IMDb RATING
6.4/10
291
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During the Japanese occupation of Korea in the 1930's, the leader of a small resistance movement attempts to get information to sympathizers in China.During the Japanese occupation of Korea in the 1930's, the leader of a small resistance movement attempts to get information to sympathizers in China.During the Japanese occupation of Korea in the 1930's, the leader of a small resistance movement attempts to get information to sympathizers in China.
- Director
- Writer
- Stars
Carter Wong
- Jin Zheng Zhi
- (as Carter Huang)
- Director
- Writer
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaDespite being a Mandarin-language production, four languages were spoken during filming. Most of the cast spoke Mandarin (even westerner Andre Morgan, who was already a multi-lingual producer for Golden Harvest), while Hwang In-Shik and Kim Ki-Joo spoke Korean, Kazuma Kenji spoke Japanese, and Jhoon Rhee & Anne Winton spoke English. Despite being South Korean born (and Korean being his primary language), you can tell Rhee's lip movements more closely match lines from the dub and/or the English subtitles. While it's not known for sure why he spoke English instead of Korean during the production, it may have been to assist when the film would receive its eventual US release/dub, where the majority of his students (especially in the Washington DC area) were located.
- Alternate versionsThe UK theatrical version was heavily cut to remove the whipping of the priest, as well as substantial cuts to the fight scenes, including blows to head, kicks, chain-fighting, and a man being knocked down the stairs.
- ConnectionsFeatured in The Best of the Martial Arts Films (1990)
Featured review
Martial Arts Fun and Action
While the film is not abundant with taekwondo philosophy or technique, it does tell a story that most American taekwondo students are unfamiliar with. That story is set in the backdrop of the Japanese occupation of Korea during World War II and the Korean resistance to that occupation. This tale of modern oppression is, simultaneously, a tale of how embedded in the fabric of the Korean culture taekwondo is. Rhee plays the leader of the underground resistance who is, of course, a taekwondo Grandmaster. Rhee is forced to reveal his identity, and risk death, in order to attempt to save the life of an imprisoned Catholic Priest.
The film's sparse dialogue is subtitled but the action is plentiful as Rhee is joined by an All Star cast of Asian action stars, including Angela Mao, Carter Wong, Sammo Hung, and many more fighters/actors. While many styles of martial arts are evident, the presence of Rhee and Anne Winton, Rhee's star pupil off the movie screen, remind us that this is, theoretically, a taekwondo action film.
As a snapshot of modern Korean history and a look at the role of Taekwondo in personal defense and the defense of a culture I do recommend this film."
Two years later, in 2018 Grandmaster Rhee would pass away and be mourned all over the world for his contributions to Taekwondo and humanity.
One of the interesting and little know facts about this film was that it was Bruce Lee who introduced his friend, Jhoon Rhee, to Golden Harvest to get the film made. In addition to Lee's friendship with Rhee he liked the fact that the story of the film involved a similar theme to Lee's own Fist of Fury. That theme was resistance to Japanese occupying forces.
The film is also known and been released as Sting of the Dragon Masters and Taekwondo Heroes.
The film's sparse dialogue is subtitled but the action is plentiful as Rhee is joined by an All Star cast of Asian action stars, including Angela Mao, Carter Wong, Sammo Hung, and many more fighters/actors. While many styles of martial arts are evident, the presence of Rhee and Anne Winton, Rhee's star pupil off the movie screen, remind us that this is, theoretically, a taekwondo action film.
As a snapshot of modern Korean history and a look at the role of Taekwondo in personal defense and the defense of a culture I do recommend this film."
Two years later, in 2018 Grandmaster Rhee would pass away and be mourned all over the world for his contributions to Taekwondo and humanity.
One of the interesting and little know facts about this film was that it was Bruce Lee who introduced his friend, Jhoon Rhee, to Golden Harvest to get the film made. In addition to Lee's friendship with Rhee he liked the fact that the story of the film involved a similar theme to Lee's own Fist of Fury. That theme was resistance to Japanese occupying forces.
The film is also known and been released as Sting of the Dragon Masters and Taekwondo Heroes.
- tkdlifemagazine
- Jun 27, 2022
- Permalink
Details
- Release date
- Countries of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- When Tae Kwon Do Strikes
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime1 hour 35 minutes
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 2.35 : 1
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Top Gap
By what name was When Taekwondo Strikes (1973) officially released in Canada in English?
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