Dirty Ho
Dirty Ho
爛頭何
Overview
"The 11th Prince of Manchuria, Wang, must hide his identity and his immense martial arts skills from assassins sent by his brothers to prevent him from taking the throne. He recruits a flamboyant, boisterous jewel thief named 'Dirty' Ho to unknowingly act as his bodyguard. Wang manipulates Ho's movements during combat to defeat the assassins without ever revealing that he knows kung fu."
Iconic Tracked Scenes
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In an incredibly tense, elegant sequence, the Prince engages in a hidden, high-level martial arts duel with an assassin disguised as an antique dealer, fighting over a cup of wine without tipping off the rest of the room.
"fighting over a cup of wine""wine tasting duel" - ▶
To avoid revealing his own skills, the Prince aggressively strikes the pressure points of the bumbling jewel thief 'Dirty' Ho, effectively turning him into a martial arts puppet to fight off attackers.
"fighting like a puppet""striking pressure points to fight" - ▶
The film culminates in an extended fight sequence featuring exotic weapons, as the Prince and Ho finally team up openly to defeat the chief assassin's devastating sword techniques.
"dirty ho final weapon fight""prince stops hiding his kung fu"
Why It's Remembered
- ★The brilliant wine-tasting duel, where the Prince and an assassin fight a deadly, complex battle using only a single cup of wine without spilling a drop, all while maintaining complete social etiquette.
- ★The Prince subtly manipulating Ho like a puppet by striking his pressure points to defeat an enemy.
- ★The final showdown using specialized antique weapons found in a ruined mansion.
Cultural Context
- ◈Directed by Lau Kar-leung, this film is famous for its intricate, almost comedic 'hidden martial arts' where characters fight while pretending to do mundane tasks like pouring wine or dancing.
- ◈Gordon Liu shines as the elegant, sophisticated Prince, a stark contrast to his usual stoic monk roles.
- ◈A masterpiece of choreography emphasizing leverage, misdirection, and situational awareness over brute force.
About the Action Elements
Dirty Ho is widely celebrated among martial arts cinema fans for sequences involving wine, cup, etiquette, hidden combat, spilling. One of the most memorable sequences features Gordon Liu naturally executing fighting over a cup of wine, where the choreography and unique set pieces become the unexpected highlight of the film.