The Prodigal Son
The Prodigal Son
敗家仔
Overview
"Leung Chang is a wealthy, spoiled young man who believes he is an unbeatable martial artist, unaware his parents pay his opponents to throw matches. After being publicly defeated and humiliated by a traveling opera troupe member, he begs to learn true Wing Chun from the master."
Iconic Tracked Scenes
- ▶
Leung Chang discovers his parents have been paying his opponents to lose in a fight against a real martial artist.
"paying opponents to lose""fake fighting skills" - ▶
Master Wong teaches Leung Chang Wing Chun through calligraphy and rhythmic drills.
"calligraphy training""writing kung fu" - ▶
The intense, technical, and bloody final showdown between Leung Chang and the formidable Ni Fei.
"prodigal son final fight""ni fei showdown"
Why It's Remembered
- ★The painful revelation that Chang's fighting skills are completely fake.
- ★Calligraphy Wing Chun training sequence.
- ★The final brutal showdown with Ni Fei.
Cultural Context
- ◈Widely considered one of the greatest movies about the Wing Chun style ever filmed.
- ◈Features Sammo Hung in a memorable supporting role as the eccentric master Wong Wa-bo.
- ◈Yuen Biao's performance cemented his status as an agile, top-tier martial arts leading man.
About the Action Elements
The Prodigal Son is widely celebrated among martial arts cinema fans for sequences involving fake martial arts, humiliation, revelation, truth, money. One of the most memorable sequences features Yuen Biao naturally executing paying opponents to lose, where the choreography and unique set pieces become the unexpected highlight of the film.