Two Crippled Heroes (1980) Jackie Conn & Frankie Shum
4138DVD
The
Original Jackie Conn / Frankie Shum Hit
Original Taiwanese/Chinese Title: CAN QUE SHUANG
XIONG [But Together As One]
also known as CRIPPLED HEROES and TWO CRIPPLES AND A BLIND
GIRL
directors: Yao Hsiao (as Joseph Siu)
starring: Kang Chao-Ming (as Jackie Conn) · Shen Sung-Chuan (as Frankie
Shum) · Chang Ping-Ping
Jackie,
a man with no arms [or at the very least, disfigured arms], wanders
across the countryside with his pet chimpanzee, Sasha. He comes upon
the isolated shack of a legless man named Frankie. They immediately
challenge each other. A fascinating fight ensures between the two cripples,
punctuated by very impressive stunts. After the chimpanzee [accidentally]
destroys a hanging structure over Frankie's garden, the macho posturing
stops and the two misfits decide to become friends. The next day, Jackie
wanders into the nearby village where the mayor is giving a cautionary
speech against potential invading soldiers. He is really fleecing the
people by demanding donations even though he has no intention of using
the money for anything except lining his pockets. After the rally, a
young woman named Atchun overhears the corrupt politician discussing
further plans, including the murder of a general, with his cronies.
The mayor spots Atchun and attempts to eliminate her with a stranglehold
but she breaks free. He tosses lye at the girl, blinding her. She manages
to escape into the street where she bumps into Jackie. He rescues sightless
Atchun and takes her to the safety of Frankie's shack where the three
'cripples' they make plans for retaliation.
The
film was more successful than the original Conn/Shum outing, CRIPPLED
MASTERS, which featured them in minor roles. Sequels followed
until Jackie Conn broke the partnership in the early '90s by deciding
to leave Taiwan for the United States. The armless master landed in
Pennsylvania where he opened Jackie Conn's Philadelphia Gun & Pawn
Shop. The store was featured on an episode of The Marty Stuart
Show [a long-running syndicated Country Music variety program]
in 2013.
This
was the debut movie for director Yao Hsiao. Despite his affinity for
martial arts cinematography, Yao left the genre for a truncated career
in soft-core erotica. After Ban Ai Ban Wan [Love Play,
1986] and Qing Ya Xian [Trap of Desire, 1987], he retired
from filmmaking.
A Taiwanese/Chinese
production in dubbed English language;
widescreen format, uncut 90 minutes, encoded for ALL REGION NTSC,
playable on any American machine. Extras include selected trailers.