages to make fun out of that as well. It’s a movie to come back to whenever you feel the need for a genuinely good kung fu movie.

The Loot is one of few kung ku comedies of the era to actually be FUNNY! I even laughed out several times even on my third run. I think that says something about a movie. The comedy derives from the standard kung fu-comedy formula (falling-on-your-behind/some-inane-joke-about-food/stupid-guy-with-giant-teeth) and steps it up a notch or two. It’s in a way reminiscent of the old Pink Panther movies in terms of dialogue and the constantly moving characters and insane world the movie takes place in. David Chiang and Norman Chu are very likable, yet cocky, protagonists and their constant bickering adds to the charm of the movie.

The action compartment is where The Loot really shines! Action choreographers Ho Chi Wai and Chik Ngai Hung made an outstanding job here! This is, together with “The Challenger” (The crew’s earlier production) the ultimate shapes-movie in my opinion. It’s ridiculously stylized, yes, but I think most of us agree, that’s how we like them! The moves are crisp and fluent and the camera work follows the action perfectly. The cuts are few and it’s not unusual at all to see 20 moves or more in one take. The fighting cast all look amazing, and even David Chiang, who as a lead fighter doesn’t look too convincing on first sight and in most of his other movies come off here as one of the best fighters in the world. I can’t stress enough how good the fights are, you’ll just have to see for yourself.

Although the rest of the cast looks amazing, the one standout performance is without a doubt Philip Ko. For once, he’s not playing a character twice his age, so you can actually see how he looked in “real life”. All I can say is: wow! Whenever Ko engages in combat in The Loot, if you are a true old school kung fu-movie fan and don’t get goose pimples, you might want to reconsider that position. This was one of the first movies starring Pihilip Ko I ever saw, and I’ve been a huge fan ever since, although I don’t think he ever reached the same level of awesomeness as he did here again.

One of the best kung fu movies of all time. Don’t waste your time, get yourself a copy and enjoy.