How Lau Kar-leung movie Legendary Weapons of China showed true martial arts style wasn’t just about fighting with your fists
- Director Lau Kar-leung wanted to show the gamut of Chinese martial arts weaponry and illustrate the traditional ‘18 weapons of kung fu’ in the film
- The movie has a strong cast featuring Lau, his brother Lau Kar-wing, Kara Hui, Gordon Liu, Hsiao Ho, and Alexander Fu Sheng in a comic extended cameo role
Although kung fu generally concentrates on hand-to-hand combat, many styles do involve weapons. The Shaolin monks, for instance, were experts at using staffs, and would also use swords when they fought in military battles.
The “18 weapons of kung fu” are often mentioned in martial arts literature, although the weapons on the list vary depending on the historical era and the martial arts style of the list’s compiler.
Historically martial artists may have equipped themselves with three types of weapon – a primary one such as a sword or staff, a secondary weapon hidden on the body, such as twin daggers concealed in their boots, and long-range throwing weapons like the star-shaped “mother-Son cross dart”, variations of which often turn up in ninja movies.
Lau’s Legendary Weapons of China features the whole gamut of Chinese martial arts weaponry, although some of them are shown so fleetingly as to be difficult to spot. The film’s two-part finale, which features a character played by Lau himself battling numerous assassins – including a character played by his brother Lau Kar-wing – does indeed feature 18 weapons of the director’s own choosing.