- full movie: https://tubitv.com/movies/100020465/when-taekwondo-strikes (this is where I watched it... I'm sure it's other places too...)
- look for clips on youtube: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=when+taekwondo+strikes
Guess who wins this fight.
...a 1973 Hong Kong martial arts film ...The story is about the Korea under Japanese rule during World War II. A Korean nationalist played by Carter Wong gets into a fight with some Japanese people and is chased into a church. The priest there is captured and tortured. Trying to secure his release, the leader of the resistance, Jhoon Rhee is himself captured and tortured by the Japanese. Carter Wong, Angela Mao and Anne Winton have to now try and rescue him. This leads to an explosive climax with the heroes having to fight the likes of Wong In Sik (Hwang In-Shik), Sammo Hung and Kenji Kazama.
Background
Rhee landed the role in the film with help from his friend Bruce Lee whom he met in 1964 while both were performing demonstrations at an international karate event held in Long Beach, California.[3] In 1972, Lee went to Golden Harvest Films boss Raymond Chow with the idea of making a movie about Taekwondo with Rhee in lead role. Rhee who never thought of himself as an actor didn't think it would come to fruition but a year later in the summer of 1973, Rhee was flying to Hong Kong to star in the film which was set in Korea, playing the part of Master Lee, a leader of a group of underground patriots. The plot for the film was based on a synopsis written by Rhee. It didn't take long to produce the film and by 19 July Rhee was back in the United States. This was when Bruce Lee called him to let him know that the film's editing had been done and it was ready for release.[4] Rhee was looking at the possibility of more film work but with Lee's death which was around the film's release and the possibility of being away from his family didn't appeal to him. So this became his first and last film.[5]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/When_Taekwondo_Strikes
Looks good! Unfortunately not on Tubi or other legit free sources here in MX.
Justwatch Search results, in case anyone's interested.
Eureka have apparently done a high quality Bluray I might have to put in my cart.
That has Mandarin, "classic" English dub and an alternative English dub.
Jhoon Rhee looks really familiar even though apparently he was only in this and one other film, neither of which I recall seeing.
tbh I don't think it's worth owning unless you're really into TaeKwonDo or something...
OK, I'll wait until it becomes available on legit free streaming here.
The whole licensing thing kinda reminds me of being a kid in Central America during the 80s. We bought cable TV from this company, it was a legit company, had a store in the mall, had ads in the major papers, etc. But it was only one channel and I think they were grabbing satellite signals - they alternated between showing HBO and CNN and Showtime and WGN out of Chicago - whoever was running the place musta been a Cubs fan bc they showed like every Cubs game. I don't remember the name of the company or the technology, but I think a set-top box was involved. I think this musta been before the US companies realized they could make a lot of money selling in Latin America...
The 80s equivalent of a "fully loaded Kodi box" :D
When I was in Taiwan (1991-92), there were these places called "MTVs". You'd go in, browse through lots of movies on Laser Disc, pick one, and give it to the desk staff. Then you'd go into a room with a sofa, a coffee table and home cinema setup and the movie would start playing. Maybe order some beers and snacks from the staff. It was awesome!
Taipei was full of MTVs then (go with a bunch of friends or take a date for a little "privacy") but that was when countries (outside of Central America) didn't include the Republic of China (a.k.a. Taiwan) in anything, including the international treaty on copyright.
But within a couple of years, a trade agreement with the US led to most of them shutting down. Now apparently, the only ones left are "porn-only" and the rooms also have a shower!