''Dirty Ho'' (爛頭何 ''Lan tou He'') is a 1979 Hong Kong

martial arts Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defence; military and law enforcement applications; combat sport, competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; ...

comedy film The comedy film is a film genre that emphasizes humor. These films are designed to amuse audiences and make them laugh. Films in this genre typically have a happy ending, with dark comedy being an exception to this rule. Comedy is one of the o ...

directed by

Lau Kar-leung Lau Kar-leung (; born 28 July 1934 – 25 June 2013) was a Hongkongers, Hong Kong Martial art, martial artist, filmmaker, Stage combat, fight choreographer and actor. He is best known for the films he made in the 1970s and 1980s for the Shaw ...

and starring

Gordon Liu Gordon Liu Chia-hui (born Sin Kam-hei, 22 August 1955) is a retired Hong Kong actor, martial artist, and filmmaker, best known for his roles in martial arts films. He was one of the biggest male stars of Shaw Brothers Studio's martial arts cinema ...

and

Wong Yue Wong Yue (born Wong Chi-kuen; 26 October 1955 – 15 May 2008) was a Hong Kong martial arts Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defence; military and law enforcement appl ...

. Produced by the

Shaw Brothers Studio Shaw Brothers (HK) Limited () was the largest film production company in Hong Kong, operating from 1925 to 2011. In 1925, three Shaw brothers— Runje, Runme, and Runde—founded Tianyi Film Company (also called "Unique") in Shang ...

Plot

Master Wang is the 11th prince of

Manchuria Manchuria is a historical region in northeast Asia encompassing the entirety of present-day northeast China and parts of the modern-day Russian Far East south of the Uda (Khabarovsk Krai), Uda River and the Tukuringra-Dzhagdy Ranges. The exact ...

in disguise. Living as a sophisticated jewellery dealer and connoisseur of fine art and wine. Master Wang has no interest in being emperor and enjoys his rather peaceful lifestyle, yet he ends up trying to determine which of the other 14 heirs to the throne is trying to have him assassinated. Wang is a martial arts expert, but in order to conceal his identity, he systematically hides his skills, even if he needs to use them. An infamous jewel thief, Ho Ching, a.k.a. Dirty Ho, runs afoul of the prince, who eventually drafts Ho to help him flush out his enemies. In the opening sequence of the film proper (after a title sequence which already features two highly abstract fight sequences by the principals) Wang encounters Ho Ching at a

brothel A brothel, strumpet house, bordello, bawdy house, ranch, house of ill repute, house of ill fame, or whorehouse is a place where people engage in Human sexual activity, sexual activity with prostitutes. For legal or cultural reasons, establis ...

. They come into conflict by vying with one another for the attentions of the

courtesan A courtesan is a prostitute with a courtly, wealthy, or upper-class clientele. Historically, the term referred to a courtier, a person who attended the court of a monarch or other powerful person. History In European feudal society, the co ...

s, Wang using his legitimate jewellery, and Ho Ching using stolen jewellery. Ho Ching, who is not too bright, can't figure out why his efforts to fight with the seemingly cowardly, effete Wang inevitably result in clumsy disaster. It is Wang, of course, who skillfully deflects Ho into tripping over chairs and so forth. When the police come to arrest both men, Wang secretly displays his

royal seal A seal is a device for making an impression in wax, clay, paper, or some other medium, including an embossment on paper, and is also the impression thus made. The original purpose was to authenticate a document, or to prevent interference with ...

to the police captain, who tells his men to leave Wang alone. Wang orders the police captain to detain Ho Ching, but release him later. Ho Ching is arrested and taken to jail while Wang confiscates his stolen jewels and continues entertaining the courtesans. Ho Ching is let go by the police and attempts to get "his" jewelry back from Wang, which again ends in clumsy disaster for him and eventually to a fight with some local thugs who are looking for him (who they claimed stole from them). After defeating them, Ho Ching is arrested a second time, and released again when Wang orders the police to let him go. In a final confrontation with Ho, Wang pretends that a female musician, Choi Hung (Kara Hui) is his "

bodyguard A bodyguard (or close protection officer/operative) is a type of security guard, government law enforcement officer, or servicemember who protects an very important person, important person or group of people, such as high-ranking public offic ...

", invisibly manipulating the bewildered woman's arms, legs and musical instrument in order to make her fight with Ho and eventually graze him in the forehead with a poisoned blade. It is, however, all part of Wang's scheme: he is secretly protecting the troublemaking, yet good-natured Ho from his greatest enemy (himself). Ho eventually seeks out Choi Hung for the antidote, but Wang tells her that she moved away to get married and left him the antidote, which Wang administers to Ho Ching in return for Ho Ching becoming his student. Ho is initially puzzled at this since he has not detected any kung fu prowess in his master at all, yet goes along with it since Wang has the poison antidote, which must be administered in small doses over time. Initially, he remains a clueless bystander during two attempts on Wang's life: first, an attack at a wine-tasting, and then a visit to an

antique An antique () is an item perceived as having value because of its aesthetic or historical significance, and often defined as at least 100 years old (or some other limit), although the term is often used loosely to describe any object that i ...

