Film Review: The Kung Fu Scholar 倫文敘老點柳先開 (1994) - Hong Kong
Reviewed by Andrew Chan (Film Critics Circle of Australia)
I rated it 7.5/10
Rating: ★ ★ ★ 1/2
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There is a particular pleasure in watching two young stars, still carrying the glow of their early fame, bounce off each other inside a period school comedy that never quite takes itself seriously. The Kung Fu Scholar is not a great film, but it is a cheerfully serviceable one — the kind of early-90s Hong Kong confection that knows exactly what it is and delivers it with just enough charm to make the weaknesses feel forgivable.
Dicky Cheung plays Lun Man-chui, the clever, scheming scholar who would rather invent trouble than study. Aaron Kwok is Lau Sin-hoi, the more straightforward martial artist who arrives at the same Ming College and immediately becomes both rival and eventual ally. Vivian Chow, luminous as ever in these years, is the headmaster’s niece who becomes the object of both their attention. Around them swirl Ng Man-tat’s opportunistic headmaster, Bryan Leung’s enigmatic new teacher, and the inevitable imperial intrigue that eventually forces the schoolboys to grow up a little.
The film’s best moments come from the push-and-pull between Cheung and Kwok. Cheung’s elastic comic timing — all exaggerated expressions and verbal mischief — plays nicely against Kwok’s more physical, slightly more earnest presence. Their rivalry-to-friendship arc is the emotional spine of the movie, and when the story finally lets them fight on the same side, there is a modest satisfaction in seeing the partnership click. The school setting itself is used efficiently: rules against romance, inter-college competitions, and the general atmosphere of young men with too much energy and too little supervision provide a steady stream of light comic set-pieces.
The martial arts, when they arrive, are serviceable rather than spectacular. This is not a film that lives for its action choreography; the fights are functional punctuation marks in a story more interested in banter and romantic triangulation. Gordon Liu’s presence as the heavy is a welcome reminder of older, more serious kung-fu traditions, even if the film never fully integrates that weight into its lighter tone.
What keeps the picture from rising higher is a certain thinness in the middle stretch. Once the central relationships are established, the plot settles into a familiar rhythm of misunderstandings, school contests, and deferred revelations. The comedy is broad and sometimes repetitive; a few sequences overstay their welcome. Yet the film never becomes mean-spirited or cynical. It retains a sunny, slightly naïve quality that feels of its moment — Hong Kong cinema still confident enough to make cheerful period entertainments without needing to undercut them with darkness.
In the end, The Kung Fu Scholar is the kind of movie that rewards a relaxed viewing. It does not demand deep analysis, nor does it pretend to offer one. It simply asks you to enjoy the company of its young leads for ninety-odd minutes, to smile at their schemes, and to accept that friendship and a bit of courage can still resolve most problems in this particular corner of the Ming Dynasty. That is not a small pleasure. (Neo, 2026)