-dealer's shop, both sponsored by General Liang at the orders of the 4th Prince (who wants his brother dead). Wang manages to defend himself admirably while maintaining the fiction that he is simply having a friendly aesthetic conversation with his opponents. Only at the end of the antique-shop attack does Ho figure out what's going on and intervene, but Wang receives a wound in the leg through a stratagem of the antiques dealer. The master and his disciple sequester themselves in an abandoned residence – Wang for recovery, Ho Ching for some kung fu training. News spreads of a reward for an injured "

fugitive A fugitive or runaway is a person who is fleeing from custody, whether it be from jail, a government arrest, government or non-government questioning, vigilante violence, or outraged private individuals. A fugitive from justice, also known ...

" and a doctor discovers that Ho Ching is taking care of him. The doctor hires

bounty hunters A bounty hunter is a private agent working for a bail bondsman who captures fugitives or criminals for a commission or bounty. The occupation, officially known as a bail enforcement agent or fugitive recovery agent, has traditionally operated ...

, whom he will split the reward with. When the bounty hunters come to confront Ho Ching and take Wang, Wang tells Ho Ching to pay them what the reward is so they can look the other way (while Ho incapacitates them in the process). But it is nearly time for the princes to assemble for the announcement of the heir to the throne, and so Wang and Ho undertake the dangerous journey to

Peking Beijing, previously romanized as Peking, is the capital city of China. With more than 22 million residents, it is the world's most populous national capital city as well as China's second largest city by urban area after Shanghai. It is l ...

with Wang in disguise, being pushed in a wheelchair by Ho. Defeating an army of assassins in a ruined city, they manage to extract from the assassins' leader the identity of the Prince (Number Four) who is targeting Wang. The heroes then encounter their most formidable enemy, General Liang plus his captains, and a climactic fight sequence follows. They manage to defeat their enemies just in time for the prince to enter the throne room in time for the Emperor's appearance. Ho Ching, outside the door, passes his master his necklace of beads on the pole they used during the fight; the Prince takes them and deftly uses the pole to send Ho flying outside the room. The film ends with a freeze-frame on Dirty Ho in mid-air.

Cast

Cast adapted from the ''Shawscope Volume One'' home video release. *

as Wang Tsun Hsin *

as Ho Jen * Wang Lung Wei as Fan Tin-kong *

Lo Lieh Wong Lap Tat (June 29, 1939 – November 2, 2002), better known by his stage name Lo Lieh, was an Indonesian-born Hong Kong martial artist and film actor. Lo was perhaps best known as Chao Chih-Hao in the 1972 martial arts film ''King Boxer'' ...

as General Liang Jincheng *

Kara Hui Kara Wai Ying-hung BBS (; born 3 February 1960) is a Hong Kong actress best known internationally for her roles in wuxia films produced by the Shaw Brothers Studio in the 1970s and 1980s. Wai has since portrayed a wide range of roles on screen ...

as Crimson * Hsiao Hou as Hsia Liu

Production

In 1979, director

directed three comedy films, including ''Dirty Ho''.

was initially hired as an extra in the film, until the original actress set to play Crimson quit. Lau Kar-leung noted Hui's abilities in an audition tape for

Chang Cheh Chang Cheh (; 10 February 1923 – 22 June 2002) was a Chinese people, Chinese filmmaker, screenwriter, lyricist and producer active in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. Chang Cheh directed more than 90 films in Greater China, the majority of them wi ...

's ''

The Brave Archer ''The Brave Archer'', also known as ''Kungfu Warlord'', is a 1977 Hong Kong film adapted from Louis Cha's novel ''The Legend of the Condor Heroes''. The film was produced by the Shaw Brothers Studio and directed by Chang Cheh, starring Alexande ...

'' and hired her to take over. Lau and Hui would work together in several films, such as ''

My Young Auntie ''My Young Auntie'' aka ''Fangs of The Tigress'' is a 1981 comedy-themed Hong Kong action film from the Shaw Brothers studio. The film is directed by Lau Kar Leung and stars Kara Hui, Hsiao Ho, Wang Lung Wei, and Gordon Liu. In a change from ...

'' (1981).

Release

''Dirty Ho'' was released in Hong Kong on 4 August 1979. In December 2021, the film was released on Blu-ray as part of

Arrow Video An arrow is a fin-stabilized projectile launched by a Bow and arrow, bow. A typical arrow usually consists of a long, stiff, straight shaft with a weighty (and usually sharp and pointed) arrowhead attached to the front end, multiple fin-like St ...

's ''Shawscope: Volume One'' box set, sharing a disc with ''

Heroes of the East ''Heroes of the East'' (), also known as ''Challenge of the Ninja'', ''Shaolin vs. Ninja'', and ''Shaolin Challenges Ninja'', is a martial arts film produced in 1978. It starred Gordon Liu and was directed by Lau Kar-Leung. Lau Kar-Leung has a ...

''.

References

External links